Boat docking,,,,

[BandB]

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

By that I mean to make an approach but be willing to abort and circle and try again. If you're using a technique to let the wind and current line you up and try to enter as straight as possible, you will sometimes find you misjudged the speed with which the wind and current would carry you or let them turn you more to the side than desired. You're dealing with many forces at once and that's easy to do. Far wiser is the boater who says they misjudged and regroup and then get it right than the one who compounded a mistake with more.

I once docked a pontoon boat for someone who just couldn't get it into the slip. The first thing I did was just floated by the area to get a feel for the conditions and the boat, which was unfamiliar to me. Then I approached almost sideways knowing how the wind would turn me and line me up. It reminded me of a small plane landing once in very windy conditions and one moment we look like we're perpendicular to the runway and suddenly we're down and straight and perfect. The pilot knew the conditions and the plane very well.

Then experience becomes the best teacher.

 

[Gdavid]

I don't see what's so difficult about it

 

[psneeld]

This agrees with what was taught to me and what I have experienced with most boats. As usual, there are exceptions.

But it is the 1/3 concept that allows a single screw to be worked side ways or pivot and back away from a dock more easily.

The following is from the magazine link.....

"The answer is almost certainly leverage. When a boat moves forward, the pivot point, the point around which the boat will rotate when rudder or other turning force is applied, is located about one-third of the boat’s length aft of the bow. When a boat is moving aft (has sternway), the pivot point is about one-third of the distance from the stern. When a boat or ship is dead in the water, the pivot point is approximately midway between the stern and bow, depending somewhat on the underwater profile."

Docking depends on boat's pivot point | The Ensign magazine

 

[CaptTom]

Spring lines are great. However, in almost all situations that I am familiar with, I have never been able to figure out how you get a spring line on the dock before you actually are docked. I certainly don't want my crew leaping from the boat to attach a spring line. Large tides make pilings an iffy prospect at best. Either they are too high to toss a line over or are so covered with barnacles and muscles that they will chew through a line quickly. Tossing a line and hoping to loop a cleat is not something I want to count on since if it is missed, you now don't have the spring line available as you were planning on.

What am I missing?

In the video, it appears to be a home slip, so the spring could stay on the finger. I actually have a hook on a short PVC pipe so it's easy to drop the eye on when leaving, and pick it up coming back in.

But that's obviously not what you meant.

In any docking situation, with nobody on the dock to take a line (or nobody I trust to know what I want done with it) someone on board has to snag a cleat or piling somehow, anyway. More often than not it's a spring line.

Face dock, easy. An after spring line from a forward or mid-cleat is made to a convenient cleat and the boat is powered in until the fenders are against the dock.

Slip, not so much. Here the after spring has to be brought forward and made up the the cleat on the end of the finger as soon as it's in reach. If that fails, abort. If not, just power in as above.

We don't tie to pilings much up here, but it's the same idea. Some actually have a hook part-way down so if you get a loop over them or a line or around them, it doesn't slide down to the barnacle-encrusted part. Or you just use an old line. In the end, if you need to tie to a piling, you've got the same issues no matter how you first managed to snag it.

 

[kev_rm]

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

By that I mean to make an approach but be willing to abort and circle and try again. If you're using a technique to let the wind and current line you up and try to enter as straight as possible, you will sometimes find you misjudged the speed with which the wind and current would carry you or let them turn you more to the side than desired. You're dealing with many forces at once and that's easy to do. Far wiser is the boater who says they misjudged and regroup and then get it right than the one who compounded a mistake with more.

I once docked a pontoon boat for someone who just couldn't get it into the slip. The first thing I did was just floated by the area to get a feel for the conditions and the boat, which was unfamiliar to me. Then I approached almost sideways knowing how the wind would turn me and line me up. It reminded me of a small plane landing once in very windy conditions and one moment we look like we're perpendicular to the runway and suddenly we're down and straight and perfect. The pilot knew the conditions and the plane very well.

Then experience becomes the best teacher.

+1 for be willing to abort...

I will say my home dock you won't get the chance to learn anything by just floating by... too much localized current and wind (from structures) and just no room.

"That'll buff right out".

 

[ktdtx]

I have yet to master moving astern along a specific line, with "back and fill."

I don't think you can back most single engine boats in a straight or specific line. That is different from knowing where you are going when backing.
You already know and propwalk has been mentioned. The amount depends on prop size, depth of keel, hull and "more stuff".

On my boat I can decrease the amount with full opposite rudder but I can't go straight back.

 

[NewbieFromNJ]

How bout these cowboys...

https://video.search.yahoo.com/vide...=1442449970&fr2=p:s,v:v&fr=yfp-hrmob-900&tt=b

 

[psneeld]

Anyone can be Hollywood for a day.....

When you get good at something, showboating is no big deal.....

Think, Blue Angels air show.....

 

[Nightsky]

If the fairway is wide enough and long enough, go past the slip, turn around and approach the slip with the bow in to the wind/current allowing greater steerage and control.

 

[Giggitoni]

This ^

 

[Arctic Traveller]

His technique works fine as long as there are lots of fenders out. Without a bow thruster, and in wind and current, once you take it out of gear you have no control of the bow, but if it's already inside the fingers, fenders will save the day.

 

[winty]

A fantastic Sunday on the water and some additional docking practice / entertainment.

 

[dhays]

You have a very challenging slip to get into since it is so narrow and you have a significant cross current. You can do it with practice but it won't ever be easy.

 

[psneeld]

That is a light cross current at best. 2 knots is challenging, 3 knots will start to pull finger piers underwater. That looks like a knot at besr, probably less..but still tricky.

The one aborted docking only needed some hard right rudder and a short bust of power to slip right in, no deckhart assistance necessary.

Well...at least frontm the video...without actually being there...it may have needed a little something else.

Not saying it isn't challenging for beginners....but when cruising, much more challenging situations may present themselves so practice is important.

 

[cardude01]

I think you are doing fine! A little more practice and you will nail it every time I bet. The trick is to not go to fast or too slow, as you have realized, and line yourself up correctly with the current.

 

[dhays]

The one aborted docking only needed some hard right rudder and a short bust of power to slip right in, no deckhart assistance necessary.

Well...at least frontm the video...without actually being thete...it may have needed a little something else.

That was my impression as well. Prop walk is fine but when moving forward, hard rudder with power will kick your stern either direction. On my boat, all I need to do most of the time is to simply put the engine in gear at idle with full rudder and the stern will move.

Get the bow in, as you did there, and then kick your stern around.

I still say that it is not easy with such a narrow slip.

 

[alormaria]

You need to get your boat in the water early in the season and practice docking with no one around. Practice is the only way to get good at it. And to gracefully handle when it doesn't go well.

 

[bilge53]

Docking

You need to get your boat in the water early in the season and practice docking with no one around. Practice is the only way to get good at it. And to gracefully handle when it doesn't go well.

One more recommendation, whatever you are doing recognize early as possible if it is not going to work and do not hesitate to go to "Plan B"..the escape route. Have that planned as well as the docking itself.

 

[Opportunity]

I call fake! That can't be a dock at the Jersey shore.

Where is the Ferris wheel? Roller Coaster? Tilt-a-Whirl? Snookie and 'the situation'?

Where can I get a sausage sandwich or a pizza? Or a drink!

Are those empty parking spaces in the back? Oh yeah, now I know it's fake.

You put a smile on my face being fron NJ!!!