Drotto

Anybody use the Drotto boat latch to hook boat to trailer automatically? Is it worth the money? Thanks

Love my Drotto, I would highly recommend it. It works excellent unloading and loading the boat. I would not go without 1 again. If I change boats I will order another unit immediately

Yes, I believe they are worth the money. I have one & my buddy had one put on his boat this year, as well.

Couple of things to consider :

I bought the lock to go along with my Drotto, just as a little bit of insurance.

Don't pay that much attention to the videos showing how easy the boat goes on the trailer & hooks to the Drotto. The angle of the ramp & the water levels shown in those videos are the "ultimate best case scenario". I still have to power my boat up on the trailer with the big motor, same as I did when I just had the roller/winch setup. But now with the Drotto, I don't have to climb out on the trailer tongue and hook & winch before the boat can be pulled out of the water. (at my age that alone makes it worth the money to me)

Once out of the water ... disengage the Drotto & hook your winch strap/rope to the bow eye and crank it tight. The Drotto is not meant to be used as the only trailering connection.

I would give it 2 :ThumbsUp:ThumbsUp great purchase, now I don't need partner to go :fish

Didn't know of such thing until now. I will be ordering one before spring fishing. If it keeps me from climbing out on the tongue of my trailer with a chance of falling in. Can't beat that. It's amazing the things you learn on cdc. Thanks guys !!!

Sent from my SM-S908U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

So be aware this is not super secure on all boats. It is recommended to power up onto the trailer and latch the boat with the dotto, then have your buddy pull the trailer out far enough that he can walk back and hook up the winch before fully pulling out. Not all ramps are perfect, and if your buddy just goes flying up the ramp, there is a chance that the vibrations or a pothole can disengage the drotto and leave you sitting in the boat in the parking lot. Its been done many times.

It is amazing for launching, you can again have your buddy back you in until the back end floats, then start the motor and let it warm up, then walk up and hit the latch to release yourself and back off the trailer.

If you are solo, it helps with launching like i already said, and helps your feet from getting wet when loading. Just back up right next to the dock, then hop in the boat from the dock and launch. Same for pulling out, pull up until it latches and then step out on to the dock and then you can pull the truck up enough to hook up the winch so you avoid the water and slippery part of the ramp.

If you want an easier way to climb over the bow for fishing solo, get a set of steps.

Sent from my SM-A516U using Crappie.com mobile app

I can launch my boat without getting in it by tying a small rope about 6 ft long to the release arm. Just back boat in until it starts to float, walk to dock and pull the release. The boat floats off and I tie it up and go park the trailer, as I get older the more it is appreciated

Yeah, that's all well and good for ramps that have a dock or walkway alongside it. The lakes I fish, no such thing exists. Actually, the only time I ever saw such a setup was on Weiss Lake at the old J R's Marina (now known as Little River Marina).

If I fished solo a lot, I'd definitely have the ladder/steps thingy on the trailer, even with the Drotto.

What pappy said !!! The lakes around me don't have a dock alongside the ramp. With a bad back & knees I'm trying to avoid one less time climbing in & out of my boat. Seems like money well spent to me.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app