A Guide to Launching Your PWC
If you’re a brand-new personal watercraft (PWC) owner, then you’ve likely already learned some of the basics of its use and operation. However, one task that often proves challenging to new watersports enthusiasts is the process of launching your personal watercraft safely into the water. This process, if undertaken incorrectly, can waste valuable riding time, cause others around you to lose patience and even damage your PWC.
That’s why it’s important that every new PWC owner learn how to launch their crafts correctly. RideNow Powersports Austin is your southern Texas PWC dealer, so we’ve taken the time to outline the steps for launching your personal watercraft below.
1. Get Your Trailer Ready
Before you load up your PWC, you’re going to need to get its trailer ready to go. First, go out to the garage and inspect your trailer, looking for any signs of disrepair. You’ll want to air up the tires to the correct psi levels and keep an extra trailer tire in your car along with a tool kit for making repairs. Then, ensure that you’ve correctly and securely hitched your trailer to your towing vehicle, with signals hooked up and towing chains in place.
Locate the cover for your personal watercraft, check it for signs of damage and find the tie-downs needed to lash your PWC to its trailer. After you load the PWC onto the trailer, secure it in place with the tie-downs.
One common issue that people have with their trailers is the bending or breaking off of their license plates when they hit them on the ramp. Try removing the bolts on your plate and replacing them with zip-ties that let the plate swing freely instead of getting damaged or falling into the water.
Put In Some Practice
Situating your PWC trailer so that it’s centered on the ramp is a tricky part of launching. You don’t want the first time you do this to be at the actual boat launch. You should take your hitched-up trailer to an empty lot and practice reversing, turning, braking and parking with it in tow.
Set up some traffic cones to resemble the size of a launch ramp so you can practice backing into it without knocking the cones over or jackknifing the trailer. You’ll need to turn your steering wheel in the opposite direction that you want to turn when reversing to avoid jackknifing, where the trailer turns in on itself. When you’ve mastered the parking lot, you’re ready for the launching ramp.
Be Ready To Go
Once it’s time to go out to the lake with your PWC, pull over before you get to the launch ramp somewhere out of the way of other drivers. You need to get everything ready to go before launching your PWC so that you don’t hold anyone else up. Put on and secure your personal flotation device, apply sunscreen, tie a towing rope to your PWC if you need one, stock the watertight compartments with all your gear (phone charger, sunscreen, towels, et cetera). Insert your PWC’s drain plug and attach the killswitch to your wrist.
Loosen the winch straps and chains on your personal watercraft now so that it will readily float into the water once submerged. Test the throttle now to make sure it functions correctly so that you don’t get stuck at the launch.
Release the PWC
Finally, it’s time to launch the PWC! Join the queue for the ramp and wait until it’s your turn. When the coast is clear, reverse your trailer carefully towards the ramp like you practiced, and stop your vehicle at the water’s edge with your trailer slightly submerged so that your PWC floats.
Park the vehicle, get out and pull your PWC into the water using the tow rope or by hand if you prefer. If you’re cruising solo, you’re going to have to tie off your PWC at a post out of the way of others and go park your truck in the lot. If you’ve got a friend with you who can drive, let them take care of the car while you attend to the watercraft.
Leave the Dock
Finally, it’s time to get your PWC going. Pull it out into water that is at least three feet deep, climb on and start the PWC. Don’t start your watercraft in water that’s too shallow, as the intake may suck up rocks and sand from the lake bottom and get clogged up. Steer away from the dock at a slow speed and give other people space. Open up the throttle only when you’re out of everyone else’s way.
Seeking personal watercraft for sale in Texas? Browse our website or contact us about our full selection of new and used PWC for sale at our Austin, Texas, dealership. We offer financing options to help you get the PWC you want, too. RideNow Powersports Austin proudly serves the cities of San Marcos, Round Rock and New Braunfels, Texas.