Key points at a glance Key points at a glance. Original editorial diagram. The boat's on the trailer, the straps are tight and everyone wants to get home. That's when the weed wrapped around the bunk gets a free ride. Aquatic plants catch on trailers.
Quick answer: In Ontario you must open or remove drainage devices and take reasonable steps to remove plants, animals and algae from the boat, equipment, vehicle and trailer before moving a boat overland. That's been law since January 1, 2022. Drying is recommended, not required. Do the first pass at the ramp you're leaving and finish the job before the next launch.
Key points at a glance. Original editorial diagram.
The boat's on the trailer, the straps are tight and everyone wants to get home. That's when the weed wrapped around the bunk gets a free ride.
Aquatic plants catch on trailers. Water hides in livewells, compartments and gear. Ontario's rules cover both, and they apply every time the boat travels by road, not just when you're switching lakes. If you've ever pulled a strand of weed off a trailer bunk at a Rice Lake ramp, you already know how easily it happens.
Here's what the law asks for, where the exceptions are, and a routine short enough that you'll actually use it.
Know What Ontario Requires
Ontario's drain-plug rule took effect January 1, 2022, under Ontario Regulation 354/16, section 14. Before overland transport, it asks for two things:
- Drainage-control devices must be opened or removed so water can drain.
- You must take reasonable measures to remove aquatic plants, animals and algae from the boat, equipment, vehicle and trailer.
Before you reach a launch site, none of those items can have aquatic plants, animals or algae attached. The regulation also prohibits putting them into a body of water with that material still on. Watercraft equipment includes things like anchors, ropes and fenders, so the anchor line in the bottom of the bow locker counts too.
That makes this a travel routine, not a once-a-year chore for visiting a new lake.
Give the Boat and Trailer a Deliberate Look
Pull ahead to a spot where you can work without blocking the ramp. Check the places you can't see from the driver's seat: the trailer frame and bunks, the motor, the anchor and line, and any loose gear that went in the water.
Walk around the rig in the same order every time. A set order is easier to repeat than a last glance at whichever side happens to be closest.
Ontario's boaters action plan treats removal at the ramp and a more thorough clean before the next launch as separate stages. If you can't get at a stubborn fragment in the parking lot, finish the cleaning properly later. Don't skip the first look because of it.
Open the Right Drains for the Road
Learn which drains your boat has before you're packing up in a hurry. The transom plug is one. A livewell or another water-holding system may need draining too.
The regulation exempts drainage devices in drinking-water systems, marine sanitary systems and closed engine-cooling systems. It also carves out a narrow livewell exception for live fish being transported under a licence to transport live fish (subsection 14(3)). An ordinary fishing licence isn't that exception.
Don't loosen random fittings or take apart an engine system you don't know. Your boat and engine manuals show which drains are yours to open.
Keep a separate launch check for putting the plug back and closing anything that has to be closed before the boat goes in. A road-travel setup isn't a launch-ready setup.
Drying Is an Extra Step, Not a Legal One
"Clean, drain, dry" is a handy phrase, but the three words aren't three identical legal instructions. Cleaning and draining are required before overland transport. Drying is recommended.
Ontario recommends drying or further cleaning to deal with organisms you can't see. Fisheries and Oceans Canada also recommends drying boats and equipment between uses, and says the right drying and decontamination depend on the situation. A quick visual check doesn't prove every organism is gone.
If you're launching again soon, decide how you'll finish the cleaning before that trip. Skip the rule-of-thumb waiting period, the guessed temperature and the homemade mixture. Check the provincial guidance and your equipment's material limits before you arrange decontamination.
Common Mistakes
- Pulling the transom plug and forgetting the livewell. The rule covers drainage devices, plural.
- Treating a regular fishing licence as the livewell exception. The exception is for live fish moved under a licence to transport live fish, which is a different licence.
- Skipping the check because you're going back to the same lake. The overland-transport rule applies whenever the boat moves by road.
- Forgetting the gear. Anchors, ropes and fenders are watercraft equipment under the regulation.
- Launching with the plug still out. The road setup and the launch setup are two different checks.
Make the Next Trip Easier
Keep a short card with your trailering gear. It doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to describe your boat, stay with your gear and get used even when the last outing was on the same lake.
| Before leaving the water |
Before reaching the next launch |
| Inspect and remove attached material. |
Finish any cleaning the first inspection couldn't complete. |
| Identify and open the right drains. |
Inspect the boat, equipment, trailer and vehicle again. |
| Arrange further cleaning and drying. |
Complete the boat's separate launch-readiness check. |
You aren't trying to identify every species in the parking lot. You're trying not to carry plants, animals, algae and water to the next stop.
What We See at HBW
We have our own launch ramp here at Gores Landing, and that's where boats come out for fall haul-out. The routine is the same one we'd want you to use at any ramp: look first, drain, then deal with whatever's left before the next launch.
New to Rice Lake? Our Rice Lake boat launch guide walks through the ramps, and the Rice Lake boating guide covers the lake itself. Towing in from the GTA? The trailer-boat guide from Toronto to Rice Lake covers the drive.
When the season's over, start with a service request at hbwservice.ca and drop the boat off by trailer or by water. If getting it here is the hard part, ask. We can generally arrange pickup.
Sources
Need a Hand With the Boat?
Whether it's a fall haul-out, a spring launch or a question about your trailer setup, start with a service request at hbwservice.ca or give us a call.
Phone: 905-342-2153
Service: hbwservice.ca
Configurator: mercuryrepower.ca
Harris Boat Works
5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON K0K 2E0
harrisboatworks.ca | mercuryrepower.ca
