Bunk trailer launching - unhook before or after you're in?

[smeese]

I unhook everything and back in.....if I am alone I will put the bow rope around my trailer crank so i can back it in and it will float off but not away.....disclamer my boat is a 14 foot aluminum that could bounce off whatever and be ok.

[BassNut33]

I will back down so that my trailer wheels are in the water and then uhook everything. I do the same when I am alone and tie the boat off to my spare tire. I unhook when I get close to the water for several reasons, first of all I don't always trust my backing ability and don't want to have to adjust the trailer and truck with it unhooked. Secondly I don't trust teh slope of the ramp, you never know what could happen. I will second everyone that said it only takes a few seconds, I fish in a club and speed at the ramp is important, I really don't feel like the way I do things slows down the line at all. I know if my boat was laying on the launch ramp that would slow down the line.

[Hester]

I attach a rope to the side of the boat and I actually unhook everything then back it in till it is starting to slide out, then I run up onto the dock and grab the rope before it gets away. It has not failed me yet but someday I'm sure to get wet.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I have a bunk and have always launched my boat with the strap off. But after reading some of the comments here, I think I'm going to start waiting to unhook the strap until the motor is over the water. Especially now that the temp is dropping, I never thought about my bunks being icy. So I'm breaking the habit and starting anew.

+2

[Down Deep]

I have a roller trailer, but I would never think of unhooking until the boat would safely launch into the water. I don't understand what the hurry is. A few years ago I was launching a boat into the St. Louis River when a two year old ran off of the fishing pier right in the path of the boat causing the need for a very sudden stop. You just never know. The safety chain is like a seatbelt, it just goes along for the ride unless its suddenly needed. But, you always have a choice to use it or not.