Launching a boat with a winch

We just bought a small boat, motor (19') and trailer then realized we didn't want to drive our Jeep just to have a launch vehicle.  I realized that what we need is something stationary, not necessarily a vehicle that will go so close to the water.  I'm thinking - we could use a winch to lower the trailer onto the ramp and into the water leaving the RV high and dry.  I think the small metal front wheel would have to be replaced with a solid rubber one.  We'd also have to mount a lightweight winch onto the back of the motorhome.  I think a manual boat trailer winch, mounted onto a length of trailer tongue pipe and slipped into the trailer hitch on the RV would work.  Does this make sense to anyone?  Has anyone done something similar or  have suggestions?

Penny,
Welcome to the Forum!

Often, you get more views and more responses if you start a new thread.  However, posting here is not a problem.

I have no direct experience, but a couple questions.  How big is the current tongue jack wheel?  How well does it roll on concrete? 

If most of the boat ramps you use are fairly smooth concrete, the current wheel may work.
Note this will double the time needed to launch and retrieve your boat.  Are the launch sites able to handle this delay?

What is your motor home?  Make & model?  Why not use it to launch?

Would a front mounted hitch receiver make it easier to launch and retrieve by either method?  Tow to the dock, disconnect the boat, reattach to the front hitch and push it into the water with a clear view through the windshield.

Being a long time boat owner, I can say that this idea will not work, and will be dangerous.  You must have the trailer tongue connected to your hitch, or it will be all over the place, high and low, and probably trash your motor.  Certainly will make a great YouTube video if you try it. Why not use the RV?  This light of boat will be no problem pulling out of launching ramp.

When the pro bass tournament folks launch at the marina near our lakeside cottage, some of them have front mounted hitches on their motorhomes that make it easier to maneuver the relatively short boat trailers and also keep their drive wheels firmly on dry ground.

I have a pretty steep boat ramp in my back yard.  I launch my boat by hooking a short chain the the boat trailer tongue.  I have a winch on a post in the yard and I hook the cable hook on the winch cable to the chain attached to the boat trailer.  This is an 18 foot Polar Craft boat with a 60 HP outboard.  My winch is electric and I would not try this with a manual winch.  I think the crank handle will get away from you on launch of the boat and trailer down the ramp.  My 12 volt winch does not have an electric run-out capability.  I slowly release a carbon disc brake and slowly let the boat and trailer down the grass slope and down the wood ramp into the water.  I have installed a lockable large plastic swivel wheel on the trailer tongue.  I can unlock that wheel to turn the trailer but keep it locked straight when letting the trailer down the ramp.  I have been launching my boat in this manner with the winch with no problem for over 20 years.  The winch easily pulls the boat and trailer slowly up the ramp electrically.  I say the OPs idea has merit if set up properly.  Most cement boat ramps are made rough for traction on the tow vehicle so I would think a rubber wheel would be better than my plastic wheel.

Let us know if you do this set up and how it works for you. 

I think a front mounted hitch would be quicker, safer, and easier for you. I would recommend looking into this as an option before trying to jury-rig something. Also consider if insurance would cover an incident involving such a jury-rigged contraption. I would avoid it, personally.

I bought a 5th wheel so I can triple tow my boat behind it. I use my tow vehicle to launch the boat, and retrieve. All concrete ramps that I have used have rumble strips for lack of another description. They are not flat smooth concrete. In the spring and fall the ramps can ice up, in the summer they can become covered in moss. Neither ice or moss provide traction, hence the rumble strips. Most times those rumble strips are angled to allow drainage. These angled rumbled strips will make an uncontrolled decent/retrieve extremely difficult. They will grab that front roller and push the trailer off coarse. Ever try to pull a trailer out of the water with a wheel that fell off the concrete ramp? It isn't fun, and can lead to expensive repairs.

I would be really nervous about backing in a boat with the RV. If those tires break traction your floating, camper and all. Hence the recommendation for a front mounted hitch, its safer. Now the $100,000 question. How many times do you have to break camp to launch/retrieve the boat? The campgrounds I stay at don't have overnight docks. I must launch/retrieve every time I go fishing/boating. I'm not too keen on breaking camp twice a day. How about you?
Why is it a $100,000 question. Several options, trailer to haul a vehicle and boat behind the RV, go the 5th wheel route and triple tow, scale back and go with a slide in camper and drop it in the campsite, or really scale back and tent camp. Most the guys I fish with spend the night in a motel/hotel/cabin. I prefer camping.

There are lakes with sand ramps, and big rubber tires on the trailer will work, however you can't always count on gravity to work. Most of those sand ramps have a very shallow incline. Which means your pushing with something. If the RV gets stuck in the sand, there aren't many that can pull you out. An electric winch would be handy to get you out.

Just some things to think about.

You can do a few things instead of your plan. Guys have been modifying boat trailers for some time now/ One is a extended Hitch to 48". Or if you have a trailer that has a single draw bar, it can be converted to extend quite a bit, like 6'. If you have a A frame style trailer, there are mods for that also. Do a search and talk to a local weld shop. These are the most common solutions,,,gregg
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=boat+trailer+with+extending+hitch&&view=detail&mid=47FCB0D604EF724C72AD47FCB0D604EF724C72AD&&FORM=VRDGAR

Broke Boater said:

You can do a few things instead of your plan. Guys have been modifying boat trailers for some time now/ One is a extended Hitch to 48". Or if you have a trailer that has a single draw bar, it can be converted to extend quite a bit, like 6'. If you have a A frame style trailer, there are mods for that also. Do a search and talk to a local weld shop. These are the most common solutions,,,gregg
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=boat+trailer+with+extending+hitch&&view=detail&mid=47FCB0D604EF724C72AD47FCB0D604EF724C72AD&&FORM=VRDGAR

Click to expand...

I tried to open the link and it says this video is no longer available.

just tried it and it worked,,??,, I'll try it as a link also,,,Gregg

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=extending+a+boat+trailer+tongue&&view=detail&mid=47FCB0D604EF724C72AD47FCB0D604EF724C72AD&&FORM=VRDGAR

Hi Guys, Thanks for your ideas.  I saw a product that attaches to the trailer hitch ball that can lowers the boat and trailer down the ramp.  It's only in the UK as far as I can tell, and the cost was over $2,000!  So I went looking for a PORTABLE winch in the USA that attaches to the hitch ball and found all kinds from about $60 to $200.  Ranchers used these portable winches a lot, and they are at Tractor Supply type stores.  They come in 12V, 120V and internal, rechargeable battery.  I'm also concerned about the metal front trailer wheel and am looking for a larger size solid rubber replacement.  Since we live in southern Arizona, launch ramps are seldom crowded.

Broke Boater said:

just tried it and it worked,,??,, I'll try it as a link also,,,Gregg

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=extending+a+boat+trailer+tongue&&view=detail&mid=47FCB0D604EF724C72AD47FCB0D604EF724C72AD&&FORM=VRDGAR

Click to expand...

No good here either...

So if you lower the trailer off the truck to splash the boat with a winch, then how is that going to work putting the boat back on the trailer with nothing to hold the trailer still while the boat slides up on the bunks?? Maybe,??IDK. I presently own 4 boats of different sizes up to 24' and a jetski. I cant see how this set up would be efficient or even close to easy and routine. Another question is your trailer a tandem or single axle? I have beach launched my buddy's 13' whaler on the coast with a dolly supplied by the campground to get the boat off the trailer in deeper water to keep the truck out of the water. That was pure work. At least the trailer was hitched to the dolly and the dolly hitched to the truck. I think/urge you have a fab shop make a hitch extension or a trailer tongue extension. I have also watched where a trailer mod similar to what your are thinking, it was on a sandy beach, very shallow, and not really any other option to keep a truck out of the sal****er. Trying to compare it to where you are launching, I don't see the advantage. One other option, is to get a roller style trailer, you don't have to get as far back into the water as a trailer with bunks. Some roller trailers tilt, making shallow launch and retrieval possible ,,,gregg
Here's the beach launch with a homemade dolly from the campground, it was a total pain, but what was needed to keep the truck from getting stuck in the loose gravel beach

I really think this is your solution. It would be a easy install and safest. It slides back out of the way, just for launching, your trailers existing hitch is still used for towing,,,gregg

In the pic posted you can also see the angled rumble strips in the concrete that I was talking about.
That extend a hitch thing is pretty cool.