Bye bye sea ray :(

[JamesBay]

Oh. And the only other boats with thrusters installed are express boats. But those feel like a cave inside.


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[HUMPH]

Maybe I didn't update my profile. Boat is in pittsburg. Brackesh water.

And going in bow first.

And no way is it only $8k to add a bow thruster. I asked around and it is minimum $14k just for bow. Another $5k for stern. Not worth it on a boat worth only $100k.


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Pittsburg can be windy, the trick is to get an upwind berth. Are you out in the open near the fuel dock? I am a member of the Pittsburg Yacht Club BTW. It would suck to sell your boat if all you need is the right slip to ease your tension. The old yacht club docks used to be very difficult to get into when it was crowded!

 

[RollerCoastr]

A twin inboard with only a bow thruster can do everything a stern thruster can do. Yes, it's more simple to have two levers or the little plastic boat knob to control the Y-axis, but you have to use the gears to get into your slip anyway. Maybe look at it this way: you already have a boat you know and like. Forget the stern thruster and subtract the costs of selling your boat from the bow thruster installation (and some of that may come back to you in resale), and the numbers will get a lot closer.

Just food for thought.

 

[2000SR380]

Best of luck, whichever direction you go. As others have mentioned, this is pleasure boating. A little bit of challenge occasionally pumps the adrenaline - and is not bad. But it should not be something that you dread.

One thing I found when my wife wanted to learn how to back in a slip - that I was not the best teacher. I can dock, but not teach docking. I think it is my heavy equipment background, it is instinctive to steer the stern with transmissions. She would ask why I did something, I didn't always have an answer better than "that's just what I had to do".

I got someone else to teach her, I sat back with a bottle of water and bit my lip a lot -- but she learned.
Reason I mentioned this - trading boats or marina's will involve cost. Always the chance its not "you" - rather your instructor.
Not saying anything bad about the instructor - but there are a lot of people who are very proficient with a boat - they take an action instinctively - without thinking. Sometimes that is a challenge for the student when they are teaching someone.
Good luck - keep us posted what you decide to do.

I will second this whole post. Do what it takes to make it fun. The right instructor can be worth their weight. Just because they can 'do' does not mean they can 'teach'. Never instruct your own wife. When I instructed HPDE for the National Auto Sports Association I always suggested students that were there for two days tried a different instructor for the second day. I have, I swear, watched fellow instructors say the same damn thing I said yesterday, and somehow the student gets it that time. Also, I have taken over students who just were not clicking with another instructor and found them to be great students. I had countless hours on sail boats, and captaining a single engine trawler or two. When we purchased our 380DA "Basement Boat". I figure two engines, less windage, docking would be a cakewalk. Turned out I really sucked! could not get the 380DA into our 17.5 foot wide slip without marking up the port side. Even in minimal wind. I swallowed my ego and got one of our local charter captains to take me out for some lessons. Gusty winds, or the Angel Island eddy, still have a pretty good pucker factor for me. However, in normal conditions, I can get our boat tied to the dock without stress, and without 20 minutes of buffing out black marks so the hull stays white and shiny. FootballFan touched on something else critical it is not all about the instructor/student relationship. Not to put to fine a point on it but some people are just 'naturals', and some of us have to work a little harder (or just upgrade the equipment). Like Clint Eastwood says " a man has to know his limitations". It is fully better to change boats, add thrusters, move to a different slip, or find the right instructor, than to stop going out because it is stressful, or your detail guy is driving a Mercedes.

 

[BritLady]

Maybe I didn't update my profile. Boat is in pittsburg. Brackesh water.

And going in bow first.

And no way is it only $8k to add a bow thruster. I asked around and it is minimum $14k just for bow. Another $5k for stern. Not worth it on a boat worth only $100k.


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Oh, just noticed you're in CA, one of the most expensive states, you need to move to FL where it's $8k for a bow thruster installed. Oh no wait, that's why we're inunadated with folk from CA making their pensions go further and shoving the price of our homes up

 

[JamesBay]

I do need to work with another instructor. Good guy. But I think he lost his patience with me. Not his fault. But after 16 hours of practice and I still don't feel comfortable taking her out by myself, I would lose patience with me too.

I was thinking of moving over to the yacht club side. I can easily dock the boat over there because the births are much wider. The only issue with that side is the marina entrance. Gets tricky when it is windy with the rocks and that stupid pole right at the entrance. Was 4" from hitting that last time I was over there practicing.

My boat was just officially listed today. I had a tear when signing because I put so much work into her in the last year. $26k later and she looks close to being brand new. I haven't even used the new dinghy and davit. But I am taking my new outboard with me. Haven't even put oil in it yet. I also will be writing an offer on a meridian this weekend. She won't have all the luxuries the sea ray had, but has thrusters


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[BOATER JOHN]

What ever it takes to make you comfortable. Best of luck with your new boat.

 

[magstang1]

Yikes. Concrete? Ours are steel with PVC covers. Pretty easy in the rub rail.

 

[HUMPH]

I do need to work with another instructor. Good guy. But I think he lost his patience with me. Not his fault. But after 16 hours of practice and I still don't feel comfortable taking her out by myself, I would lose patience with me too.

I was thinking of moving over to the yacht club side. I can easily dock the boat over there because the births are much wider. The only issue with that side is the marina entrance. Gets tricky when it is windy with the rocks and that stupid pole right at the entrance. Was 4" from hitting that last time I was over there practicing.

My boat was just officially listed today. I had a tear when signing because I put so much work into her in the last year. $26k later and she looks close to being brand new. I haven't even used the new dinghy and davit. But I am taking my new outboard with me. Haven't even put oil in it yet. I also will be writing an offer on a meridian this weekend. She won't have all the luxuries the sea ray had, but has thrusters


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Who did you list it with?

 

[JamesBay]

Yup. Concrete. And not 12" from edge of dock. Only 5". I measured today.

Listed it with Richard boland. Haven't had much success with brokers in the past in terms of integrity. But don't have the expertise to sell myself. Or time.


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[BritLady]

Good luck with your new cruiser.

 

[searay40dad]

JB,
Frankly you have a pretty tough set of conditions you've been dealing with per your posts. Wind and current are bad enough, but add in zero margin for error thanks to a very tight slip and some unforgiving concrete pilings (that you cant add protection too), then top that off with the fact that the boat you've been trying to dock is a slug (no offense, you're just turning some pretty small wheels on a good size aft cabin) which means to control in those conditions you need throttle in addition to shifting, I don't care what anybody says, nothing is easy there when you add all those variables together unless you're very seasoned skipper. In the situation you've described, I'd like to see anybody go 10 for 10 without putting a railing or rub rail against one of those concrete pilings. I think i'd try another conversation with the marina and see if there's some middle ground on getting something on those pilings. I don't know what the beam is on the Meridian you're after but if its not much narrower than your 370 Aft, even with thrusters, expecting to not put a rail against a piling when you only have 5-6" to play with may not be totally realistic.

As far as the Meridian goes, one of my closest boating buds bought a 381 Sedan new in '03. It has been an exceptional boat, week in, week out for 10 years now holding up nearly as well as any SR I've seen.

 

[2000SR380]

JB,
Frankly you have a pretty tough set of conditions you've been dealing with per your posts. Wind and current are bad enough, but add in zero margin for error thanks to a very tight slip and some unforgiving concrete pilings (that you cant add protection too), then top that off with the fact that the boat you've been trying to dock is a slug (no offense, you're just turning some pretty small wheels on a good size aft cabin) which means to control in those conditions you need throttle in addition to shifting, I don't care what anybody says, nothing is easy there when you add all those variables together unless you're very seasoned skipper. In the situation you've described, I'd like to see anybody go 10 for 10 without putting a railing or rub rail against one of those concrete pilings.

VERY good point. It will still be tough even with thrusters. Most of us have day jobs that do not involve driving boats, and this is sport/recreation for us. I do not know about the rest of you but I would be awesome if I could get out 4 days a week as opposed to 3-4 days a month. The situation described by the OP would be very challenging for me and I doubt I would do it on a regular bases unless the slip happened to be next to Hugh Heffner's boat, or have some other magical redeeming features. When we purchased our Emery Cove slip, we got an upwind 17.5 foot wide, 45 ft long slip for a 43 ft boat with a 13.5 ft beam. We go out a lot and I am not interested in battling the normal afternoon blow while lining up with a super tight clearance as a regular exercise. I can do it visiting other transient docks but not 10 out of 10 every time we go out!

 

[JamesBay]

Sea ray dad. Thanks for understanding. There are three other boats in these slips that don't have thrusters, and I have seen each one come in and hit a railing, take out an antenna or gash the side of the boat on the corner of the dock. I don't want to be 'that guy'. So even with thrusters, I hope I can do it in light winds. If not, clearly I will need to move to another marina. I have had two boats and I have yet to have one minute of fun on a boat. Constant anxiety and way more money than I care to tell spent.

I really would like a 381. But I may have to settle for a 341 due to lack of inventory of well kept boats in CA.


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[JamesBay]

Here is a picture of another boat near mine. You can see how much clearance she has from the dock and concrete poles.


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[JamesBay]

About maybe 6" on each side. And that stupid little wheel doesn't even move!


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[Sea Gull]

Ok, so you are pulling into a narrow floating dock on both sides? In this photo it does not look like the pilings are exposed in any way. It looks like they are embedded in the finger or captured at the end of the finger. If the slip is 5" wider than your beam and the pilings are in the center of the floating fingers, then you should not be able to hit the pilings with any part of your boat. What am I missing?

 

[Turtlesboat]

Sea ray dad. Thanks for understanding. There are three other boats in these slips that don't have thrusters, and I have seen each one come in and hit a railing, take out an antenna or gash the side of the boat on the corner of the dock. I don't want to be 'that guy'. So even with thrusters, I hope I can do it in light winds. If not, clearly I will need to move to another marina. I have had two boats and I have yet to have one minute of fun on a boat. Constant anxiety and way more money than I care to tell spent.

I really would like a 381. But I may have to settle for a 341 due to lack of inventory of well kept boats in CA.


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Why do you want to buy another boat? Not one minute of fun?

 

[searay40dad]

Ok, so you are pulling into a narrow floating dock on both sides? In this photo it does not look like the pilings are exposed in any way. It looks like they are embedded in the finger or captured at the end of the finger. If the slip is 5" wider than your beam and the pilings are in the center of the floating fingers, then you should not be able to hit the pilings with any part of your boat. What am I missing?

I'd agree. I'm not sure I'm following how you are getting into the pilings from this pic. I can see how your hull is exposed near the waterline if you're coming in at much of an angle. Can you place A couple fenders along the fingers and on the corners? If you can get something on those corners, it looks like you could nose it in and use them to pivot if needed.

As turtle was eluding to, I hope you're finding something about boating that's working for you. Otherwise, I'd be moving on too.

Good luck

 

[JamesBay]

Sea guy. The first 1/3 of the boat at the V. Those rails get hit if not perfectly centered going in.

Turtle. I have hope that I can one day take the boat out without an instructor.


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