Ramp Pass$1.95 a monthor $19.50 a year. Free during preview. Rig Book

A towing and launch tool for trailer boaters

Weigh the rig. Work the ramp.

Ramp Day checks your boat trailer against every rating in the hitch chain, from the truck's tow rating to the trailer tires, and names the weak link. Then it builds the launch and retrieve run for your boat, step by step.

Check my rig Build a Ramp Run
Ratings checked
12

vehicle, hitch, trailer, tires

Ramp Run steps
44+

for an outboard, two aboard

Account needed
0

a private link, no email

Ramp Pass
$1.95

a month, or $19.50 a year

A rig is only as strong as its weakest link.

"Towing capacity is a weak link system. The weakest link in the system determines the legal and safe capacity." That is how North Carolina's Division of Marine Fisheries teaches its own staff to tow. A truck rated for 9,600 lb can still be limited to 5,000 by its hitch.

Source: NC DEQ, Safe Trailering & Towing.

  1. 01Vehicle max trailer weightOwner's manual, door post, glove box
  2. 02GCWR and GVWROwner's manual and the label in the driver's door
  3. 03Receiver hitchLabel on the receiver (or its class)
  4. 04Ball mountStamped on the draw bar
  5. 05Hitch ballStamped on the ball
  6. 06Coupler and chainsTrailer tongue and chain tags
  7. 07Trailer GVWRThe trailer's VIN plate
  8. 08TiresLoad rating on the sidewall

One rig, checked.

A 20 ft outboard runabout on a single-axle trailer behind a mid-size SUV. Loaded trailer 4,318 lb, tongue 432 lb (the 10% planning figure). The hitch is fine. The weak link is the trailer tires (2), which carry 107% of their rating: over. Do not tow it as shown. A trailer shop can fit tires rated for the load.

Open this example in Rig Check
Every rating entered, weakest link first
LinkCarriesLoadRatingMarginUsed
Trailer tires (2) weak link loaded trailer minus tongue 3,886 lb 3,640 lb −246 lb 107% Over
Trailer GVWR loaded trailer 4,318 lb 4,500 lb 182 lb 96% Close
Vehicle GVWR vehicle, people, cargo and tongue 5,632 lb 6,000 lb 368 lb 94% Close
Ball mount, tongue tongue 432 lb 500 lb 68 lb 86% OK
Receiver hitch, tongueclass 3 typical (NC DEQ table) tongue 432 lb 500 lb 68 lb 86% OK
Hitch ball loaded trailer 4,318 lb 5,000 lb 682 lb 86% OK
Trailer coupler loaded trailer 4,318 lb 5,000 lb 682 lb 86% OK
Ball mount, trailer loaded trailer 4,318 lb 5,000 lb 682 lb 86% OK
Receiver hitch, trailerclass 3 typical (NC DEQ table) loaded trailer 4,318 lb 5,000 lb 682 lb 86% OK
Vehicle max trailer weight loaded trailer 4,318 lb 5,000 lb 682 lb 86% OK

The ramp, in the right order.

Ramp Run builds the day around your boat: outboard or sterndrive, alone or with a crew, surge or electric brakes, a slick ramp or low water. Every step names where it came from.

  1. At home

    Hitch up

    Wipe the hitch ball clean and look for flat spots, cracks or pits. Rock it: the ball nut must be tight against the lock washer.

    12 steps

  2. Staging lane

    Get ready

    Pull into the staging or parking area, not the ramp lane.

    8 steps

  3. On the ramp

    Launch

    Put the second person in the boat, at the helm.

    7 steps

  4. On the ramp

    Retrieve

    Drop the driver of the vehicle at the dock. Tie the boat off or idle clear of other boaters.

    5 steps

  5. Pull-out area

    Clean, drain, dry

    Park out of the way. Winch safety chain on, transom straps on.

    8 steps

  6. On the road

    Tow it home

    Following distance: 4 seconds in good weather, 5 or more in bad.

    4 steps

Build my Ramp Run

Back it in before the line forms.

The Backing Yard is a top-down practice lot in your browser with real trailer steering: the trailer swings the opposite way to the wheel, and it can jackknife. Three lanes: straight, offset and a 90-degree turn in.

Open the Backing Yard

Prices

Everything that keeps you safe is free. The Ramp Pass is for people with more than one rig, or who weigh theirs and want the tickets kept.

Ramp Day

Price and equipment label

Standard equipment Free

  • Rig Check: every rating, the weak link, the drawing
  • Tow Card for your rig
  • Ramp Run checklist, any boat, printable
  • Backing Yard practice, all three lanes
  • Rig Book: 1 rig, 3 scale tickets

Ramp Pass option

  • 12 rigs in your Rig Book
  • 200 scale tickets per rig
  • Your own Ramp Run steps, up to 12 per rig
  • Print every Tow Card at once
  • Scale tickets as a CSV file

Ramp Pass, monthly

$1.95

Ramp Pass, yearly

$19.50

Renews until you cancel; cancel any time in PayPal and it runs to the end of the period you paid for.

Free during preview: every Ramp Pass feature is on for everyone and nothing is charged. Checkout opens when payments are switched on; nothing here asks for a card.

Where the numbers come from

  • NC DEQ, Division of Marine Fisheries, Safe Trailering & Towing: tongue 10-15%, gasoline 6.2 lb a gallon, hitch classes, the weak-link rule, launch and retrieve.
  • BoatTest, How to Measure Boat Trailer Tongue Weight (2023): 5-7% for boat trailers.
  • Ohio Revised Code 4513.20 (brakes), 4513.32 (chains), 5577.05 (width, height, length).
  • Ohio Clean Marinas (ODNR and partners): Clean, Drain, Dry.
Read the guide and every source
Check my rig