Launching Jet Ski with Golf Cart

[Mholota]

Has anyone tried launching their jet ski using a golf cart??? I've looked on youtube and have seen a few videos, but want some first had experience.

This is what I'm looking at golf cart wise... https://www.southernsportz.com/Lifte...Golf-Cart.html -with an additional torque motor, and obviously a hitch.

I have a 2014 Sea Doo GTI SE 130, 790lbs + the trailer 200lbs so we'll call it 1000lbs for shits. The launch is about 100 yards from our cottages. The launch has the shallowest incline i've seen for a launch that i've launched at before. I guess i'm just looking for some in-site. Ultimately i'm looking to not have to hook up to my truck and unhook and do the same thing over and over again. Docking isn't available unfortunately.


thanks for any info

[jpt7779]

The very shallow ramp is going to be a big issue, especially with a golf cart not being able to get the ski in the water deep enough to get it off the trailer. Also the torque requirements to get it out can be a lot of strain on a golf cart.

I have a golf cart similar to your link. I also have a 2015 Polaris Ranger XP 900 ATV, which will easily pull a PWC trailer. The Ranger has 2 wheel drive, 4x4 high, and 4x4 Low all with a flip of a switch. I paid about the same for each and would recommend the ATV over a golf cart any day.

[Mholota]

After looking back at some pictures I guess the ramp isn’t that shallow. I’ll check out the rangers tho. I was hoping to stick with the golf cart category Bc it will fit in the bed of my truck, and I wouldn’t have to buy another trailer.

[K447]

The very shallow ramp is going to be a big issue, especially with a golf cart not being able to get the ski in the water deep enough to get it off the trailer. ...

Agree.

You can work around the shallow ramp angle by using a trailer with an extended length tongue. Just make sure the trailer is stout construction to handle the strain of an extra long tongue.

Also, look for a single PWC trailer with very low bunk height. I like the Triton single trailer with curved cross frame members.
That allows the hull to float in shallower water than a typical PWC trailer. And the Triton has a fairly strong tongue, which can be extended using a Fulton tongue hinge.

[boudin]

I launch single trailer skis almost exclusively with my golf cart. Plenty of torque in an electric cart to pull a ski out of the water, but you have to be careful to not back the rear wheels over slippery algae. That means you cannot always get the trailer as far back as you like, and have to get in the water give the ski a nudge manually.

Getting onto the trailer is easy as you don't need to back the trailer in as much. My rule of thumb is to get the rear 50% of the bunks in the water.

-Greg

[sheldon2es]

I wouldn’t recommend it. Our cottage is in one of those “golf cart” type communities where everyone’s got lifted carts with clutch kits and LEDs etc. You can quickly burn up your clutch trying to pull even an unloaded trailer out, let alone with your ski on it. We still use our truck over our cart.

[SplishSplash]

I use my cart to ferry my ski's and even my boat around (boat is a 18 foot with 100 hp merc) and it moves them just fine, but it's a gas electric cart.
I would not use the cart for the boat at the ramp though, no way, but for the ski's it would be no issue on the shallow ramps.
No "clutch" to burn out, it s CVT Belt system that has massive torque multiplying.
But again, if its a slippy ramp, then there may not be enough weight in the cart to have enough traction.
Its not a power issue, its a weight of the cart and traction issue.

[sheldon2es]

I use my cart to ferry my ski's and even my boat around (boat is a 18 foot with 100 hp merc) and it moves them just fine, but it's a gas electric cart.
I would not use the cart for the boat at the ramp though, no way, but for the ski's it would be no issue on the shallow ramps.
No "clutch" to burn out, it s CVT Belt system that has massive torque multiplying.
But again, if its a slippy ramp, then there may not be enough weight in the cart to have enough traction.
Its not a power issue, its a weight of the cart and traction issue.

By clutch I was referring to the cvt.

We’re on a small lake and over personally seen trucks dragging a cart with a trailer up the ramp because the cvt just had no torque off idle.

[SplishSplash]

Odd way your cart works, mine, if i accellerate to hard with the boat on it can smoke the tires off idle no problem. Mind you its not a new machine at all (a 1970's Jacobsen golf cart dump truck) with a twin cylinder robin engine rated at 16 hp.
Now if you have one of the new machines with the massive tires on it, they can have poor off the line due to the torque loss in the big tires.