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Loading Tritoon on Trailer

This my be slightly off topic...My advice is to know your boat ramp. We have a long trailer which caused me to dropped my trailer off the end of a local ramp with a friend driving. $700 later we got the trailer fixed. Below are the pieces that we replaced.

Once the trailer dropped off the ramp and the fenders hit the lip of the ramp, the fenders were flattened against the tires preventing them from turning. It took many attempts to get the trailer out.

Today I carry a Ratchet Strap so if it happens again I will use it to lift the trailer from the front of my Benny.

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To float the boat onto the trailer you need the perfect angle of ramp and lake level. Otherwise you have to put too much trailer in the water and the rear of the boat might not line up as you pull the boat out. Sometimes cranking just won't do it but I agree that if your prop is NOT over the concrete ramp and you power on, you will dig a hole and ruin the ramp! Just today we broke a strap trying to crank the boat up and we were WAY too far in the water. The rear of the pontoon was sitting up on one of the rails. We managed to shake it in because we got to it while it was still wet!
 
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We use teamwork. I completely wet my bunks and then pull up so my wheel well is about 3 inches out of the water. My wife pulls on the trailer and eases the boat up until it stops. I then back the trailer in a couple of feet and repeat the process until she can power it up to the bunks.
Our local ramp is not too steep so I pull out of the water and then work on securing all straps. If I’m on a steep ramp, I’ll attach my winch strap before pulling out.
 
I have a 2018 Bennington 25QSR, tritoon, Yamaha 250. I love my boat all except loading and docking this tank. I have installed a loading system from 4C Innovations. It works but since I have a tritoon boat, the loading guides can't be braced on the top of the guides. It has really helped loading, especially in current or with a cross wind, as the bennington tritoon will go sideways with any kind of wind or current. 4C Innovations said they would give me my money back, since it is only a matter of time before I destroy the loading system, just not heavy enough for the size of boat. I am looking at a Rapid Load System made by Brehemer Manufacturing, in Lyons, Nebraska. Does anyone know anything about this loading system? Please advise. I told the salesman from Brehemer Mfg. Co. that I would buy their system if they guaranteed it to work, and if it didn't I would get a refund. Still waiting for a reply to that one. I really feel that Bennington should come up with a loading system to help out their customers. I talked to the boat dealer where I bought my boat, MidWest Marine, but they were no help. They said I was the only one that had complained about having trouble loading my bennington tritoon boat. What an idiot, he apparently doesn't know how to read, but after all he is just a salesman. Let me know if anyone has any feed back on the Rapid Loading System. Thanks.
 
I’m not sure why “Bennington” should come up with a “loading” system. There’s not a typical manufacturer out there that I’m aware of that makes a “loading” system. It’s a boat, with practice, it gets easier. Hell, I had a heck of a time loading my 14‘ jet boat in a cross wind, I had to learn to come in upwind, and time the entry and power just right to get it on the trailer.

Sadly, many people buy these boats as a first boat with little experience, or come from a v-hull that acts completely different in the wind.
It’s just a matter of practice, practice, practice.
 
I understand what you are saying, but wouldn't it be nice to have a manufacturer and or boat dealer who sold you the boat, help you as a customer, with the problem of loading the boat. It seems like it is more of a problem for the bigger pontoon boats, especially the tritoon boats. I will keep looking for a loading system to use. Maybe someone will come up with something. The Rapid Loading System by Brehemer Mfg. was developed by the owner of this company, who was having issues docking his pontoon boat at the Lake of the Ozarks, trying to get the boat into the slip and onto the lift. After he developed the system for the docking issue, he then thought it would work great on a trailer to help with the loading issues he and other people were having. I am going to research it a little more and see what I can come up with. There has to be something out there, due to the fact that so many people are having the same problems.
 
Dennis, all of us have at one point or another had a difficult moment loading the trailer or docking. Winds and current can really be a problem with any boat. And we have all learned that Pontoon boats in particular have a significant wind load or profile. Learning how to manage this comes with experience. However, there are aids available to assist in trailering. Below are two pictures of the accessories I have added to my trailer to make this process easier. Hope this helps.

The below guides are used to sandwich the center toon as the boat goes on the trailer. Note that “aft” one is taller than the front one which was done intentionally as the back of the trailer is deeper in the water. These were not expensive.

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The other MAJOR help are the two very tall Side Guides at the end of the trailer. This is what I use to visually guide me onto the center of the trailer. In a strong wind they can also be used to pivot the boat onto the trailer if the wind/current catches the back of the boat.

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dannyleininger said:
Dennis, all of us have at one point or another had a difficult moment loading the trailer or docking. Winds and current can really be a problem with any boat. And we have all learned that Pontoon boats in particular have a significant wind load or profile. Learning how to manage this comes with experience. However, there are aids available to assist in trailering. Below are two pictures of the accessories I have added to my trailer to make this process easier. Hope this helps.

The below guides are used to sandwich the center toon as the boat goes on the trailer. Note that “aft” one is taller than the front one which was done intentionally as the back of the trailer is deeper in the water. These were not expensive.

View attachment 26526

The other MAJOR help are the two very tall Side Guides at the end of the trailer. This is what I use to visually guide me onto the center of the trailer. In a strong wind they can also be used to pivot the boat onto the trailer if the wind/current catches the back of the boat.

View attachment 26527
Click to expand...

I just added similar load guides to the back of my trailer as well last week. I went with C E Smith guides in 60" with black pvc to match the trailer carpet and decals. I've only used them once when launching solo so hopefully next time I load it on the trailer it will help.
 
First we all crawled then we walked, we learned to drive then we learned how to go in reverse, we all learned how to pull our trailers with out a boat on , then we put our boats on them and took a ride .We then put all these things together to get that Bennington into the water. We all go through something different getting them out, so relax and keep learning. New Members!
 
If you can find a time when the ramp isn't used, like a crappy day, or early on a weekday morning, practice pulling on the trailer over and over. Do it a dozen or more times. You'll get the hang of it.

I've yet to hear a story about someone getting stranded out on the lake because they couldn't get the boat on the trailer. It takes practice. In wind, it can be a lot more difficult than backing the trailer down the ramp. Just keep with it.
 
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