Crash while docking.

sfergson727 said:
Knock on wood, I have not put a single scratch in a boat in over 15 years*. (dammit, now I've done it.) My biggest advice has always been:

To go no faster than what you are prepared to hit something.
Mangage your momentum
Pilings are your friends,
Missed approaches are free of guilt

And

Practice makes perfect.

Beyond that, I've found that it helps to know your limits and try to stay within them. Expand your abilities in baby steps, and there will be a lot less visits to the gelcoat supply store. I've seen a lot of mishaps, and I try to learn from them...but we all make mistakes.


*Actually, I forgot that I hit something submerged in the river at Saugatuck in my whaler back in '09, so technically, I have in fact, put a scratch on a boat...just not while docking. (and this past winter I put two gouges in my transom locker hatch when I raised the engine hatch in the storage shed, which I documented here on CSR...)
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That's funny, I will put a scratch on my boat virtually every time I come in. 11.5' beam combined with 13' wide slip, no bow thruster, 3 blade props, and our brisk southern CA afternoon winds makes docking difficult most of the time. I don't sweat it, that's what the detailer is for, I consider a successful docking one where I only put a scratch on my boat, and so far, knock on wood, 3 years and haven't had to apologize to anyone yet.
 
That's not a scratch, that's just a dock rash.
 
My slip is not fun or funny much of the time. I'm close to shore, during low tide I have about 40' of deep enough water to work with, my boat is 39'. And prevailing afternoon winds like to push me toward the rocks and beach. My slip is 12' 6" wide and the beam is 12' 3". So I have to enter at an angle when backing in and then pivot the boat until I'm straight. People love to watch me come in but at this point it is usually encouraging as I have somewhat got it down. With that said when I bought my 270 years ago, which was an upgrade from a 17' boat, I almost crashed pulling it out of the marina. With little experience in a cruiser that thing handled nothing like my little 17footer.
 
Back when I actually had a boat --- been two weeks, don't like being boatless - the fuel dock had these white plastic edges on the docks. Admiral ( yes blaming her) had the fender in the wrong place, got a little scuff. Against a Black hull - really showed.

Lived with it for two weeks, then had my wash guy buff it out.. Could not stand the mark of a bump....
 
When I bought our 480 they showed me nothing but where the bridge was , coming from a 320 I was petrified.... The 580 next toe where we bought it showed the brief 5 minute how to handle the throttles .


Boltman
 
boltman said:
When I bought our 480 they showed me nothing but where the bridge was , coming from a 320 I was petrified.... The 580 next to where we bought it showed the brief 5 minute how to handle the throttles .


Boltman
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Our boats come out of the factory covered in inane warning stickers, but any Joe can sign some papers and go to the helm. You'd think in the litigious society, dealers would be terrified to let a newbie loose without at least a disclaimer/liability waiver.
 
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RollerCoastr said:
Our boats come out of the factory covered in inane warning stickers, but any Joe can sign some papers and go to the helm. You'd think in the litigious society, dealers would be terrified to let a newbie loose without at least a disclaimer/liability waiver.
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I'm sure that's why they DON'T train/teach anyone. It opens them up to liability they don't want.
 
I back into my slip and I'm NEVER afraid to go out and try it again when things get cockeyed. But, I'm only 27 feet long and 8.5 feet wide in a 10 foot wide slip.
 
I know when you buy a MarineMax boat they offer you several hours of instruction if you want it as part of their delivery process. These boats are extremely dangerous in the wrong hands there should be more "instructional process" involved if needed.
 
2nd Chance said:
I know when you buy a MarineMax boat they offer you several hours of instruction if you want it as part of their delivery process. These boats are extremely dangerous in the wrong hands there should be more "instructional process" involved if needed.
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Are you saying maybe there should be a license?
 
FootballFan said:
Are you saying maybe there should be a license?
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From personal experience, I wouldn't mind seeing a license for anything larger than 26' or 28' being required...it wouldn't be a bad idea for any boat, but then you have that gray area on inflatables, fishing boats...etc.
 
I disagree with license on a length limit. Down here we see more problems with the smaller boats, bow riders, etc as they don't know the rules of the road and don't care. And besides, you are required to have a license to drive a car and I see tons and tons of idiots on the road, didn't seem to help them at all. Is all a license is is another tax and a way to generate revenue. No one will care if you know how to drive a boat and interpret markers and know the rules of the waterway. Licensing is just a waste of time. Education is needed and forcing someone to take a test is not education.
 
trit21 said:
I disagree with license on a length limit. Down here we see more problems with the smaller boats, bow riders, etc as they don't know the rules of the road and don't care. And besides, you are required to have a license to drive a car and I see tons and tons of idiots on the road, didn't seem to help them at all. Is all a license is is another tax and a way to generate revenue. No one will care if you know how to drive a boat and interpret markers and know the rules of the waterway. Licensing is just a waste of time. Education is needed and forcing someone to take a test is not education.
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I'm not sure why there's so much controversy about this, and some of the points don't really stick if you ask me. Yes, there are idiots on the roads, but without measuring what unlicensed drivers would do, how can you come to a conclusion?

EVERY time I'm out, I get cut-off as the stand-on vessel. I've perfected my hand gestures and horn blowing in the probably pointless effort of encouraging that the guy to go back to his marina and ask a neighbor how he made a guy in a SeaRay so angry...

Recently a vessel approached me as the stand-on. We slowed at the same time, we sped up at the same time, we turned at the same time. He was trying to be polite (obviously not a local), but I damn near had to come to idle to get clear of the guy.

If we had a test that just asked THAT question in 30 different ways, my boating experiences would change forever.
 
I have yet to hear anyone sound the required signals for passing or danger.

Last time out one of the 100' harbor work boats attached to the oil drilling platforms came tear assing out of a hidden channel and passed me astern by maybe 20 feet at high speed. Never sounded a horn once, their whole bridge crew was laughing at my passengers who were a little panicked when the guy came out of nowhere. Seemed like he did it on purpose. Its not just little boats or inexperienced skippers who are the problem.
 
I will say the Sea Ray dealer (Marine Max) has always been great in orienting me to each boat. That being said getting oriented to any new boat takes time for inexperienced boaters. We were all one at some point. I have docked a boat neighbors boat a few times where we went out and he wanted to have some fun. So I drove it back and docked it. While new to that boat, docking it is not an issue. But the fundamentals are the same, it is just learning the characteristics of that specific boat.
 
RollerCoastr said:
I'm not sure why there's so much controversy about this, and some of the points don't really stick if you ask me. Yes, there are idiots on the roads, but without measuring what unlicensed drivers would do, how can you come to a conclusion?

EVERY time I'm out, I get cut-off as the stand-on vessel. I've perfected my hand gestures and horn blowing in the probably pointless effort of encouraging that the guy to go back to his marina and ask a neighbor how he made a guy in a SeaRay so angry...

Recently a vessel approached me as the stand-on. We slowed at the same time, we sped up at the same time, we turned at the same time. He was trying to be polite (obviously not a local), but I damn near had to come to idle to get clear of the guy.

If we had a test that just asked THAT question in 30 different ways, my boating experiences would change forever.
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I still disagree, how many people don't use turn indicators on the road today, I would have to guess about 90% from what I see. Licensing and asking questions on a test don't solve the problem. Education and enforcement of the already in existence laws is the only way to change behavior, not licensing. Sorry, I think you are wrong on this point.
 
Dsybok said:
I have yet to hear anyone sound the required signals for passing or danger.

Last time out one of the 100' harbor work boats attached to the oil drilling platforms came tear assing out of a hidden channel and passed me astern by maybe 20 feet at high speed. Never sounded a horn once, their whole bridge crew was laughing at my passengers who were a little panicked when the guy came out of nowhere. Seemed like he did it on purpose. Its not just little boats or inexperienced skippers who are the problem.
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My point exactly, they are licensed and it doesn't stop them at all. Enforcement would stop that as they are already 'educated and licensed' but still problem persist. Again, this just proves licensing does not solve the problem.
 
FootballFan said:
Are you saying maybe there should be a license?
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absolutely not....there's enough heavy handed control in everything else as it is.....the Dealers need to be held to a higher standard when they cut someone loose on the water....same thing happens with motorcycles....you can go buy a bike that will run 200MPH on the street without any kind of training whatsoever....go out on the street kill yourself or others before ya blink your eye.....crazy.
 
I might not understand your point. Are you saying that education (and logically following, a test) should be mandatory, or that since you can't change 100% of behavior, trying to is pointless?

The problem with the turn-signal comparison is that people KNOW what it's for, and choose not to use it. That's entirely different than ROR, which would be more like someone not knowing that a red light means stop.
 
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