How to Strap a Boat to a Trailer
- 1). Locate the trailer's tie down eyes, usually found a little more than halfway from the front of the trailer frame to the rear. Connect the hooks on the ends of the strap to tie down eyes on opposite sides of the frame. Each should be the same distance from the rear of the boat.
- 2). Climb into the boat and pick up the ratchet on the tie down strap. Push down on the release on the side of the ratchet to release the pawl that allows the ratchet wheel to turn only in one direction. Pull the end of the strap to which the ratchet is attached as tight as possible by hand. Grasp the end of the tie down strap that protrudes through the ratchet and pull it through the ratchet until it is as tight as possible.
- 3). Push up on the release on the side of the ratchet to set the pawl. Raise and lower the lever in the center of the ratchet to take the slack out of the tie down strap. Continue ratcheting until the strap is snugly tight. Tie the loose end of the strap to the strap itself, as close to the ratchet as possible.
- 4). If using transom straps, locate the transom eyes. The two horizontal metal eyes, one on each side of the transom, are bolted about halfway between the top and bottom of the boat's transom. Insert one of the end hooks of one strap into the port-side transom eye. Insert the other hook of the tie down into one of the trailer tie down eyes on the rear of the trailer. Repeat for the starboard side tie down strap. Ratchet both tie downs snug.
- 5). Insert the hook of a bow strap into the boat's bow eye to which the trailer winch line is snapped. Hook the other end of the bow tie down strap to the tie down eye on the tongue of the trailer. It's usually near the base of the trailer's winch stand. Tighten the ratchet on the bow strap.