US Patent 7679493 Boat trailer submersion

A method of controlling a surge brake mechanism and all lights on a trailer connected to a vehicle that can submerse the trailer to deploy a boat into water. The method generally includes monitoring the vehicle for vehicle conditions that include at least a speed of the vehicle and a direction in which the vehicle is moving. The method waits for user input from within a passenger compartment of the vehicle that is indicative of a desire to disable all of the lights and the surge brake mechanism on the trailer. The method determines a boat launch condition exists when at least one enabling input is detected and determines the boat launch condition does not exist when any disabling input is detected. The method disables the surge brake mechanism and all of the lights on the trailer, when the boat launch condition exists and enables the surge brake mechanism and all of the lights on the trailer, when the boat launch condition does not exist.