{"id":21253,"date":"2014-06-12T09:55:53","date_gmt":"2014-06-12T16:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/?p=21253"},"modified":"2019-07-24T15:00:39","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T22:00:39","slug":"how-to-tow-a-boat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/12\/how-to-tow-a-boat\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tow a Boat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/How-to-Tow-a-Boat.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-21261 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/How-to-Tow-a-Boat-1024x372.jpg\" alt=\"How to Tow a Boat\" width=\"1024\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/How-to-Tow-a-Boat-1024x372.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/How-to-Tow-a-Boat-300x109.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/How-to-Tow-a-Boat.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The good weather is here and what a better way to cool off than to head to the\u00a0nearest lake or beach with your boat! Here are some steps and tips on how to tow a boat:<\/p>\n<h3>Hitch<\/h3>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have a trailer hitch on your vehicle already, you\u2019ll want to get one installed. This<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/Articles\/Tips\/119\/Select-A-Hitch-Guide\/?utm_campaign=uhaulsm&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=hitch&amp;utm_content=20140612-howtotowa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> hitch\u00a0guide\u00a0<\/a>will help you select a trailer hitch. You can determine this online or have a company like\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/MovingSupplies\/Trailer-Hitches\/?utm_campaign=uhaulsm&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=hitch&amp;utm_content=20140612-howtotowa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U-Hau<\/a>l assist you. When\u00a0it\u00a0comes to installing a hitch, you can do-it-yourself or you can head to the nearest hitch installer to help you out. If you choose the DIY route, keep in mind that most boat trailers require a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/MovingSupplies\/Wiring-lights\/Tow-vehicle-wiring\/U-Haul-4-Way-Flat?id=13684&amp;utm_campaign=uhaulsm&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=movingsupplies&amp;utm_content=20140612-howtotowa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">4-way flat\u00a0wiring package<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Before you head out<\/h3>\n<p>Now that you have a hitch installed, there are a few things that can help you best tow your boat:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Practice! Take a practice drive to the lake or beach you&#8217;re going to; if this isn&#8217;t an option, try a practice drive on a Sunday or a time when you know the roads will have less traffic. \u00a0Additionally, you can test backing up in an empty parking lot!<\/li>\n<li>When towing a boat, you\u2019ll want to\u00a0avoid\u00a0making sudden sharp turns when you are on the road. It&#8217;s best to plan the route to your destination before you head out.<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s best to back up your vehicle and attach your boat trailer on to it.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your vehicle&#8217;s hitch\u00a0ball is the correct size for your boat trailer&#8217;s coupler.<\/li>\n<li>Check that your\u00a0boat is secured to the trailer using the winch cable in front, and occasionally there will also be a second attachment point at the rear of the trailer\/transom.<\/li>\n<li>Check to see that the taillights, brake lights and turn signals on your trailer\u00a0all work properly.<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s a great idea to check your spare tire pressure and condition!<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your boat is good working condition- the last thing you want to happen is to see your boat crash out on the water!<\/li>\n<li>If your boat has a water drain, confirm that 1) the water from the last trip is drained and 2) you place the stopper back in it place.<\/li>\n<li>Most people will throw items needed for a day on the water into their boat (especially if it won&#8217;t fit in the truck&#8217;s cargo). Make sure these items are secured so they won&#8217;t blow away en route.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>While on the road<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>As a precaution, go a little slower than the traffic around you. Don\u2019t worry about drivers passing in front of you.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re familiar with your vehicle\u2019s braking capability without the weight of a trailer. \u00a0Increased weight requires increased braking distance! You should at least double the distance between you and the car in front of you until you are comfortable with your vehicle\u2019s braking ability while towing.<\/li>\n<li>Towing a trailer means you\u2019ll have to increase\u00a0the radius of your turns, \u00a0give yourself plenty of room for a wide turn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Backing up your trailer<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The ultimate tip when backing up your boat trailer: place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel to ease backing-up. It&#8217;s crucial to turn\u00a0the bottom of the wheel in the direction you&#8217;d like the trailer to turn.<\/li>\n<li>Steer in small movements when backing up your trailer.<\/li>\n<li>Look over your shoulder\u00a0when backing up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The boat ramp<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Most lakes have an area where you can prepare to launch your boat, typically called a boat ramp.<\/li>\n<li>Be sure that everything in your boat is ready (other people in the boat ramp line will appreciate your preparedness!).<\/li>\n<li>Have another person help you prepare for your boat launch- a set of extra hands is helpful!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>Do you have any tips on how to tow a boat? Where is your favorite spot to go boating? Let us know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The good weather is here and what a better way to cool off than to head to the\u00a0nearest lake or beach with your boat! Here are some steps and tips on how to tow a boat: Hitch If you don\u2019t have a trailer hitch on your vehicle already, you\u2019ll want to get one installed. This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":21263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,999,195],"tags":[1155,82,994,86,175,1185,178],"class_list":["post-21253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-tricks","category-towing-trailers","category-trailers","tag-boat","tag-hitch","tag-hitch-accessories","tag-how-to","tag-towing","tag-towing-a-boat","tag-trailer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21253"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51115,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21253\/revisions\/51115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uhaul.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}