of your boat and what it can safely handle..

We were there 2-3 weeks ago and sea breeze had the swell at 2-3 meters but it wasn't that most days.

The big thing is distance between swells and the strenght of the wind..  Under 15 knots and large boats(our where 7mtr plus ali full cabs..)  will be fishable safely but goto watch the wheather as soon as it starts to turn head in..

that one last drift can catch you out every time up there...

Know what seas your boat can and can't handle.  Ie if it doesn't like a following sea then aloow for that in your planning on were to fish and come home into the sea etc..

interested to know what you can and cant launch there.

Ive a 7.85m console glass boat.

Whats the launching conditions like there? I know its beach launch, but is there grates? or matts, and does your car need to go into the water?

G'day. A couple years back I took my boat up and the beach was like concrete but the conditions can change pretty easily. Its a good idea to use your spare wheel as a jockey wheel and with the aid of some 16mm rope you can pull out bigger boats while the car is on firm ground near the fence line. I saw some big boats, 7mtr range with the aid of F250 do it no problem,but if you have a smaller type car you could struggle and may have to get your tyres wet a bit. The beach is as flat as and the boat ramp faces north. The swells come in from the south west around the point so you tend to get days like glass and other days when you get waves hitting the shore so it really does depend on the swell.The beach tends to drop off quite quickly so it might be an idea for someone to get onboard and start the motor and reverse the boat off the trailer. There are generally no grates/tin or matts available on the beach but letting your tyres down a bit should help with traction.If you've got access to two vehicles a snatch strap can be used also if things get a bit difficult.Hope this helps. Ray.

Spoke to a mob coming out yesterday at the Blowholes, they said the bottom [Quobba] limestone section is the worst part. Very rough was their words for it but things are looking better on the top end with a grader due to start.

Bodie, we used to launch a 7'5 ali sterndrive with no worries. The main thing is to get it on and off ASAP even to having someone drive the boat in as you bring the trailer down.

and 4 heavy gal steel mats.  If you have a landcrusier /prado etc tyoe 4wd no probs launching and retrieving.

make sure you leave the car on the 4 heavy mats to get traction out of the sand use low range and have the trench mesh under your trailer tyres..  Let both car and trailer tyres down under 20psi and speed is your best bet.

Get the boat on the trailer and out of the water as fast as possible.  No mucking around otherwise the trailer tyres will bury in the sand...

There is a drop off at low tide just don't put the trailer over the edge or you will struggle with the boat on to get out.

High tide launchin piece of cake. 

reverse to waters edge unhook boat and grab rope.  reverse back at reasonable pace untill deep enought and hit brakes and then drive forward staright away whilst you watch the deckie get dragged into the bay holding onto your boat...

only time waves are a problem is if a northerly is blowing otherwise the bay is very sheltered

no issue getting it off i dont think. Got a very long trailer so shouldnt be an issue

Towing with a Jeep commander currently, plenty of grunt but clearance is the issue, hence the reason i was asking how far back you needed to go in the water.

only time I got the back wheels wet was launching the boat at high tide and then only above half way up th tyres as the water surged it is all in your timing

Have any of you guys considered installing a front tow ball. I've made one up for my Triton as I beach launch all the time (5.4m quintrex). it makes life a lot easier steering  and driving in a straight line to the water , no turning in boggy conditions as this is where you will sink.Also with retrieval i can drive the trailer straight under the boat very quickly minimal winching. Just a thought.

You've been watching the pro salmon fishermen. One of the first things you do is add the tow ball to the front bumper/ roo bar, same as you mentioned with launching and retrieval, it cuts the time down greatly especially on beach launches.

If your car has air bags and lets face it most do now then most place won't fit a tow ball to your front bumper..  Hit a kerb the wrong way with the trailer attached and the force can set off your air bags...

Hi

We have been going to Gnaraloo for the past 8 years. Every year we take up a set of tracks with us as does a few others. There is a good number of tracks up there for you to use. We use a boat that is 6.5 mts long and always lay tracks for the car and the boat trailer. We make sure we get it right the first time. It becomes much more of a problem when you have a boat larger then 7 metres. The tides are not too bad and there is usually a small drop off to negotiate. It is nothing like Coral Bay use to be before the building of the new ramp. Gnaraloo is such a great spot. Take your time on the track on the drive in and enjoy some of the best fishing available. Say hi to the resident Cod for me, he is a ripper. I will be there in July so you can tell me if we need to take some more tracks back.

Dave