i keep reading different things that guys are doing with their boats...the old,put the fuel fill nozzle in a rod holder ? reversing polarity when reinstalling batteries ? and disconnecting the trailer winch and the saftey stop before backing down the ramp ?
relax,slow down,think before you do something...just stop and think,"is this a good idea"..."did i put the fuel fill nozzle in the right place"..."am i connecting the batteries the correct way"...just be careful,what's the rush ?

before the boat goes in for the season,i hgighly reccomend everyone actually water tests the bilge pumps.put the plug in,put the garden hose in the boat and let it run...wait for the pump to kick on...make sure the battery switch is in the off position,and the pump works-i've seen alot of guys do it the wrong way...
make sure the plug is in...grease the threads,use a cheap grease,do not use teflon tape,i'm amazed why guys do this ? snug it down,don't over tighten the drain plug,it won't fall out,it's tapered pipe thread...
and again,pay attention...

All good tips. Sometimes in the excitement of the Spring launch these simple things get missed. Thanks.

I see a lot of guys doing this with bunk trailers. Not sure why- it's just not worth saving a few seconds and risking the possibility of dumping the boat on the ground.

I put the gas nozzle in a rod holder once, but fortunately I realized it before I pulled the handle!

bunk trailers are a crime against nature,with that,i can see unhooking the boat and the saftey-the boat needs to be floated off a bunk trailer.
roller trailers,especially roller trailers with the urethane rollers,the boat is like it's on ice skates,it will fly off the trailer...i watched a guy unload a brand new mako right on the ramp,he unhooked the boat.a friend of mine "mad mike",he launched his shamrock,he unhooked it from the trailer,he unloaded it right on the ramp...
i'm not being harsh here,trust me.i'm just facinated why people do what they do with their boats.i make mistakes too,trust me,i lost count.some things i can't understand,putting a fuel fill nozzle in a rod holder ? there's absolutley no excuse for that...sorry guys...
take a few mins to check everything.trailering the boat to the ramp,be sure to use a gunnel strap,DO NOT USE the transom tie downs,these are the ones that connect to the trailer,and the transom eyes-these are useless,use a gunnel strap only...i had a parker that flew off the traielr a few years ago,on the parkway,it would've stayed on the trailer if it was strapped correctly.be sure your trailer is ok too,check it out,check the wheel bearings,this time of year i see alot of traielrs sitting on the side of the rode...famous last words are,"i only have a few miles to go to the ramp,the trailer is fine"...
be sure the engine runs too,and the steering is free,these items are often overlooked after you launch the boat at the ramp...
again guys,be carefull,and take a few mins to check everything...

After watching a boat on a trailer in front of me on the parkway many years ago, I realized that my conception (and most folks I assume) of the function of the tie down strap is flawed.
I thought at the time that the purpose of the strap is to keep the boat on the trailer when it bounces...WRONG..( for most larger boats) IF the boat weights more than the trailer, then the real purpose of the "holddown" strap is to LIFT the trailer when a bump is hit. Reasoning... lets say you have a 2+ ton boat on a 1 ton trailer (my rig last time it had a trailer)... You are driving along and hit a bump in the road. Boat and trailer start to become airborn. If the hold down really held down, then boat would not go up... HOWEVER, the laws of physics say that a one ton trailer won't hold down a 2 ton boat...given a sufficiently energetic bump. The real purpose of the hold down strap is to make sure that the boat and trailer do not seperate, i.e., the boat has to be able to lift the trailer and when they both come back to earth that they are "together". JAWZ is correct. Transom hold downs work for 14 ft Whalers. They were invented in the era when trailered boats were almost always under 18 ft. A really good gunwale strap should be sized to be able to lift the trailer off the ground, keep the boat and trailer "intimately connected" and attached accordingly, i.e., the boat and trailer should act as one 3 ton mass (in my example) not a 2 ton one sitting on a one tone one. I always used a gunwale strap. I also had a backup at the bow eye to the tounge (not the bow pad support) in addition to the winch line.

I also have a great dislike for bunk trailers. They were developed for launches from relatively shallow pitch ramps... for tow vehicles that you are willing to get wet. They made their first appearance in "sweet water" areas, where I assume they thought that a dunk in the lake was the same as a ride on a rainy road. I cringe when I see someone with a 4x4 in salt water dunking their "expensive bits" launching from a bunk trailer.