MaddyDean
New Member
- Nov 25, 2009
- 545
- Boat Info
- 280 Sundancer, 1991
- Engines
- Twin 5.7 Mercruisers w/alpha drives
A funny and avoided disaster story for you all.
I am Finally at the point where I can back the boat into, well, most slips without issue.
The other day returning to home port I instructed that admiral NOT to assist with the docking.
Backed her in perfectly--never even touching a poll.
SO I leave the engines running and leave the helm to tie the spring and stern lines. while standing on the swim platform I asked my daughter who knows how to start, stop and starting to learn how to pilot the boat, to shut down the engines (As she does all the time)
My six year old sons ran to the dash yelling, "I want to do it, I want to do it" while all three of us are yelling NNNOOOOO he puts the port engine in reverse.
Now I throw my feet onto the dock and start yelling NO even louder. My son turns around looks at me and sees me trying to hold the boat from crashing into the dock and quickly and deliberately pushes the port engine into forward, back down into reverse, forward once more and finally neutral.
I quickly went and hugged him and asked, how did you know to put the boat in neutral. he said that he was just trying to line up the port throttle to the other throttle handle.
The next day when we went out, I let him throttle the boat--he loved it.
There is a question here; Do you let the engines idle down went you return home or just shut them down once you are in position to tie off?
I always leave them running until I am tied off and for a few minutes after just to cool down the engines and just in case I need to react quickly.
thanks.
I am Finally at the point where I can back the boat into, well, most slips without issue.
The other day returning to home port I instructed that admiral NOT to assist with the docking.
Backed her in perfectly--never even touching a poll.
SO I leave the engines running and leave the helm to tie the spring and stern lines. while standing on the swim platform I asked my daughter who knows how to start, stop and starting to learn how to pilot the boat, to shut down the engines (As she does all the time)
My six year old sons ran to the dash yelling, "I want to do it, I want to do it" while all three of us are yelling NNNOOOOO he puts the port engine in reverse.
Now I throw my feet onto the dock and start yelling NO even louder. My son turns around looks at me and sees me trying to hold the boat from crashing into the dock and quickly and deliberately pushes the port engine into forward, back down into reverse, forward once more and finally neutral.
I quickly went and hugged him and asked, how did you know to put the boat in neutral. he said that he was just trying to line up the port throttle to the other throttle handle.
The next day when we went out, I let him throttle the boat--he loved it.
There is a question here; Do you let the engines idle down went you return home or just shut them down once you are in position to tie off?
I always leave them running until I am tied off and for a few minutes after just to cool down the engines and just in case I need to react quickly.
thanks.