boat launch help

The lake I live on doesn't have a ramp and the "launch" in my yard works, but I almost get stuck every time with a 4 wheel drive and it seems to get worse every time I use it.

So, does anyone have some ideas/suggestions about how to make it a little better?

Thanks in advance

You could try:

-Lowering your truck's tire pressures to 15-20 lbs.
-Add some large size gravel to your launch area
-mount a power winch on your front bumper in case you do get stuck

put large size gravel down, and you really only need it for a few feet under the rear tires. We had tow straps ready to go and would have to use an extra vehicle before putting the gravel down. The ground is so soft the tires just spin? Love that Florida dirt!

that would help, but the truck tires don't actually go into the water. There is sort of a ledge where the ground goes from muddy lake bottom and then about 6" to a foot higher is rock/grass/dirt. The trailer tires sink down so low in the mud that when they hit the ledge its like hitting a wall. The truck tires just spin on what used to be concrete, but is all cracked and overgrown. I'm thinking some sort of makeshift ramp to get the tires up.

Thanks for the input, but it would take a ton of gravel to fix this.

Buy some 2x10x10' and lay them down crosswise. If they slip, you could tie them togethter and role them out, or use spikes to plant them in the gournd. Also, I used to see traction matts for slick ramps taht you could put down under tires. Kind of a web looking stff. What About some of those robber matts with holes that people stand on for work or something like that that will distribute the load while giving some traction.

Do you think large patio blocks would work? If the water freezes in the winter (and I'm jealous if it doesn't) you can pour the gravel on the ice and wait for next spring.

What if you had some metal ramps built. You could use expanded metal or have something laid down similar to the ramps used on low-boy trailers. I am assuming you are looking for something temporary?

Pics might possibly help..... This ledge thing is throwing me.... is it like a 6" seawall? or just some old concrete that needs to be removed?

Sounds like general off road principles apply here. Get something solid under the trailer tires so they don't sink in. I like the gravel idea. Dump a truckload of stone or two in teh water and spread it out as deep as your trailer needs to go. Also pavers or boards would work. What you do depends on budget and what is allowed by the tree-huggers that dictate what you can do on your property. Probably best to be discreet.

Soft muddy bottom is just gonna get rutted out if you keep using it, best to do something sooner rather than later.

You launch the boat from your yard? If you do just make two rails with 6" steel pipes set the width of the trailer track apart. Get a spare set of wheels with no tires and an electric winch. Run the trailer up and down like a train. You could even get a wireless remote.

LARGE GRAVEL! It is the fix for sure. I've done it myself and seen it work countless times. It is the fix for your situation, no doubt. You need a small dump truck full of it, but it's pretty cheap, and a few hundred dollars later you'll have a setup that will last decades.

sidewalk blocks would work

One cheap temporary solution is to get some old stiff carpet and put it down under tire paths. You can get some for free from installers. This will disperse weight of tires a good bit and make for better traction if it is not too rutted up already. You can also use it underwater for your trailer tires while they are in the lake, but will need to sink the carpet with some weight. I have done this for the rare times I have pulled from my backyard.

Gravel/Rock/Cement is going to be your more permanent solution.

Build a frame down into the water, pump out the water inside and pour concrete.

at my house on the river, we have the same sort of ramp as you in the back yard,

once you get 10 ft down the ramp it drops off about 1 foot,
so a couple weeks ago it was extremely low tide nd we had some friends over, we bought 200 bricks and started laying them down where it drops off, so now its preety good, i mean the ramp is a little un even but not enough so when we put the boat on it goes on dead centre, cheap and easy fix

This is what I'm dealing with. (pics below) You would think that I could just put some pavers down to even it up, but I've put blocks down and they just sink down into the sand/mud. I'm thinking some sort of makeshift ramp like Chris is thinking would be better. Just not sure how to construct or where to get it. Gravel would just wash away or sink down. Something temporary is best as I am renting the house.

I have pics, but I'm a ritard when it comes to resizing them so I can't post them.

Gravel would wash away or sink in the mud. Pavers just sink. I've already tried cinder blocks and you can't even see them anymore.
I think a ramp of some sort like Chris is talking about would be best. Something that could put all the pressure on the hard ground, as well as support the weight of the boat. I'm just not sure what that would be. It does need to be temporary because I rent the house. Cheap is always good too, but I agree with the saying, "you get what you pay for."

How about putting down some galvanized fencing into the mud to spread out the weight over the muck?

I had my boat and hoist sitting on 4 - 50'x6' rolls of fencing laid out in the shape of a # sign. Each of the 4 feet sat where the fencing intersected. The muck was over 15' deep and you could push a 2x4 10 foot down with one hand into it. With the fencing spread out, it dispersed the weight across such a wide area it would stay up! Worked great.

You could put a few rows of fencing down, laid out parallel with shore, and then a plywood piece for each tire run on the top of the fencing, then lay another roll of fencing down on top of the plywood to hold it in place so it wouldn't float away.

Ooops.. not temporary though!!

Heres an idea: http://www.ecoboatramps.com/

Looks like their pouring 12' long, rebar reinforced, concrete slabs & hooking them together in the water. They claim it's all approved by the EPA.

The problem with pouring concrete in the water or laying down a rail system is that it may or may not meet local or federal regulations. Around here a permanent concrete ramp is going to require permits with the city/county & take years to get approved. And new rail systems have not been allowed for a long time.

I've always thought that using my own trailer as the "cart" would work great. Then use a 10,000 lb electric winch secured in the ground to pull it in & out. Obviously you'd need the right slope for the boat/trailer to go down it right. And the ramp itself would need to be hard gravel at the very least.

Um, isn't this why most people go to legit boat ramps? Like, i could put my boat in just about anywhere teh conditions look acceptable, but.....

Tim, I like your idea. It seems like it could be temporary. I'll be here for about a year, so it wouldn't be a one time use thing. I don't have a lift so I take the boat out often. Sounds like this might be the way to go.

Bill, I would love to be able to have that, but I doubt the landlord would go for it and I don't want to pay for it. haha

dh, a legit boat ramp would be nice, but that's the whole point of this thread.... there isn't one.