Is there anything you can put on bottom of boat for protection against rocks?

[Hydra Sports]

I am planning on getting a Checkmate in the near future and will be using her mostly in fresh water towing her to the ponds and back out every time.

Now when I do this with my aluminum every time I go to the boat ramp I need to pretty much drive up on stones or what have you at the bottom on the pond to get out, then pull the boat up a bit so that it doesn't float away while I go get the truck and trailer.

Now all this rubbing the bottom of the boat to the bottom of the pond I can see doing damage to the bottom of the boat.

Is there something you can put on the bottom of the boat to help protect the boat from stones and what have you?

Or do you just have enough people so that one has to jump out and get the truck and trailer and you just circle the boat aroung till the truck is in position for you to put her on the trailer without ever having to touch the bottom?

I know this is a pretty primative question but I just want to get a feel of how you guys all do this so that the boat does not get scraped on the bottom. I don't want to paint the bottom of the boat I get if I'm not keeping her in all summer.

Any ideas or advice how you guys avoid scraping the bottom when you are hauling out would be appreciate!

[xsive]

I've never tried this product and don't know anyone personnally who has.

Some of the Bass guys seem to like it.

http://www.hambys.com/

[TRsCheckmate]

I have never used one either. I have seen other brands like the one in xsive's link. Overtons carries two brands of them. I was thinking about putting one on my TRV-17.

[petersfield]

I saw in Kimpex.com a hull protector strip.It mainly protects your V when you pull up to sand so the paint does not rub off! but nothing for the whole bottom. what about an anchor at the back and front! just out from shore? you may have to get wet but beats new paint! simple quetion tough answer if dont have dock!

[Hydra Sports]

That is pretty much what I was thinking. Something that will at least protect the V part of the bottom.

So what about you guys, how do you load your boat onto a trailer without scraping the pond bottom ending up scratching your boat bottom?

Post your plan on how you do things so I could follow suit!

Thanks!!!

[Chris]

Overton's sell a product called Keelshield.

I'm not too sure if I would put it on my boat, but it's an idea.

Click the banner at the top of our page and look under mooring accessories.

There is also a product you can get that goes under the nose of your boat when you want to beach it. It looks like a V shaped piece of foam and it goes between the bottom of the nose of your boat and the lake bottom.

[alwaysredee]

I heard that the keelshield product Chris mentioned could disturb your ride @ high speed. Has anyone else heard this, because my keel now needs work from rocks. If I moor up by my trailer, the jet ski traffic bounces me big time! http://checkmate-boats.com/graemlins/yell.gif This really stinks 'cause the sunset views mid-summer shining off my mate kick butt!

[Chris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hydra Sports:
That is pretty much what I was thinking. Something that will at least protect the V part of the bottom.

So what about you guys, how do you load your boat onto a trailer without scraping the pond bottom ending up scratching your boat bottom?

Post your plan on how you do things so I could follow suit!

Thanks!!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I never scrape the bottom when loading or unloading. It just sounds like you're using a really shallow launch ramp. If it's REALLY shallow, what about backing in further?

[bdusted440]

I take it the ramps you use do not have a dock?I would just find different ramps. Even with those protecters you will scrape the bottom up.They dont cover enough of the hull to completely protect it and if you put it on farther down you will change the caracteristics of the hull on plane.