How to Choose the Perfect Winch for Your Boat, and Trailer
You want your boat loading experience to be as easy and fun as your time on the water.
Whether you take your bass boat out every weekend or take your floater to the lake in the summer, we want to help you find the best winch.
We'll first review some of the things to take into consideration when shopping for a winch, and then we'll follow up with some of our recommendations. The four main considerations when choosing the ideal winch for you are:
• How much do your boat weigh?
• How steep is the launch slope?
•Do you have bed or rollers?
• Do you want a manual winch or an electric one?
4 factors that must be considered when choosing the appropriate winch.
How much do your Boat Weigh?
First, it's good to know that you can't get a boat winch that has a lot of power. You need to find the minimum capacity required for your boat. A crane with capacity or higher will get the job done.
The most common ratio to determine the load capacity of your winch is 2:1. For example, a 2,000-pound boat would require a winch with at least a 1,000-pound capacity. The best ratio will also depend on your trailer type and how steep your launch ramp is (read more about that below), but a 2:1 ratio is a great place to start.
How Steep is your Launch Ramp?
Another factor to consider is the inclination of your loading dock. A typical launch site has an inclination of about 12-15 degrees, so we will use this as a standard throughout the article.
If you expect to handle a steeper launch slope or tide that is not in your favor, consider using a stronger 1:1 winch. If you know that your launching site will always be relatively flat and that your boat will be floating most of the way on the trailer, you may be able to increase the ratio to 1:3.
If you want to calculate how much weight a crane can pull up a slope, there is a simple formula you can use:
Winch capacity x F (friction factor) = maximum weight of the boat
What is your friction factor? It is determined by your degree of inclination. Use the chart to the right to determine the friction factor.
See our example below. If you choose a 2,000-pound capacity winch and load on a deck at an 11-degree angle (which has a friction factor of 3.40), that means your winch will be able to move a 6,800-pound payload.
Example
2000 lbs x 3.40 = 6800 lbs
Do You have a Bunks or Rollers?
Whether you have beds or reels on your trailer will affect the type of winch you need. A 2:1 boat to winch ratio is a good place to start, but you may be able to get a winch with a higher or lower capacity depending on what type of trailer you have.
If you have pulleys, you may be able to increase the crane capacity to a 3:1 ratio. This is because the pulleys make it easier for the boat to reach the front of the trailer, so your winch will have less work to do.
If your boat trailer has bunks, consider a stronger 1:1 winch. This is because beds do not help your boat slide forward, so you may need a higher-powered winch to get your boat to the last two feet on the trailer.
Do You Want a Manual or Electric Winch?
Both manual and electric winches are great, but let us decide which is right for you! Typically boats over 4,000 pounds. It will require an electric trailer winch while boats under 1000 pounds will be easily loaded with a manual. If your boat is somewhere in between, you can choose whether you want to prioritize easy loading using an electric winch or cost-efficiency using a manual winch.
We suggest using an electric winch if you want convenience of use. If you spend all day on the water and want an easy loading process at the end, you may want to spend more money on a winch that allows you to load at the push of a button. On the other hand, you may prefer a manual winch for a less expensive option that is fully waterproof.