Steep Boat Ramp

I have backed down my share of scary boat ramps, but I have never heard of driving down a ramp and turning around at the bottom and I would not want to do it with a big high cg load like a truck camper. Most of the boat ramps around here aren't wide enough to turn around at the bottom. I might have seen someone in just a pickup do that one time at Stagecoach Reservoir near Steamboat Springs.

Uh I ain't getting this. Turn around on a boat ramp?? Why??
Back straight down, launch, drive straight out.

I wouldn't do it either.

Although I can't help out with the "how steep" part, I can attest that many people drive down long boat ramps and turn around at the bottom. If the ramp is wide enough it makes it much quicker to drive down to the water, turn around and back the boat in. This makes your back-up distance around 20 feet, instead of 200.

Having watched numerous people who can't master trailer backing, this is a simple solution.

Just my 2 cents

Bill

Never heard of such a thing. I certainly wouldn't have turned my TC on any of the ramps I've launched on. Not that they were any where near 200' long. But, I would have no problem backing up for 200' so that's what I would do, or learn to do, in your case.

In California they draw the lakes way down. 200 feet sometimes. A big line forms on the right side and you turn around at the bottom. Backing that far is not an issue for me. Logistically it won't work with some of our lakes though.

When I'm out of state or when it's been a wet year in CA it isn't an issue but our local water districts makes too much selling the water to Southern California

The high CG seems a bit sketchy to me.

I have never seen it done either and wouldn't try it especially with a cab over tc.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts and the quick responses. I'll avoid that situation

TN has some ramps that are so long on the draw down, I've seen 6+ trucks with trailers parked along the side of the ramp. They do the same thingof drive down and turn around.

It's relative easy to figure out. Estimate where the vertical COG of the rig is. If you have no idea, figure half way up the camper is on the safe side because the truck out weighs the camper and most of it's weight is below the bed. Next, put a mark at the horizontal center of the camper at the vertical COG. Now all you need to do is figure out the angle off vertical it is on a line from the COG mark to the inside of the tire. (Inside as another safety margin and to allow for some wheel roll).

If you can't figure out the calculation, hang a string from your COG mark with a small weight on the end so it just clears the ground. Now drive down the ramp and slowly start to turn with someone watching the string. If it gets close to the inside wheel, you know it's too steep and you should stop, back up the ramp.

You will probably be very surprised that with a right weight camper it can be close to 30* which is a lot steeper than most boat ramps.

My camper is 2,400# non-basement which is light compared to my 7,000# truck. In bear jams at Cades Cove, TN, I've pulled off the road where cars were afraid to go. One time I heard a guy tell his friends "Watch him fall over." I then proceeded to almost double the angle to about 20* before stopping.

Did turn around at the bottom of the ramp last Saturday.
No camper thought.
Due to low water level in Lake Mead, boat ramps are 3/4 miles long. Don't think backing up would be welcome.