Anyone using anything interesting to lessen the time to launch at a lake. I am here in Ga. on Lake Lanier and on weekends there is a line of 4 to 8 people just trying to get on the only one boat ramp out of 4 ramps that are open due to the lake being 15 feet low.

Does anyone have any ideas to make getting into and out of the water faster?

It is taking an hour just to go from the parking lot to launching the Hobie. Same is true for getting out of the water.

My trick to a faster launch is to set the boat up in the parking lot. That includes raising the mast, completely rigging the boat and getting it ready to sail.

I makes sure the boat is facing the wind, when raising the mast....and I do not raise the sail(s) before launching.

I also ensure the boat is well secured to the trailer.

After entering the water, unsecure it from the trailer, push off and I'm off.

If I'm alone, I find a place to beach the boat so I can get my car and trailer off the ramp and into the parking area...then return to the boat and then I'm off.

My time on the ramp is only a few minutes.

My time setting up the boat for sailing and breaking it down for trailering is probably 15 or so minutes.

I leave side stays attached where they belong and I leave my running rigging mostly in place while trailering. Of course those lines are coiled and secured to the tramp so they don't drag while trailering.

The only things I have to fuss with beyond raising the mast are the sails, rudders, daggerboards and boom...nothing else.

Tom

As a result describe. in

Beach wheels: they usually allow you to rig completely including main and jib while minimizing wind direction problems, then launch or retrieve quickly.

Do not use the ramp? Sounds cheeky but it's amazing what you can go through with a good launching trolley...

When raising and lowering the mast, if the boat is facing downwind, it will make your life a lot easier. The wind will be helping you lift and assisting with easing the mast back down.

Are you launching at Aqualand?

I've never had to wait there. Just put your mast up, throw all your sails, lifejackets and whatever you need on the tramp... back the boat down, pull it over to the beach, get back in the car and park the trailer.

Also, launching without using a ramp at Lake Lanier is nigh impossible unless you happen to have your boat on the beach at LLSC. AFAIK its the only place where boats are kept on the beach.

Granted you may not be able to do this at Lake Lanier, but ...

...when by myself ...

I use a small anchor with a buoy attached and leave this on the tramp while launching...I roll my boat into the water, drop the anchor and tie the boat off to the front stays while I raise the mainsail. When I'm ready I tie off the beach wheels to the anchored buoy and just leave them floating offshore.

This way I don't have to beach the boat on the way out or the way in.

NOTE: If you launch from the same spot all the time, you can put a screw anchor offshore with a buoy attached.

Dear God Almighty you don't want the Corp of Engineers to find out about that :P

The devils with pointy sticks will be on your butt faster than flies on stink.

Oh, I meant "submerged" buoy <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

(Personally, I used an empty [plastic] water bottle ... they think it's floating trash and simply look the other way.)

That's all good, thanks.

Except for Tomthouse who can do all of this in 15 minutes. I can rig a windsurfer in 15 minutes but not my Hobie. I wish I could.

Good call.

My easy to set up boat is a very simple boomless, unirig 474 Freestyle. That makes it very easy and simple to prep...especially when helped by one other person, who knows how to help and is helping in exchange for a bit of help on readying his boat.

We pin the mast base in the step, raise the mast, pin the forestay, slide the daggers in, check the plugs, place two pins for the rudder assempbly installation, tie the boomless sail on the tramp and I'm pretty well ready to hit the ramp and push the boat off the trailer.

For most anything thing else, I take a few minutes on the beach.

The other boats take a bit more time and hassle.

The Stiletto 27 takes a few guys, a number of hours and a number of breaks to let the sweat dry.

Compared to that one, most any beachcat is a breeze.

That's why, when possible, most usually get stored mast up or sit mast up on a mooring.

Is life good or what...?

Peelskid, where on Lanier are you launching from? The lot that I'm in is the 2nd best place to launch from on the lake next to LLSC's beach. I'm at lot 6 in Aqualand which is at the very end of the road if you just keep driving straight through Aqualand.

Please tell me more about your launch site. Is it in LLSC or Aqualand? Do they charge to launch? Is parking there a parking lot at the launch? Is that a public or private ramp? I have seen it from the water.

Would you like to go race around together some day? I am always looking for a 10 to 15 day. If the wind gets over the low 20's then I rig my windsurfer and haul butt.

The last two times it has blown good I have been chasing my windsurf buddies around. I can pass them in the lulls but when the gust come they take off like a steaker. I can turn as fast as they do ( mostly jibes ) but I always have to turn in back of them becasue I am watching the trim of the boat and the lines and not looking forward and I don't want to run over anybody. It's fun chasing the windsurfers, they like to watch me sail and I like watching them. They like the competition and we usually sail short tacks so there is a lot of turning going on.

I launch from Aqualand. I keep my boat in lot 6, which is at the very end of the road at Aqualand. The ramp there, has a nice sandy beach right next to the ramp, so I use the method that I previously stated to get the boat in the water and off the the ramp quick. There is in fact a lot there.

I don't think its public however. There is a public ramp at Aqualand that, last time I used it, didn't cost anything to use however, the beach there isn't quite as ideal.

I'll go ahead and message you my information so when there's a day you'd like to go out and zoom around we can put something together.

I am good to go any day it blows. Do you sail in the winter? I have a dry suite so I suspect that I will sail year round. I already windsurf year round.

My e mail address is peelskid@gmail.com E me and I will forward you my phone number.

I am sailing with another of my buddy windsurfers who bought a Hobie 17. He has some issues with water in the hulls. So we have the potential to have three of us on the water at once.

Three? We're all over the place and race at least twice a year on Lanier. You should join us around the southeast for some sailing events!

www.emsa-sailing.org

There are a couple of places at Aqualand where direct beach access would only require them to cut down a couple of trees and do some minimal grading. Then you could have wheeled your boat straight from the road onto the beach. A couple of years ago they said they wouldn't do it because the Corps of Engineers required them to submit an environmental impact statement. When I was putting my A cat on wheels on the concrete ramp in powerboat chop, I used to really wish they had created that direct beach access.

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Three? We're all over the place and race at least twice a year on Lanier. You should join us around the southeast for some sailing events!

www.emsa-sailing.org
[/quote]

Jake, et al,

This is the universal problem and no need to belabor the whys and wherefores. There are so many similar situations and we racers are collectively very intimidating.

Especially you guys with the high tech boats who just disappear.

There really needs to be a good B-fleet that all these folks can find a home in, where they will have at least a chance at a chunk of silver once in awhile.

Asking to them come out and them handing them their lunch won’t do it.

Maybe a regatta just for semi-non racers where you, Nigel, Mike, Rick, Garland, etc., crew and swap boats after each race?

The slower boats are never scored against us "high tech" boats that "just disappear". At least we haven't been at any regatta I've been at. We might be scored overall when we're in a fleet, but there's always a "high DPN/no spin" class where you can get your "chunk of silver".

This is dodging the issue of creating a freindly and unitimidating environment for casual sailors. There are always "ringers" in the handicap fleet. I don't have an answer, but the point is...there are many boats not racing because of whatever perception their owners have of racing.

We racers like racing...and there certainly are "racers" that never win. We don't really understand why non-racers don't race. I personally don't like sailing much if I'm not racing.

Our numbers have dwindled significantly as we all know. Perhaps courting the reachers and mast bob sailors has no future.

I'll go heads-up with you anytime, but who wants to watch that?