Boating and a class C

[locster]

For those of you pulling a boat with your class C, do you have another vehicle to get the boat into the water or do you just back it straight into the boat ramp? I'm thinking of getting a small jet boat and take it with us to some lake campgrounds. Also, where do you put the boat at the campsite? Do you unhitch it and push it into a spot near your coach? Pull-thru sites only?

[hotbyte]

We tow a 19' bay style boat with our 32' class C. We launch & retrieve the boat by backing down ramps as usual. We primarily camp at federal Army Corp parks on West Point Lake between AL and GA and have not had any problems at the ramps in these parks. We also tow the boat to an RV park & marina on Hilton Head Island for a week each summer. There, the ramp is right off the main entrance next the RV parking area for check-in. Also the entrance road has a median island with some large palm trees and other landscaping. Between the layout of the ramp and the busy of the entrance, I'm not fond of backing down that ramp. Strange as it sounds, it is easier to approach by exiting park on the entering side when no one is coming in. If they are real busy, I'll drop the boat and pay the jet ski rental folks to launch with their jeep.

Some thoughts and observations from our past experiences...
* Plan on putting boat in water upon arrival and taking it out when leaving. To me, it would be too much hassle to launch every day. At the COE parks, we get water front sites and tie boat off at shore using an Anchor Buddy to keep the boat slightly off shoreline to prevent bottom from getting beat up. At Hilton Head, we rent a slip for the week.
* Your MH will be your only means of getting around if someone else doesn't drive another vehicle. Depending on where you might go, this could be an issue. So far, it has been OK for us. We've talked about downsizing to a 22' to 24' B+ to make this part easier.
* It is much easier if there is someone to drive the boat and someone to drive the MH/trailer. Wife will drive the motorhome with trailer in tow but not back it down ramp.
* If you arrive late on Fri for a weekend, you might not have time to launch boat. A long pull through is best. If not, we drop boat and push into an overflow parking space that most parks have.
* You have to plan and be extra careful pulling into restaurants, gas stations, etc. It is a little more difficult than I found with the 5th wheel we used have but not by much.

[bsinmich]

I tried it once with a 27' class C with a long rear overhang on a steep ramp. I ended up having a fellow with a pickup truck help with the launch. The long overhang combined with the steep ramp put the motor of the boat on the ramp concrete.

[maillemaker]

Whew. I would be sooooo nervous using an RV to back a boat into water.

Glad that's one concern I won't have. 🙂

Steve

[Cobra21]

We back our boat in with the motor home. Get yourself a cheap back up
camera, they work well for this.
Brian

[rjstractor]

This is a topic that has been discussed at length. Personally, I don't like the front hitch idea for two reasons- one, with the nose of the motorhome pointing downhill, weight is transferred off of the drive wheels, reducing traction. Two, to get the boat far enough into the water, you may have to drive far enough into the water to risk getting the engine wet. When you back in you take advantage of the long rear overhang and can get the boat into the water quite aways without putting the rear tires into the water. With 2/3 of the vehicle weight on the drive tires, a powerful engine and low gearing, most motorhomes can pull a boat up a ramp easily. However, putting the generator into the water is a valid concern.

[eric1514]

Some folks put a receiver on the front of their coach and push their boat down the ramp and into the water. Better visibility, better traction if the ramp is mossy and some MH have their generator in the back and you don't want to submerse it. It depends on the coach.

As far a camp site, I would think it's no different than towing a car, maybe easier because you can back it up. A pull through would be ideal but parking it along side your MH shouldn't be an issue.

Eric

[pauldub]

I launch my little 14' boat with the motor home. I can't see the boat behind me so I put a pole across the transom so I can tell where the boat is. The pole is wider than the motor home. I try to get a pull-thru site because it's simpler for me that way.