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captdavid
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#1 Post by captdavid » Thu Dec 01, 2011 6:17 pm

As you probably know I am a newbee and want to buy a toon. I've heard horrow stories about loading. I'm an experienced boater, up to 25'. Most are fairly easy to load with guides and possibly with an electric winch. I would appreciate your thoughts. capt david

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HandymanHerb
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Re: Loading

#2 Post by HandymanHerb » Thu Dec 01, 2011 6:22 pm

Just like sex, after you do it a few times, you will slip it right in every time, now you have some days where the wind will mess with you, but that, you will get use too.

Just do it
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killerkernrich
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Re: Loading

#3 Post by killerkernrich » Thu Dec 01, 2011 6:26 pm

I am new tooner got my 1st one July this year, I do ok if not windy, If I get it on trailer off just a bit toons not quite in a straight line I can shove the toon over just by giving it a hard quick push.
Pratice helps alot.
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Re: Loading

#4 Post by dockholiday » Thu Dec 01, 2011 7:37 pm

should not be an issue once you get the feel of the boat. might want to do a few dry runs while on the lake. maybe something a little higher than idle speed and get an idea of how far the boat travels once you pull the throttle back to neutral. or maybe let it slow and then get on reverse just to see what it takes to get it stopped. basically you want to just kiss the bumpers on the trailer when loading or stop a foot or so shy of them. depth of the trailer is also a factor. if you have passengers it good to have them near the rear that accomplishes a couple of things. gets them out of your field of view and lifts the bow some what. never loaded in gail force winds so never really had a problem there. usually if there are others on the ramp they will be glad to lend you a hand or help out if you ask.
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MH Hawker
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Re: Loading

#5 Post by MH Hawker » Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:16 pm

What the others have said , and the type gides do help a lot, and you can change gides if you need to thier simple to make . I load and unload by my self .
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Re: Loading

#6 Post by Ogre » Fri Dec 02, 2011 4:23 am

We came from a deck boat background and Pontoons seem to be much more difficult to load. The wind affects them much more, and in our experience, they are not near as manueverable at low speeds. ... but like all things YMMV. like everything skill improves with practice....
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rbiederwolf
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Re: Loading

#7 Post by rbiederwolf » Fri Dec 02, 2011 6:36 am

Brand new tooner as well. Loaded for the first time this week. I made sure I had someone with me, to help me guide onto trailer accurately. Once I got this done, gave her a little juice and she slid right up.

What was a little concerning at first was, as I was throttling her onto the trailer, it felt as if the rear was sliding sideways. The guy I with ( very experienced) called this a "false" feeling and not to worry. Obviously I still took it very slowly. Bottomline he was right and it went right on.

I do not have guide posts on my trailer, but they would help a ton.
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MH Hawker
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Re: Loading

#8 Post by MH Hawker » Fri Dec 02, 2011 7:04 am

gides help a huge amount.
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Re: Loading

#9 Post by wrd1972 » Fri Dec 02, 2011 7:47 am

Best lesson I have learned is dont stick the trailer too deep in the water. First time I loaded is way to deep and the rear of the boat would never line up and stay on the trailer. Man that was a PITA the first time.

Now I can do it by myself as long as I am not being pressed at the ramp which is almost never the case.
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Re: Loading

#10 Post by BobL » Fri Dec 02, 2011 9:54 am

captdavid wrote:......I'm an experienced boater, up to 25'.......
You won't have any problems. May be a little different but you already know how to read/react to wind and current and most 25' boats have deep sides so they can catch a lot of wind (like toons).

As others have suggested, good guides help A LOT!!!!

If it is pretty windy, fold the top up first as those things act like a sail.

I have owned quite a few boats and my wife has loaded a boat 2 times in her life. The first was our Bentley (20ft) during normal weather conditions and this year it was with our new 22' South Bay during Tropical Storm Lee. I told her to stick the nose close to the bunks and let the guides and motor do the rest.

Yes, there were a few curse words and hand signals coming from her during the process but she made it - I blamed her attitude on the wind - it was very windy.

Don't sweat it - enjoy!
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Re: Loading

#11 Post by blackberg » Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:04 am

the very first time I loaded mine, I got it on the trailer perfectly, on the first try....

the next couple of times I had issues, but practice-practice and it gets easier
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Re: Loading

#12 Post by Red555 » Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:59 am

To help with the wind issue, I tied a small ribbon to the radio antenna. That way, I can see what the wind is doing.
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Re: Loading

#13 Post by oldmn19 » Fri Dec 02, 2011 2:08 pm

I'm 77 yrs old and load and unload our 22ft toon without a problem, MOST of the time. Like everybody above has said the wind can mess with you, and it make take a couple attempts before you get on right, but hey it still beats working that day. Slow and easy and practice practice. :donno
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ROLAND
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Re: Loading

#14 Post by ROLAND » Sat Dec 03, 2011 2:33 am

Oh, I'm your man for this topic...nobody hated loading thier toon onto the trailer more than I did when I first bought my boat 2 years ago.... for me the problem is the bottom half of the bunks are either partially or totally submerged, so you can't really see them, plus at the helm, your sitting back a good ways from the front of the boat and again you cannot see if the front of the toons are aligned with the bunks.... I hated the end of the day because I knew it was going to take me 2, 3 maybe more times to get her loaded... then I went out and bought some 48" trailer guides.... ( yep, we've had this discussion before ) and while I'm still not the most confident person loading, these guides really help me... once I get the front of the toons on the trailer, just give her a little goose and she runs right up to the stops..... still have trouble occasionally but the guides have helped me quite a bit.. some have said the guides are too wide since they angle outward... not a problem, the pvc tube just slides over the lower bracket, so when you're ready to hit the road, you can just slide the pvc tubes off and you're ready to go....here's a couple of pics of what I'm talking about. Hope this helps.

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GregF
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Re: Loading

#15 Post by GregF » Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:17 pm

Some kind of guide is definitely the answer. I have my outside guides tight against the boat but I also have knocked off the corners of my forward deck to make it more "pointy". If I get the nose cones in, I am in. That is more for getting into the dock than the trailer. When the water is really low I come in pretty hot sometimes, sliding up in the mud.
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