Launching Your Sea-Doo® Personal Watercraft
As the proud owner of a brand-new Sea-Doo® personal watercraft, you’re probably really excited to get out on the water as soon as humanly possible. However, you may not actually be ready. Many green PWC owners trailer up and head to the nearest dock posthaste, only to discover that they’re not ready to launch their watercraft and so they hold up the line, making everyone around them frustrated.
Tracy Motorsports is your local Sea-Doo dealer in Tracy, California. We’ve outlined the steps to launching your Sea-Doo PWC below so that you can save time at the dock and get out on the water without any delays!
Get Your Trailer Ready
First, you’ll want to make sure that your PWC trailer is all ready to go and in good condition. Examine the tires and air them up, hook up your power or brake lines as needed and look over the deck for any flaws. You may want to carry a spare trailer tire and a repair kit so you can tighten screws or fix a bulb if necessary.
Find all the tie-downs you’ll need and ready your PWC’s cover for travel. Load up your PWC and make sure that it’s secured in place. Double-check your hitch connection so you know that it’s securely attached to your vehicle. Cross towing chains in an X shape underneath the tongue and anchor them to the trailer.
It’s easy to bend or break something on your trailer when reversing it into the water at the launch. Removing your license plate’s bolts and anchoring it with zip-ties instead lets the plate swing freely without scraping the dock or getting caught and coming off!
Put In Practice
If you’re new to towing something heavy like a personal watercraft, it’s wise to give yourself a chance to practice towing and driving. Head to an empty parking lot with your towing set-up and set up cones to approximate the launch ramp. Then practice reversing your trailer into it until you can do it in a straight line. This will give you much more confidence when it comes time to head to the boat launch so that you can do it much more quickly.
Come Prepared
When you arrive at the boat launch with your PWC, you should pull over out of the way of others so that you can get yourself and your Sea-Doo® ready to go. Apply sunscreen, put on your personal flotation device and fill your waterproof compartments with the supplies you’ll need on the water. Attach your PWC’s engine killswitch to your wrist, insert the PWC drain plug and attach a tow rope to the front of the PWC if you need one.
Loosen the winch and chains that hold your PWC on the trailer so that it can float when it’s on the water. Test the throttle to make sure it works before you get to the water, too. Now you’re ready to get in line for the boat launch!
Release the PWC
When it’s your turn at the boat ramp, reverse your trailer slowly into the water. Brake when you’re at the edge of the water and the trailer is somewhat submerged. You might want to have someone spot you to make sure you do this right.
Park your vehicle and pull the PWC off the trailer by hand or with the towing rope into the water. If you’re alone, you’ll have to lash your watercraft to a post to keep it there while you park your vehicle safely. If you have someone who can park your vehicle for you, then you’re ready to head off into the water! Make sure you go slowly at first to get away from other people at the boat launch, then you can pick up speed once you’re in the open water.
Stop by our dealership in Tracy, CA, to check out our selection of new and used Sea-Doo® PWC for sale. We even provide financing options to help ensure you get the Sea-Doo® personal watercraft you want. Tracy Motorsports proudly serves the cities of Stockton and Modesto, CA.