Boat Launch Checklist

Type 1 as each step is done, from the driveway to the dock.

Boat Launch Checklist (unofficial)

Launch

Launch: a column for each launch. Totals fill in as scores are typed.
Launch 1
Launch 2
Launch 3
Launch 4
Launch 5
Launch 6
Trailer tires checked
Trailer brakes, lights tested
Safety chains crisscrossed
Straps, winch line, gear tight
Engine tilted and secured
Drain plug out for the road
Set up away from the ramp
Tie-downs taken off
Winch line left hooked
Gear moved into the boat
Drain plug in
Required equipment aboard
Dock line made ready
Backed in until boat floats
Bow line unhooked once afloat
Boat tied to dock or shore
Vehicle and trailer parked
Ramp cleared in minutes
Engine space aired first
Steps done

Type a score and the totals fill in.

Scoring key

Not an official form
A private site's practice checklist: not a state, park or marina form. A ramp's posted rules come first.
A 1 in a box
That step was done at this launch. Cross out a step your boat does not have.
Order of the steps
The Before Driving and Launching lists of the Minnesota Boating Guide 2026, pages 42 and 43, in our words.
Drain plug
Minnesota wants it out on the road and in before launching. Other states set their own rule.

Marks stay in this browser until you press Start a new sheet.

Next step Practice the federal boating rules

How it works

This unofficial boat launch checklist follows the launching steps in the Minnesota Boating Guide 2026, in order: before you tow, away from the ramp, on the ramp, afloat. A ramp's posted rules come first.

Read the full guide

Use the boat launching checklist at the ramp

1. Press Print blank sheet at home, or keep the page open on a phone.

2. Before you tow, work down the first six rows and type 1 for each one done.

3. At the landing, stop away from the ramp and finish the next seven rows there.

4. Back down, float the boat, tie it up and park. Steps done adds up the column; a sheet holds up to six launches.

  • The guide gives the ramp no more than a few minutes, so the staging area rows come first.
  • Cross out the engine space row on a boat with no gasoline inboard.

Questions and answers

What goes on a boat checklist before launching?

In the Minnesota guide's order: stop away from the ramp, take off the tie-downs, leave the winch line hooked, move the gear aboard and put the drain plug in. Then back down until the boat floats, unhook, tie up and park.

When does the drain plug go in?

In the staging area, before the trailer backs down. Minnesota's guide has the plug out during transport and put in before launching, after any watercraft inspection. Other states set their own transport rule, so read your state's boating guide.

How long should a launch take on the ramp?

The Minnesota Boating Guide says time on the ramp should come to a few minutes at most. It also says the line at a busy landing is set by the vehicles on land, not by the boats in the water.

What about taking the boat out again?

The guide's retrieving list: back the trailer in until two thirds of the rollers or bunks are under water, winch the boat on, tow it clear of the ramp, clean and drain it, then repeat the before-driving checks. This sheet has no rows for it.

Is this an official launch checklist?

No. It is our own practice sheet, written from a state agency's published guide and one federal rule, and no agency issued it. A ramp, park or marina may post rules of its own, and those come first.

All 24 lines

Before you tow 6

  • Drain plug out for the road Minnesota's guide has the plug removed before driving and open during transport (pages 21, 23 and 43). This is a state rule, so check your own state's.
  • Engine tilted and secured Tilt and secure the engine before driving (page 43).
  • Safety chains crisscrossed The guide says to crisscross the safety chains; Minnesota requires chains or cables on a trailer (pages 42 and 43).
  • Straps, winch line, gear tight Tie-down straps, the winch or bow line and all gear in the boat properly secured for the road (page 43).
  • Trailer brakes, lights tested Test the trailer brakes and the signal lights before driving (page 43).
  • Trailer tires checked First of the guide's Before Driving checks: the tires (page 43).
Show all 24 lines (18 more)

Away from the ramp 7

  • Dock line made ready The guide's last launch step secures the boat to the dock or shore, so have a line on the boat before backing down. Our row, drawn from that step.
  • Drain plug in Put the plug in before launching. At a Minnesota inspection station it goes in after the inspection (pages 23 and 43).
  • Gear moved into the boat Transfer the remaining gear from the vehicle to the boat before backing down (page 43).
  • Required equipment aboard Life jackets and the other items the federal rules of 33 CFR part 175 ask a boat to carry. Our row: the guide's launch list does not print it.
  • Set up away from the ramp The guide's first launching step: prepare to launch away from the ramp, so the ramp stays free for the boat ahead (page 43).
  • Tie-downs taken off Remove the tie-downs while still in the staging area (page 43).
  • Winch line left hooked Leave the winch or bow line attached until the boat floats (page 43).

On the ramp 3

  • Backed in until boat floats Back the vehicle into the water until the boat floats (page 43).
  • Boat tied to dock or shore Secure the boat to the dock or the shore before the vehicle leaves the ramp (page 43).
  • Bow line unhooked once afloat Unhook the winch or bow line only once the boat is afloat (page 43).

Afloat 4

  • Engine space aired first With a gasoline inboard and a blower: the federal label of 33 CFR 183.610(f) says to run it four minutes and check the bilge for vapors before the engine starts.
  • Ramp cleared in minutes The guide says time on the ramp should come to a few minutes at most, and the line is set by the vehicles on land (page 43).
  • Steps done Adds the 1s in the column, so each launch shows how many steps were done.
  • Vehicle and trailer parked Park the vehicle and trailer in the parking lot (page 43).

Key 4

  • A 1 in a box That step was done at this launch. Cross out a step your boat does not have.
  • Drain plug Minnesota wants it out on the road and in before launching. Other states set their own rule.
  • Not an official form A private site's practice checklist: not a state, park or marina form. A ramp's posted rules come first.
  • Order of the steps The Before Driving and Launching lists of the Minnesota Boating Guide 2026, pages 42 and 43, in our words.

How this list was compiled: From the Minnesota Boating Guide 2026 of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (effective January through December 31, 2026, updated June 3, 2026), read on 2026-10-04 at https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/boatwater/boatingguide.pdf : the Boat Trailers section on pages 42 and 43 (its Before Driving and Launching lists and the paragraph on a busy landing) and pages 21 and 23 (the transport rule and the watercraft inspection) for the drain plug. The steps follow the order of those lists, in our own words; the guide is the state's own summary of its boating laws and is copyright 2026 State of Minnesota, so nothing is reprinted. One row, the engine compartment, is written from 33 CFR 183.610(f) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-183.610 , text current as of 2026-10-01), the label a boat with an exhaust blower must carry. Two rows are our own and say so: required equipment aboard (33 CFR part 175) and a dock line made ready. Minnesota's rule on the drain plug during transport is a state rule; other states differ. An unofficial practice checklist, not a state, park or marina form. Licence: own work

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