Brian S
Admiral
Registered: 03/27/05
Posts: 561
Loc: Canton, Michigan
JMO but this still is a version of power loading a boat. This is not allowed at the majority of ramps that we go to. Any ramp thast is owned or operated by the State of Michigan does not allow power loading. If done right the most the person needs to winch on is about 4 or 5 foot. Add a little bunk spray and you can almost pull it on by hand.
The gadget is kind of pricey for the full auto version. I'll keep doing it the old fashion way and just stay clear of MI, because I "power" all the way up to the bow stop. http://www.boat-ed.com/mi/course/p2-4_trailering.htm. Pretty neat interactive explaining why not to do it, though.
Edited by StarFisher (08/26/0812:07 PM) Edit Reason: finish
_________________________ 07 Starcraft 2210/225 Optimax 05 Sierra 2500HD
At almost every "Michigan" Ramp, operators of the ramp facility have large signs in place advising that power loading is prohibited. This restriction is in place because of concerns for the long term preservation of the ramp. Because the "Michigan" Ramp tends to enter water with a gentle bottom slope, if boats were to power load the prop wash would displace the sand and gravel and build it into a mound a few feet behind the end of the ramp. Eventually a rather significant shoal will be created by repeated power loading. The shoal then becomes a hazard for boats near the ramp area, where the sudden reduction in depth can mean a dinged propeller to the fellow without local knowledge of this artificial reef. Power loading can also tend to create a deep pit right at the end of the ramp. This is a problem for ramp users (if their trailer wheels back beyond the end of the paved ramp and into this pit) and for maintainers of the ramp (as the end of the ramp slab begins to be undermined and may not be sufficiently supported). For these reasons, a "Michigan" Ramp generally prohibits power loading and warns of fines, etc.
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