Have you ever wondered how they get mid-size boats like barges and tugboats on and off land? In my experience, giant 40-foot to 70-foot bags are placed under key points of the boat. First, the airbags are placed under the boat with loaders, telehandlers, and skid steers. Simultaneously, one or two dozers are placed at the front of the boat with lines attached to the digger behind the dozer. 

The airbags are then blown up and the dozers apply tension (as seen in picture two). The dozers will then slowly drive back as the boat rolls backward on the airbags. Once the rear of the boat gets far enough away from the nearest bag, a piece of equipment will move to the front and deflate the bag. It is then dragged to the back of the boat to reinflate it. 

Operators repeat this until the boat is in the water. Once it reaches the ocean, a tugboat will push the boat to a safe depth in the water to run the engines. The crew of that vessel will then get off the tugboat and board once it is safe to do so.

The Dangers of Haulouts 

Some people may not think of the many dangers of hauling boats in and out. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to a haul out; many pieces of equipment move around at one time. You also have airbags being drug out in addition to the boat moving.

 Finally, you need to have people on the ground filling up the airbags and making sure everything is going smoothly. All of these factors make the procedure of hauling boats in and out difficult and dangerous.

So next time you see a large boat on land, just stop and think about what the brave men and women had to go through and the dangers that come with their job; be thankful for what they do. Without them, we would not be able to maintain our boats that bring us food, vehicles, and goods here in Alaska.