A new boat in the neighorhood...

a 40' Nordhaven owned by a former sailboater who has come over to the bright side and is movin' in right behind us.

Here is the Nordy gettin' lined up to back into the slip.

With judicious use of the thruster, he is now in line.

All the way in but a snug fit. The other boat never moves so it won't be a problem.

Would seem to be a "professional" docking, perhaps thanks to the bow thruster. Backing in is the hard way. ... A handsome boat!

markpierce said:

Would seem to be a "professional" docking, perhaps thanks to the bow thruster. Backing in is the hard way. ... A handsome boat!

Click to expand...

I always tell people backing is the easy and best way with a MB particularly if there is a thrust-er or twins. I might even make the same argument for a sail boat with a bow or stern thrust-er. Of course all these matters come down to visibility from the helm and personal preference in the end. The prop or props are at the stern and the rest of the boat has to rotate with a long arc to the bow and follow the stern. So for me it makes sense to put the stern where you want it and cause the rest of the boat to follow.

Someone needs to show me how easy it is to back into a berth. I've only entered bow-forward with a either a single-engine sailboat or trawler. Using prop-walk even with a bow thruster seems more complex than the "direct" approach. Never saw the need since my boat's exit/entrance is midship and there has always been a dock on one or both sides. If had to do a "Mediterranean", there'd better be some helpful hands nearby!

By the way, in Turkey the tourist boats do "bow-in" Mediterranean docking.

markpierce said:

Someone needs to show me how easy it is to back into a berth.

Click to expand...

I'll volunteer to do it Mark. Why not it's not my boat

Craig, but I've only seen you dock dockward!

Question from a ignorant: What is a Mediterranean docking?

L.

Oh Lou it's a real adventure.

Mediterranean: docking vertical to a dock.

http://www.marineinsight.com/marine-navigation/mediterranean-mooring-ships/

markpierce said:

Mediterranean: docking vertical to a dock.

Click to expand...

You mean perpendicular to a dock or vertical (like a space rocket) ???
Why is that called Mediterranean if I may ask?

L.

Unless I am on the fly bridge, I find backing into a slip is hard simply because I don't have good visibility behind me. Even from the fly bridge I can't see the back of my swim step. I am impressed by that new Nordy owner.

Lou_tribal said:

You mean perpendicular to a dock or vertical (like a space rocket) ???
Why is that called Mediterranean if I may ask?

L.

Click to expand...

It all depends on your perspective.

markpierce said:

It all depends on your perspective.

Click to expand...

I knew that in some place in Mediterranean area boat are docked like this but I did not knew it was called Mediterranean docking. Don't know the word in English but boat often tie using chain in the water called "Pendilles" in french.

Talking about perspective, not sure I would try to dock vertically to the dock, it looks like hard to achieve and not very stable, should be like an iceberg, most of the boat would be submerged

L.

In the Med they drop anchors backing in, tie stern lines, tension anchors rodes and walk a gangway off the stern. The real fun starts leaving when anchor rodes are over or under alongside boats.

Back to the thread subject, I wish I could dock like this guy, bow first or stern first, my docking is far more erratic than his!

L.

'Cause that's the way it is done on the Med where dock space is scarce. As for the Nordy backin' in...it was to more easily allow for ingress and egress usin' the vessel's gunnel door.

Petaluma requires Med docking when there is/was a not-uncommon high demand for the limited docking. Fortunately we always visited during low-demand midweek. The picture was taken on a Friday, and boats have already begun to dock perpendicular. (Unfortunately, heavy winter rains have brought more silt to the harbor, lessening its potential for perpendicular docking. Yacht club cruise-outs destined there have been cancelled.)

Backing out is easy-peasy. The thruster is helpful here too. (Angling the stern in anticipation of the prop-walk.)

markpierce said:

Backing out is easy-peasy. The thruster is helpful here too. (Angling the stern in anticipation of the prop-walk.)

Click to expand...

So if backing out is easy why cant you use the same techniques to back in. True not all single engine boats back well but many are at least predictable. I know my sail boat single engine will jig to port abruptly when I first reverse gear so just before I start to back I swing the bow to port to compensate so that when I start moving aft the boat is aligned where I want it also a little current and wind adjustment gets in the mix. It is not always perfect on first try but doable now its rare that I have to abort or make a major adjustment. I also don't try to align boat with slip but try to come in on a arc using wind current and prop walk. If you find backing out easy why not expand your horizons and reverse the procedure always good to have another trick in your ditty bag.

2 different issues here.
Med moor is bow fastended to a bouy or piling and stern at the dock (perpendicular) to the pier or wharf.
Second issue is of docking in a marina stern in. This could be to another boat or a double loaded dock. (Each boat tied to a finger slip).
For a no excitement docking setup, Ted (OC Diver) has his boat rigged out correctly. He does real cruising up and down the eastern seaboard mostly solo with a 45 boat.. Stern controls of steering, engine and bow thruster. I would bet he does more dockings/undockings in a winter than most forum members in 5 years. All different situations, currents etc. I have never seen him dock but saw him and his setup in FT Pierce get together, and am sure its a controlled event that doesn't raise his or anyone elses blood pressure.

Lou_tribal said:

You mean perpendicular to a dock or vertical (like a space rocket) ???
Why is that called Mediterranean if I may ask?

L.

Click to expand...

It's just a label as most US boaters hadn't seen it until they went to the Med. It's a means of a lot of boats in a small place without building much in the way of docks. Now, it's done some in other places. You see a little in the Caribbean, but then many of the islands there are parts of countries which are on the Med.

I am docking bow first, 2 reasons for this: first I have only one door on starboard and my prop walk bring me to starboard in reverse, second I like to have my aft deck terrasse looking to the river instead of the dock so I can enjoy a cold one looking at birds and river flow

L.

eyschulman said:

So if backing out is easy why cant you use the same techniques to back in. ...

Click to expand...

The berth is much narrower than the fairway.

Lou_tribal said:

I am docking bow first, 2 reasons for this: first I have only one door on starboard and my prop walk bring me to starboard in reverse, second I like to have my aft deck terrasse looking to the river instead of the dock so I can enjoy a cold one looking at birds and river flow

L.

Click to expand...

When I was young, many of the marinas on the lakes had V's forward with the corners angled off, shaped somewhat like the bow of a boat. These were clearly designed for bow in. Now, the vast majority of slips are rectangular, no unique forward shape so the are shaped more like the stern of a boat. Most boaters I see do dock stern in but there are still areas bow first. Many boaters like the congregate community formed at the marina too with everyone on their aft deck as you walk by. People talking from adjacent boats or boats across.

My slip is angled so I have more length bow in vs stern-in. Plus, we have a nice view out to the harbor and Mt. Rainier when we are bow-in. If our view was the other direction, I'm sure I would figure out how to back into the slip.

dhays said:

My slip is angled so I have more length bow in vs stern-in. Plus, we have a nice view out to the harbor and Mt. Rainier when we are bow-in. If our view was the other direction, I'm sure I would figure out how to back into the slip.

Click to expand...

That's how I remember all slips growing up.

Wifey B: Speaking of slips...

Do you or your spouses still wear them? That came up in conversation today as among younger girls in South Florida, slips and pantyhose are passe.

Ok, back to boat slips. Transient we do more side tie than anything.