Another docking topic

[jrcinnh]

My new slip is going to be stressful. Anyone have any advice, maybe some spriglines would help?

I have 300 DA with twin bravo 3's. I have to back in to a slip. In back there is a concrete bulkhead. There is a 27' finger dock on the starboard, and another boat to port. I'm about 4 feet from the other boat and there are no pilings.

So when the wind is blowing across the slip and pushing my boat to port, it's a challenge, especially when single handed. I can keep the stern where I want it, but the bow is moving towards that boat pretty darned fast. I put out fenders but I really don't want to need them.

Any hints?

 

[jg300da]

I had the same exact setup you described. We kept permanent lines at the slip, already attached that we just removed from the cleats whenever we cast off. On very windy days my wife would just pick up the loop of the starboard, or finger side spring line on the dock with a boat hook and hold the bow against the finger while I finished backing in. It worked well. If you're single handed you'll need to tie a fender on the port side in case the wind carries you into the other boat.

 

[Sea Ray 300]

My new slip is going to be stressful. Anyone have any advice, maybe some spriglines would help?

I have 300 DA with twin bravo 3's. I have to back in to a slip. In back there is a concrete bulkhead. There is a 27' finger dock on the starboard, and another boat to port. I'm about 4 feet from the other boat and there are no pilings.

So when the wind is blowing across the slip and pushing my boat to port, it's a challenge, especially when single handed. I can keep the stern where I want it, but the bow is moving towards that boat pretty darned fast. I put out fenders but I really don't want to need them.

Any hints?

I have a very similar situation, although my slip is tighter.
Here's my solution...
Along the finger, which is on my starboard, I have a dockwheel, and 6 - 6" fenders, suspended horizontally, like link sausages.
When docking, I employ 4 fenders on the port side, to protect my boat and my neighbors.
My aim, is to "kiss" the dockwheel, and pivot around it.
I put my bow into the wind, and "caress" her into the slip, using both drives, fore and aft as necessary, along with whatever steering is called for, as the wind is turning my bow.
Timing, ah yes, timing.... :thumbsup:

 

[waterlogged]

John,

We're you going to be at? I had the exact same config at Mountain View when I had the 280. Concrete bulkhead, one small finger to port and a single piling to stdb. First thing I did was put a couple of large fenders over the bulkhead (by rope so I could adjust them when the lake level changed).

I would try to use the piling as a pivot point. I would come in perpendicular to the slip (port side) about 10 feet off the piling (into the wind) and use a combo of shift and wheel. That way, the wind would usually keep me off my neighbors boat and push me towards the finger.

It was tough, but with a lot of practice (not on Saturday or Sunday :grin: ), I kind off got used to it.

Good luck.

 

[jrcinnh]

Karl,
I'm at Gilford Yacht Club. When I was at Mountain View I had the mirror setup as you, I had a piling between me and the port neighbor. Now there's not a piling and it's a lot more interesting.

I tried pivoting around the end on the dock and the boat will go right down the dock but with any wind it's a run to get from the helm to the dock and grab the bow line. Some preset lines will likely help.

 

[Nehalennia II]

............but with a lot of practice (not on Saturday or Sunday :grin: ), I kind off got used to it. Good luck.

My $.02 is worth about $.01 since it's been a little while since I was regularly at the helm of a twin screw( dare to dream, dare to dream) Anyway I think practice, practice and practice will help you most., As many times as you can on those Tuesday nights that last until 10 and only yardwork awaits. Practice practice practice, you'll feel more comfortable and when the wind does kick up a bit, you'll at least know what the tendancies of your 300 will do. Also do it in places where no-one's around. Tight quarters and small marina that have dead ends where you must spin her around to exit. Once you have the confidence you can put her anywhere you want her it's a great thing.

 

[Presentation]

From my friend Gary Olson http://www.gwo-main.com

The Working Line

You will need to edit this from the below depiction, attach the line to the mid cleat before backing into the slip, adjust the length of the line so you can no way get the stern of the boat hit the wall and back in versus bow in as is the illustration but the principle below still applies.

Connect the line from the dock to the mid cleat before you back into the slip. As you power into the slip the line gets tight and holds your bow to the dock.

Now this is for both the "kid" in your family as well as the captain (you'll understand shortly). With the probability of the water remaining swift in the river for the next few weeks it may mean that you might want to consider using a "working line" to get back into your slip easily. Because Sue and I continue to be so grateful for Tom Goudy showing us how to (and stood by on the dock coaching us patiently) use a "working line" to make returns to our slip very easy (and consistently good) I am trying here to share that knowledge with all of you. Attached you will find 9 individual steps (drawings) that show a boat entering a slip using a "working line." This is just one way of doing it but you'll get the idea. The "kid part" .... If you are an "old timer" you might recall "fanning" a series of cut outs (you cut them out) that were printed in the newspaper that created a motion picture. I am sure Morly Saefer (sp?) would remember, but even if you don't, you might want to have some fun with the kids or the younger family relations. Print out the MS Word document that is attached and have them cut out each "frame" .... then line up the left outside edge carefully and staple the right edge together (after they put all of the cut outs into numerical order). When the stapled packet is "fanned" the little red boat will appear to go into motion and it will show one way of using a "working line" to get a boat docked into a slip easily. I sincerely hope that my efforts will help to show you how a "working line" can benefit you .... (especially now that we are trying to put our boats into slips that are perpendicular to the water current) ... I assure you this procedure works in all kinds of conditions ... honest. If you are hesitant ... ask one of us to assist you ... we would gladly help you develop your skill and confidence to use a "working line."

 

[jrcinnh]

Thanks for the help so far, I'll have to think about the Goudy method, may be something there. This the boat in her new home.

 

[Turtlesboat]

I took a lesson on friday from Capt. Don Flemming on the Hudson and he showed me some really great tips on docking in the wind. I was using the method of forward / reverse to spin the boat around but if there was wind I usually found myself in trouble. He taught me to use the single engine method but taking advantage of twin engine leverage. this allowed me to constantly compensate for the wind at all times.

first, idle toward your slip and survey how the wind is blowing.

based on the wind, pick a line of approach.

kick the engines in neutral and crank the wheel, say to starboard and hit the port engine with a little gas.

when you hit your line mark, kick the port engine in neutral and crank the wheel to port. hit your starboard engine in reverse and pull the aft starboard corner to the corner of your finger. As you get close, turn the wheel to starboard to slowly pull the rear close to the finger and then slowly turn the wheel to starboard to spin the rest of the boat into the finger. kick it in neutral and whip the wheel to starboard and hit the port engine in forward to pull you bow into the finger.

kick it neutral. then crank the wheel to starboard and hit the starboard engine in reverse to bring the aft back into the finger.

this method is a little more work working the wheel but allowed me to contantly pull and push the boat into the wind instead to drifting in the wind hoping that my timing was right.

Now i'm working on dropping a line over the side and looping the cleat to hold me to the finger while I kick the starboard engine in forward with the wheel cranked to starboar to hold the boat to the finger. If I can get the rope on, I can then jump off he boat and tie the other lines and then get back on the boat and kill the engines and retie the lines. this part i'm still working on as i'm a city slicker and my roping skills aren't up to par.

Maybe if I get good enough i'll take some video of me stuggling. But I can say that it's much more controlled than I was before.

 

[Dave M.]

One thing I have found works for me, in a totally different wind and docking situation, is to carry so rotation into the entry. Here, you would want CW rotation viewed from the top. So if you begin with the boat pointed to the right in the picture, rotate CW, maybe towards the middle of the slip. As the stern comes around, begin backing in. You may have to angle across in front of the other boat a bit, as you will be partly sideways in the slip when you start. But the idea, and it works for me in a different situation, is to use the wind to stop the rotation.

Here, if you can, back the stern along the slip, bleeding off rotation, the bow will be swinging towards your side of slip. If yuur timing is good, you can step off as the bow bumps the finger.

I have almost no time operating a twin screw boat, but this works for me with a single engine Bravo II. I can back down to port, and pull the stern to port. But with a cross wind pushing the bow starboard, I can't backdown to starboard and pull the stern that way. So I can't control the direction of the boat with the wind blowing the bow starboard. But I can put some CCW rotation on the boat off the end of the dock where I have room to use power, and then move and control the boat position as the wind stops the rotation.

BUT, in my case, the wind is blowing me towards the dock, so I don't have to step off and catch the boat when single-handing. That is a big difference.

Anyway, if you are pivoting around the end of your own finger, with a wind from left to right in the photo, that is opposite the rotation you want to carry as you back in.

 

[RT 240SD]

I would only add
1) Definately leave pre-fit lines on the dock when you leave and
2) When you come in your first line to attach imho is a spring line from the foreward dock cleat to your mid cleat. This will ensure no banging into the concrete, but will leave your stern loose, but you can use the drives to keep the stern pulled against the pier... another method if you have a cleat on the dock close to mid ship is to have a (short) second line there as well so when you come into the slip you really only have to grab two lines laying next to each other on the dock and only have to get them to your center cleat to get under a base level of control and then deal w/ bow and stern lines without worrying about hitting the wall or the neighbor.
3) I also agree with having a dock wheel to spin on, but would only use it in windy situations.

In my slip, I am in an elbow with a slip mate to my side and have two boats crowding the fairway in front of me - a large POS Chris Craft and a 35 footer. Just getting out of the slip is a challenge as you have to make a quick turn to starboard, but you don't have much room for the stern to swing... with a wind from the south it is almost impossible... then you have the problem of backing in. I have to come in and wedge the bow between the sterns of the Chris Craft and the 35 footer at the end of the other dock then spin the boat about 75 degrees into my slip with about 3 feet of clearance fore and aft... the only thing I could use to spin on, would be my slipmates boat and no way to use working lines. Awesome..

I think I need to find a better slip...