[header] How to launch a boat [title] Prepare the boat. [step] Prepare as much as possible while the boat is on the trailer, and on dry land. Prepare the engine, fuel, safety gear, mooring lines, fenders, etc. 
You should be ready to drive the boat off the trailer right after it's backed down the ramp. Other people want to launch as well, and tempers will flare if you use dock time to do things you could have done in the parking lot.