How to Reverse Your Boat Trailer
Unless you’re fortunate enough to live on the water or you have a permanent slip at a marina for your boat, you’re probably going to have to trailer and tow your boat to wherever you plan to use it. While towing in and of itself isn’t too challenging, there are some tricks involved, particularly when it comes to backing the trailer up. Reversing a loaded trailer can be difficult if you’re unprepared, and we want to help you be as ready as possible for the task.
Glenn's Trailer Sales in Hobe Sound is your Florida boat dealer, serving West Palm Beach and Jupiter. Keep reading to learn how you can safely reverse your boat trailer to avoid mishaps at the boat launch.
1. Put In Practice
The best way to make sure you can reverse your boat trailer when you need to do it at a boat launch, parking lot or even on the road is to practice first. Take your towing setup to an empty parking lot and set up cones to simulate a boat launch or parking space, then carefully practice backing your boat trailer into that space. The more times you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become with the entire process.
2. Turn The Other Way
If you try to turn your steering wheel in the direction you want to reverse the trailer, it’s going to jackknife on you and you’ll have to do some finagling to get it straight again. Instead of keeping your hands at the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions on your steering wheel, grab the wheel at the 6 o’clock position instead. To turn the trailer left, move your hand clockwise to the left. To turn the trailer right, turn the steering wheel counterclockwise to the right.
3. Take It Slow
Trying to reverse your boat trailer quickly is only going to end in problems. Press very gently on the gas pedal as you’re executing the turn so that you have the chance to brake and recalibrate if the trailer moves in a way you’re not expecting.
4. Have a Spotter
If you’ve got a friend or partner who’s willing to get out of the car to guide you through the reversing process, then you’re in luck. A spotter can help you to avoid hitting anything and shout advice as to what you should do to orient the trailer correctly.
5. Use Hazard Lights
If you’re trying to complete a reversal around a lot of other vehicle traffic, turn on your hazard lights to let other drivers know that you’re trying to do something unexpected and that they should keep an eye on your towing setup.
Looking to purchase a new boat trailer? Stop by our Hobe Sound, FL, dealership today to view our inventory of new and used trailers for sale. We can also assist you with trailer financing options and offer trade-in values. Glenn’s Trailer Sales proudly serves the cities of Jupiter and West Palm Beach, FL.