Ramp N Clamp Auto Boat Trailer Latch

[catchersrock]

Latest upgrade:


www.ramp-n-clamp.com/

Changed over to a automatic boat / trailer latch. I love it so far, works as advertised. Had to do a little fitting work, as expected. Drive up the trailer, click, get in truck and drive up the ramp. No more wading out in the water to connect strap and winch it tight before pulling up the ramp. Here in western NC the steep ramps and cold weather fishing season makes for wet boots. The only critical comment I have is that the device, as best I can tell, is completely stainless steel except for the bolt that replaces the existing bow roller bolt. Easy enough for me to fix though. 

[985crabs]

Catcher, that is totally bad azz!

[Juan]

I like that. Hadn't seen one before. I'm assuming you still have to disconnect it before you launch and it connects when you drive the boat onto it. I'll wait for a report on how well it works before I order one.
Does it connect to your existing bow eye or does a different eye come with it?
Looks like there's a metal plate on the top of it...could that scratch your boat if you didn't hit the latch just right?
Does it pivot or is it a rigid mount?

btw: I really like the location of your registration numbers... That looks sharp!

[catchersrock]

Thanks Juan

It replaces your bow roller. It comes with a new bolt. Remove your roller and bolt and bolt this one in its place. It doesnt "build out" as far as the roller, so, I had to adjust my winch support up a little, the bow was bouncing a little riding down the road. It also comes with a larger bow eye for your boat. Yours may be big enough, but it comes with one just in case. I had to change to theirs so that the clamp will catch it and I can attach my winch and safety chain under it. They grey spots arent metal, they are some sort of plastic bumper.

Once your ready to launch, flip the lever and your boat will float off the trailer. Return the lever and its ready to catch your boat. I stop on the ramp, flip the lever, unhook my winch strap and safety chain, then back in and float off. The self deploy trolling motor makes this part easy. Then drive on the trailer, it catches the boat, and you drive up the ramp. Attach the winch strap and safety chain on dry ground. It takes a little practice to get the spot right on the ramp to catch the boat right. You need to drive up the trailer a little. Our ramps here are steep, so, if you back in too far, you wont slide into the clamp. 

[catchersrock]

Sorry

It does pivot

[Juan]

Thanks. I'll look into it. I'd hate to have to change my bow eye. So when you fish alone, you float the boat off the trailer and deploy the Ulterra? I've been wanting to do that but haven't worked up enough courage since a buddy tried it and had to swim out to his boat because he forgot to power on the Ulterra.

[troutslayer]

ever heard of the boat buddy endorsed by bill dance. wife bought me one for my ranger bass boat early nineties. you do have to manually set it to trigger after you launch and park ,but when you retrieve and put boat on trailer bow eye hits home and a pin is fired thru bow eye. no need to connect strap just pull out. replaces front roller

[mosquito13]

Nice cool product. Googled it to see some install/use vidio . Looks like there are a couple similar products out there. I hit launch at some steep ramps and like the looks of the Drotto product . This is a innovated system. I want one. strapping and snugging the boat at on the ramp blows. Much rather do the clip and go. With the Ramp and Clamp you had to replace the bow eye with a much higher eye, correct? www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ramp+n+clamp+boat+latch+install&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dramp%2520n%2520clamp%2520boat%2520latch%2520install%26qs%3dn%26form%3dQBVDMH%26sp%3d-1%26pq%3dramp%2520n%2520clamp%2520boat%2520latch%2520install%26sc%3d0-31%26sk%3d%26cvid%3d93268FC70888439A8EF0C41D0AA0D4F7&view=detail&mid=0967C4D33C68BD0D19670967C4D33C68BD0D1967&rvsmid=A1105C22E732E08A5F94A1105C22E732E08A5F94&FORM=VDQVAP


Did a bit more reading and Ramp and Clamp seams to be the only one with S/S construction. I am sold . Great looking product and at that price not going worry about replacing the poly cover in a couple years. Thanks for the heads up. only wish it had the longer adjustable handle like some of the others. Would make it a bit easier and faster on on us fat old solo launchers not to have to get so low to unlatch. 

[catchersrock]

I unlatch it before backing in the water. My boat wont slide off the carpeted bunks till it floats up a bit in the water.

I put it in the same place as the original roller then raised the hole thing a little. Works great.

[Juan]

Mar 22, 2020 8:18:59 GMT -6 catchersrock said:

My boat wont slide off the carpeted bunks till it floats up a bit in the water.

Next time you launch, spray the carpet (lightly) with a silicone spray. It'll slide off like a stripper on a greased pole.

[985crabs]

Mar 22, 2020 13:32:51 GMT -6 Juan said:

Mar 22, 2020 8:18:59 GMT -6 catchersrock said:

My boat wont slide off the carpeted bunks till it floats up a bit in the water.

Next time you launch, spray the carpet (lightly) with a silicone spray. It'll slide off like a stripper on a greased pole.

I can tell you from personal experience that spraying your bunks and unhooking you’re boat before backing down a grade is a recipe for disaster. I did that and dropped my boat on the ramp on a busy Saturday morning. There is no way to describe my humiliation.

The only time you should free your vessel is right after there’s enough water under it to allow it to float.

The stripper on the greased pole is a great analogy.

[Juan]

I know you know it but Crabs is right and the safest way is to do as you are doing and float the boat before unhooking from the winch strap but if you have to back your trailer into the water so far that you have a hard time getting out of the boat to park your truck like I do with my Carolina skiff, silicone spray is the answer. Don't unhook until your motor's in the water and don't use too much spray or your boat could slide off the trailer before you're ready for it to. Mine will slide on the carpet and I can move it a little by hand while it's on the trailer if I use too much silicone on the bunks but a light misting makes it easy to load and unload the boat without having to back down far enough to float it off. Don't use a lot, just LIGHTLY mist the carpet.

[mosquito13]

I hit Sturdy Built Trailers and another local shop . Neither had ever heard of them , but googled it and watched the youtubes. All agreed that they need to get in their stores. I launch solo and use a long line and dump/float the boat . Where I see this tool being a big saver is on the load in. I hate walking in the water at ramps(think about it) to hook the boat. And doing the balance beam trick sucks as does laying on my fat belly to hook up. Think it is worth the price and headache of replacing the bow eye/ubolt.

[Juan]

Amazon has one seller listed but they're charging about $30 more than the link catcher posted. I like the way it looks and clamps and depending on your boat, ramp and even weather conditions I can see where it can be a huge help when loading so I gave a lot of thought to ordering one but decided not to since I don't want to change the bow eye, My boat pulls up snug to the bow roller, stays there and doesn't slide back, and my trailer tongue is high and dry when I'm loading plus I have to get out of the boat to pull the truck up any way so snapping the winch and safety cable to the bow eye is a snap.
Still a great gadget (and I like gadgets) that I'd have in a heartbeat if I had any issues with loading.

[985crabs]

Regarding replacing the bow eye, are we saying that it needs to be mounted higher requiring a new hole through the hull? Or is the replacement eye designed to go through the existing eye hole and is just configured to sit higher?

[catchersrock]

No, the new bow eye goes in the same holes as yours. I needed to raise my winch / bow roller support to put a little upward load on the bow to prevent the bow bouncing on the highway. The Ramp N Clamp doesnt build out as much as my original roller did. But it uses your original bow eye holes and Bow roller bolt holes locations.

[985crabs]

Thanks Catcher, sure didn't want to consider more holes.

[985crabs]

Just ordered one. Social distancing means my fishing buddy stays home. This will help since the only person I'm allowed to take on the boat is my wife.

[catchersrock]

Update:

Been using it now for a while and LOVE it!!

[mrcllusb]

Thanks for the update!!