When you do get your boat, spend a few days, preferably with an experienced boat handler, docking and undocking. Not just your home dock, but city docks, fuel docks and so on. For awhile, every time you operate your boat include some docking practice.
Before you solo, practice several times with someone else aboard standing by.
My first boat was 65', bought on an online auction without my parents permission, I was 13. The money was earned. I come from a maritime family and received many hours of hands on instruction before I was allowed to operate on my own. But it made me a great boat handler. Boat was wood with twin Detroits, 20' shorter, but not unlike my current boat. I began my boating life with Detroits and will probably finish out with Detroits. It's been a great life with the most reliable, long running engines.
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