Do you launch a boat with your Class C?

[Baja_Man]

Thinking about selling our small 5th wheel and purchasing a used 28'-31' Class C. We are a family of 4. Reason for change: So I can tow my 17' fishing boat!!

Do any of you launch a boat with your Class C?

If so, a few questions....

1. Does the back of your coach touch/enter water when launching?

2. Do you back in reverse from top of ramp all the way down to bottom of launch ramp? Some lake ramps can be very long especially in times of California drought times.

3. With the long chassis/body behind the rear wheels, has this been a problem when launching (ex. entering water, scraping at top of ramp when ramp begins to drop/angle down, etc).

Thanks

[BendOrLarry]

I have a 28 foot class c and a 17 foot fishing boat. I do it many times each summer. I have a backup camera and long ramps are not a problem. I have never had my motorhome rear tires in the water, not even close.

[pigman1]

I too have seen a number of RV's launching boats, but I've also seen a VERY NICE large class A up to the windows in Canyon Lake in Arizona. As long as everything goes well there's no problem, but when you have just one thing go wrong, it gets very expensive very fast. By the way, the guy's boat was floating just fine in Canyon Lake. According to Murphy, if it can happen, it will.

[Hemi_RT]

Yes just about any motor-home can launch a boat. The reason that most people put a hitch on the front (actually 2 reasons) is the following -

1. At a lot of boat launches, the ramp is very slick with algae or seaweed and in some cases very shallow - making you put the back end of the vehicle in the water or very steep making traction a problem. plus some people have a hard time backing up something that they can not see in most cases.

and

2. The front hitch keeps the rear wheels on generally dry surfaces for good traction and it sometimes makes it easier for the driver to maneuver something the can see rather than backing up blind

[mockturtle]

I've seen a lot of Class C's launching boats. I could easily do it with mine if I wanted to.

[midnightsadie]

A guy and a welder can do most any thing.find a good weld shop in your area take the rv with you.

[Baja_Man]

The idea of a front hitch sounds good. I know they can be mounted to the frames of Class Cs, but are they also mountable to Class As?

[midnightsadie]

we had a 26ft bornfree class C never had one problem , I also mounted a front hitch ,used it a few times in tight spots , now have a 25ft sprinter and its still easy. IF you can,t see your boat mount a flag on the drivers side fender ,and use that as a guide.

[tpi]

I can certainly recommend a backup camera. I have backed up my 8' motorcycle utility trailer with the class C. I have younger friend who can make all this look effortless. At my age, probably would go for sparsely used ramp or get someone to launch it and rent a slip in some of our typical heavy use areas.

I could back it all the way down if I had to..if it wasn't a zoo. Some of them are wide enough I could whip a u turn near the bottom. You're probably familiar with the ramps..probably best to start with the calm ones at calm times.

[IAMICHABOD]

I haven't done it but.

While I was looking for my recent motor home I found one just like the one that I bought,see signature,and it had a front mounted hitch.

I asked the owner why. He was an avid fisherman and being retired he would go 2 or 3 times a week. He saw others that did it with P/U trucks and liked the idea. He had a hard time seeing the boat when backing and had to get out and see if it was deep enough to float and once he did submerge the rear of the RV to get it launched,filling the
rear compartment with water,tires were wet and spun when leaving,giving him a sinking feeling.

With the front mounted hitch and a 2 FT extension he could see where the boat was going and could put it in where he wanted,never getting the front submerged, and keeping the rear tires on dryer land with better traction,he said that some of the ramps that he used were very steep.

He did say it took a bit of learning so he practiced in a shopping mall parking lot,said he got a lot of funny looks but could,after a little practice,do S patterns and put it anywhere he wanted,a plus on a crowded boat ramp.

He did say a few times he got applause after a successful launch and a lot of questions.

[WyoTraveler]

No , but launched a bass boat with my class A . MH never got into the water.