• Inflatables are most easily moved when deflated.inflatable tender at a pier image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com
  
  Inflatable boats are like seals---very graceful in the water, but not so much on land. Wrestling one into a pickup truck, especially if you are alone, can be a chore. Removing the outboard is the first thing to do. Don't think you can skip this step and make it easier or save time. Resign yourself to it and take the outboard off; it will make everything easier.
  
  

Inflated

• If you lack time to uninflate the boat, you will need to get it into the bed of the truck as firmly as possible. If you don't have the necessary ropes and tie-downs, don't even consider it. An inflated boat in the back of a truck is a lot like a sail, and will behave like it, if given the chance. If your boat is small enough that it fits into the bed of your truck, you're in luck. Drag it to the truck, turn it upside down, lift the nose onto the tailgate, walk to the back of the boat and push it in. Tie it down firmly and don't drive too fast.
  
  

Uninflated

• Inflated boats are best loaded into a pickup truck in an uninflated state. That's why they are made inflatable. Pull the boat onto the shore and open the valve. If you have the time, allow most of the air to escape naturally. Then lie down on the boat on the opposite end from the valve and roll slowly along, allowing your body weight to squeeze out all the air. When all the air is out, fold the boat in as tight a bundle as possible, lift it into the back of the pickup truck and tie it down.
  
  

Alone

• Larger inflatable boats are much easier to load when you have help. If you are loading a larger boat that you will not be uninflating, have your helper or helpers stand on the other side and lift it with you. Lift the boat above your heads and walk forward so you carry the boat over the bed of the pickup truck. Set the boat down so it rests on both sides of the pickup truck bed. Again, tie the boat down as well as you can, and don't drive too fast.