When my co-captain and I were looking for a replacement boat, trailerability was of interest to us. We talked to several Flicka owners about launching from a trailer, and found that only a few thought it was very easy. Since then we bought Eventide (Hull # 356), and have launched her several times from a trailer.

We use a launching method that is quite effective, and wanted to share it with other Flicka owners. Pete Wakefield in New Mexico suggested the original idea for this method to us. We have made a few changes, but found his basic idea sound.

The challenge with launching or retrieving the Flicka from a trailer is to get the trailer deep enough so that the boat will float off or on easily. On our trailer, the boat's waterline is five feet from the ground over the trailer wheels. That means the boat will float off our trailer only when the trailer wheels are quite a bit underwater. On our local ramp, the rear wheels of the trailer need to be about 30 ft into the water passed the waterline on the ramp for the boat to float off. Clearly we can't back the van far enough into the water to meet this condition. Pete told us, he just let his trailer roll back into the water on about 30 feet of chain. The following is a description of how we adapted his idea.

First, 30 to 40 feet of chain is a real pain to handle. We found some synthetic tow strap material in a local farm store that was rated at 15,000 pounds. It is designed to pull cars out of a ditch, and is much lighter and easier to handle and cheaper than chain. Pete also fabricated a third wheel to mount to the tongue of his trailer so that the trailer would have good support as it rolls down the ramp. We found a high load capacity fixed caster with a 12 inch pneumatic tire that is easily mounted on the trailer tongue in the same farm store. We had a local welder weld the caster to a standard trailer tongue jack, as shown in Figure 1. Since we took all our photos during the retrieval process, that's what we will describe here. For launching, the order of steps would be reversed.

1. Warnings:

This information is provided in good faith but because launching and retrieving a boat is subject to so many variable, such as the condition of the ramp, the location of the ramp, the boat's trailer, and the operator, as well as other forces, such as acts of God, no warranty is made or implied by the author or the Flicka WebCaptain. Consult with a marine professional who is familiar with launching and retrieving a heavy displacement sailboat, such as the Flicka from a trailer before attempting to launch and retrieving a Flicka. In addition, raising and lowering the mast as described here can be hazardous, and extreme care should be taken to stay out of the path the mast would take if any lines broke or if the wind should cause it to sway out of its intended path. No warranty is made or implied by the author or the Flicka Web Captain about the safety or success of this method.

The caster's load rating (800 lb.) was determined based on Eventide's total loaded weight and the weight of her trailer. This load rating is not put forth as a recommendation or engineered standard. Each person must determine the caster's load rating and wheel diameter for their trailer arrangement based on their boat's total loaded weight and the trailer weight. The total weight of the boat and trailer will vary significantly and is dependent on such factors as trailer make and model, tongue length, stores, equipment and whether the boat has an inboard engine or outboard engine, as well as the amount of fuel and water aboard.

It is important you know how far the trailer must move into the water before the boat is free of its trailer or before it will float back on it. This distance is dependent upon the slope of the ramp and must be determined before launching the boat. We recommend using a long pole and verifying that the ramp is solid all the way to the deepest point at which you expect to need it. The pole can also be used to verify that you have sufficient water depth. Inspect the tow strap for chafe, cuts, splits or frayed areas. A worn, chaffed, cut, split or frayed tow strap should not be used -replace with a new tow strap.