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Launching Trolley Slipway Safety

Welcome to LaunchingTrolley.com, the site for all things launching trolley related. In this section we take a look at slipway safety and preventing injury when launching your boat. Slipways can be very slippy (if you'll excuse the pun) and dangerous if you don't take some simple steps to ensure the safety of yourself and those around you.

Wear appropriate stout footwear with a good grip. Slipways leading into tidal waters will often have a large amount of marine plant life exposed as the tide falls and even a slipway into a landlocked reservoir will have the likes of moss and algae in abundance above the waterline during the wetter months of the year. As the majority of slipways are substantial and formed from concrete, slipping and hitting a knee, chin, elbow or other part of the body can easily result in a broken bone or other serious injury. The dinghy sailor has plenty of safety issues to consider when out on the water. An injury before the boat even reaches the shoreline is the last thing anyone needs.

Launch your boat stern first into the water and always ensure that you are in control of its progress down the slipway from the bow end of the trolley. Slipping under a runaway trolley can cause serious, if not fatal, injuries. Similarly you should always make sure that others are aware of your movements and that noone else is positioned below you on the slope. Keep a firm grip on the handle and maintain a slow and controlled pace as you allow gravity to draw the dinghy's trolley towards the water's edge. Ideally there should be at least two people (yourself and your crew) available to control the launch of your craft, although in many instances this just may not be possible.

By their very nature slipways are constructed with a downhill gradient that may vary from a shallow to steep incline depending on their length. This may be dictated by factors including the low and high tide marks on tidal waters or the rise and fall of reservoirs according to demand for water. Even many small dinghies can be substantial and weighty and on an unbraked trolley, on a steep and slippy slipway, this can be a significant risk if care is not taken when going down to the water.

Check that the slipway is clear before you manoeuvre your boat to the top of the incline. A walk down to the water's edge will allow you to check for any obstacles or other hazards that you will have to take into consideration.

It isn't uncommon to find boats being worked on or repaired on a slipway and these craft can sometimes take up much of the available width. Negotiating around these vessels and any materials or tools left lying around can be an unnecessary distraction when getting a boat down into the water.

Once your boat has been launched remember to return your trolley to the trailer park or other safe position well away from the slipway.

Find a durable, affordable and well made launching trolley for your dinghy or other small boat with LaunchingTrolley.com