Getting off Face dock with wind

How about this from The Boat Cheat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i-p7OYsCHG0

You might be able to use the technique of the Bayliner video on the first page. You start with a line from your stern to the corner of the dock. Move forward as you pull in the line. When you start to lose the bow, back against the line to straighten out. With enough power and a strong cleat you should be able to get 90% out of the slip and still be straight......I think.

pjtemplin said:

How about this from The Boat Cheat on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i-p7OYsCHG0

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My choice answer with twins. You need to practice without wind to see how it works on your boat. You can see it demonstrated often on the “TimBatSea” YouTube channel.
I also do similar with a single with a bow thruster. Rudder to push stern away from the dock (or lock wall) with Fwd bumps and bow thruster away. Boat moves out mostly sideways and slowly forward.
I hate the stern spring method. The fender always squirts out or my crew doesn’t release the spring properly. Makes for anxious moments.

High Wire said:

I hate the stern spring method. The fender always squirts out or my crew doesn’t release the spring properly. Makes for anxious moments.

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Large round ball works better than cylinder-shaped fenders for stern quarter. Ball needs to be quite large, especially if you have a swim platform. As far as crew malfunction, practice/practice/practice. Honestly, the challenge with threads like these is remedies are discussed as if they will always work. Chances are good it won't work on a particular boat in a particular situation. The 'practice/practice' part is important not just to see what works on a given boat, but for captain/crew to get comfortable with developing Plan B on the fly - for example what to do/happens if a line ends-up in the water, or what happens if the fender ends up in the water.

I watched the boat-cheat video showing how to crab-sideways with a twin. Sorry, this is the type of thing that works well on paper but rarely goes as planned in real life, which is why the video is a diagram, not an actual demo. Some boats respond reasonably well, most don't - sort of a show-pony maneuver. Really requires practice.

Peter

mvweebles said:

I watched the boat-cheat video showing how to crab-sideways with a twin. Sorry, this is the type of thing that works well on paper but rarely goes as planned in real life, which is why the video is a diagram, not an actual demo. Some boats respond reasonably well, most don't - sort of a show-pony maneuver. Really requires practice.

Peter

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Agreed, he doesn't include the prop walk as a consideration and on most boats with a right hand starboard prop, left hand port prop, the prop walk push the boat against the dock. If the boat has prop pockets or very efficient rudders, the odds of success increase but a cruising cat such as his video shows, presents a lot of windage to overcome, I would like to see it in reality. Sport fishing boats tend to excel at such maneuvers.

The walk sideways maneuver doesn't work on my boat from what I've tried. I do need to play with it a bit more, but when I tried it, it seems like I've got too much prop walk to be able to move the stern against it with rudder.

Try YouTube search “getting underway from port Jefferson” by TimBatSea. Jump forward to 5:30. Sorry having trouble with cut and paste with a cell phone.

Seevee, I assume there are no pilings between you and the boat with whom you share the slip. Is that correct? If there are pilings, and one is near the bow of your boat when docked, there is a technique that works well.

In some ways it is a bit ironic this whole thread. Because for the old Clipper 34 I used to own, with no thruster, single engine, most of the suggestions are solutions to a problem I never had. Because I never tried to berth stern in, because stern out is so much easier to get out, especially if the wind is tricky, and berthing bow in is nearly always a cinch as well. Food for thought..?

Failing that, and you have to berth stern in, I think you did about the best you could do. But normally you do have thrusters, right..?

I must say I was a bit concerned about all those piles the OP has to dock against however. You would have to use a long suspended plank outside of one's fenders, surely..? Or am I missing something here..?

Peter B said:

In some ways it is a bit ironic this whole thread. Because for the old Clipper 34 I used to own, with no thruster, single engine, most of the suggestions are solutions to a problem I never had. Because I never tried to berth stern in, because stern out is so much easier to get out, especially if the wind is tricky, and berthing bow in is nearly always a cinch as well. Food for thought..?

I must say I was a bit concerned about all those piles the OP has to dock against however. You would have to use a long suspended plank outside of one's fenders, surely..? Or am I missing something here..?

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Well, no one wants to have piles.
My thoughts on the OP`s problem was to open both throttles hard and wide, exiting the slip post haste before rotating the boat to orient it with the "fairway", but I`m not sure what lay ahead.

Peter B said:

In some ways it is a bit ironic this whole thread. Because for the old Clipper 34 I used to own, with no thruster, single engine, most of the suggestions are solutions to a problem I never had. Because I never tried to berth stern in, because stern out is so much easier to get out, especially if the wind is tricky, and berthing bow in is nearly always a cinch as well. Food for thought..?

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Peter, That's been my experience as well!

I wonder if you could reproduce the scene using Boat Master (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/boat-master/id1349495816). The App has been a source of joy and education to my dear partner. Now known to yell "forward on port, now!" after attaching the stbd side stern line to the stbd tie finger. A fun game, but a very useful learning tool, with no actual risk of crunching the boat.

If something doesn't work, try something else. A boat has a greater pivot radius when putting the spring line on the fwd or aft cleat. Above all, try to look cool when doing it.

I read tons of good advice here, and have nothing to add other than thinking outside the box....

When we were living in the Med it was quite common for boats to use a neighboring boat for maneuvering. They would consider it quite acceptable to "lean on" a neighboring boat coming and going from a slip or harbor wall.

I have never done this, never needed to and my boat is not suited, but it may work for you:

How much unoccupied water lies between your boat and the boat that shares your slip? If sufficient and with permission of your slip neighbor (in the same wide slip) secure your boat to his fore and aft cleats with doubled lines.

Take you time and pull your 40+ footer towards his boat until you are snug against your/his large fenders. Note: if this is impossible due to the forces of nature or lack of windlass etc. then this will obviously not work.

Having pulled your boat laterally to the other side of the slip you are shielded from the wind somewhat and should easily be able to pull out either in forward or reverse (ie: drive forward into your slip as I think it would be easier to leave your slip in reverse). The trick as others have mentioned is the challenge of releasing the doubled up lines, but my thought is that when you are protected from the wind by your neighbor you may have enough time without rushing. This would be something to try as a dry run. Cast off both lines but keep the boat in neutral and see how much time you have to get back to the helm and regain control before your boat rafts up against your finger pier.

Finally you might also consider whether it is easier to back out than forward out.

~A

Having never heard the term before reading this thread, I still don’t know what a “face dock” is…

Spring line

Aft spring, you can get 90º to the dock if set the line right. Piece of cake.

The solution might come to mind after a meal with wine.

AZ2Loop said:

Seevee, I assume there are no pilings between you and the boat with whom you share the slip. Is that correct? If there are pilings, and one is near the bow of your boat when docked, there is a technique that works well.

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Not in this case, but post your solution please. Always like to have another idea in the back pocket.

To me, a face dock is 90 degrees to a dock walk way. Like a "T" with extended horizontal ----- total open to the outboard side.
Exit using a fwd or aft spring line.

OldDan1943 said:

To me, a face dock is 90 degrees to a dock walk way. Like a "T" with extended horizontal ----- total open to the outboard side.
Exit using a fwd or aft spring line.

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with room for boats fore and aft. I was puzzled by OP use of word when stern in with wall behind and no dock/boat ahead but thought it was east coast lingo.

Somebody has to be at the end of a face dock.... ether where it turns or ends.

Then again with a boat next to you.... I would probably call it a "slip".

If you have 2 or 3 ft between boats, with an experience captain captain and one or two line handlers, they can move the boat off the face dock and leave. A little more difficult to dock between boats without thrusters but, it can be done with spring lines. I dont want to try, I'm chicken

OldDan1943 said:

If you have 2 or 3 ft between boats, with an experience captain captain and one or two line handlers, they can move the boat off the face dock and leave. A little more difficult to dock between boats without thrusters but, it can be done with spring lines. I dont want to try, I'm chicken

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At least with twins in calm conditions, I've found the easiest way to get into a tight spot on a face dock with no thrusters is to 180 the boat into the spot. Approach facing the opposite direction you intend to dock, place the bow as needed and spin the boat into the spot (by the end it'll be pretty much sliding sideways into place).

It's a calm-ish conditions only maneuver though, as doing it too quickly will build too much sideways momentum that you can't stop, making it both hard to bail out of needed and meaning you're likely to have a very firm landing against the dock.

Get it right and anyone on the neighboring boats that doesn't realize what you're doing is going to have very large eyes (thinking you're about to ram them right before you start the spin), but the boat will pretty much just un-dramatically slide right into place against the dock, no spring lines or people on the dock needed. In calm enough conditions I expect you could back and fill that maneuver with a single, although I haven't tried.

That maneuver doesn't help getting out of the tight space though.

rslifkin, LOL you are cheating, you have two engines.

OldDan1943 said:

rslifkin, LOL you are cheating, you have two engines.

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Yeah, but no bow thruster. And a boat that pivots very far forward (so you basically place the bow and move the rest of the boat around it). So getting into a tight spot on a face dock is easy enough, but getting out with boats close in front and behind (especially with wind pinning us) is significantly harder than arriving.

Quoted by SeeVee,"
The boat is stern in, side tie to starboard. Typically I can shove it off (at least the bow) and put the starboard engine in idle forward, and the port in idle reverse and it will twist the boat just enough to head straight out."


With the engines (gears) turning as you say, some boats will go sideways if you put the rudders hard over to stb. and varying amounts of throttle so no forward motion is gained.

My 46 with the keel will not, but that same combo will push the stern out. In combination with a fwd spring off the stern (ready to release) you may get the clearance needed to proceed.

rslifkin said:

At least with twins in calm conditions, I've found the easiest way to get into a tight spot on a face dock with no thrusters is to 180 the boat into the spot. Approach facing the opposite direction you intend to dock, place the bow as needed and spin the boat into the spot (by the end it'll be pretty much sliding sideways into place).

It's a calm-ish conditions only maneuver though, as doing it too quickly will build too much sideways momentum that you can't stop, making it both hard to bail out of needed and meaning you're likely to have a very firm landing against the dock.

Get it right and anyone on the neighboring boats that doesn't realize what you're doing is going to have very large eyes (thinking you're about to ram them right before you start the spin), but the boat will pretty much just un-dramatically slide right into place against the dock, no spring lines or people on the dock needed. In calm enough conditions I expect you could back and fill that maneuver with a single, although I haven't tried.

That maneuver doesn't help getting out of the tight space though.

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Like this?

SooValley, that only works on front wheel drive boats!:lol:

Steve1.0 said:

SooValley, that only works on front wheel drive boats!:lol:

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Steve, works with rear wheel drive cars. Slide over, buckle up and I will show you.