Rough docking - and neighbor's comment

KeithD

KeithD

New Member
Jul 16, 2007
149
Lindenhurst, NY
Boat Info
310 Sundancer 2000
Engines
350 Mag Bravo III (2)
So,
yesterday we head off to a popular spot on Fire Island, and we pull into the marina. My friend gets a slip, and I'm assigned the slip next to him. He pulls in with no problem (a little help from his bow thruster), and as I'm pulling in, the wind picks up. It's a bit of a tight squeeze, and I'm going in between my friends 340 and a blue-hulled 380. I'm struggling a little bit, and have to compensate for the wind, and I'm also concerned about going near the blue hull... my buddy is on the front of his boat, and the 380's owner comes to the front of his boat...

Anyway, the wind gets the better of me and I come across my friends boat - along the rubrail. I get into the slip, tie up, and thankfully there's zero damage to my friends boat. One of the screws from his rubrail however, put a nice foot-long scratch in my gelcoat. Well, whatever, no one got hurt, it's only damage to my boat, and it's only gelcoat.

I'm definitely disappointed, but I'm not letting it spoil my day out with my family and friends. I walk to the front of the boat and thank the guy next to me for watching out, and get a curt head nod as a response. I guess he wasn't thrilled about having someone so unskilled as me pull in next to his boat.

We had a fantastic day, the beach was beautiful, the kids had an amazing time, and we had three other boatload of friends show up, and the day was perfect. It's why we all go boating.

On the way home, my wife mentions that the guys in the boat next to us were less than friendly. I noticed it but didn't really care either way.

Then my wife tells me that the owner made a point of saying to her that maybe her husband should take the boat to another (less crowded) marina and practice docking. She informed him that her husband does a fine job docking, and that the wind just grabbed us. Big points for her for sticking up for me. But she didn't tell me until after the day was over.

So, in my opinion, unless you have boated perfectly your whole life, without ever making any kind of mistake, you shouldn't make comments to another boater like that.
And if you have had the most masterful and skilled boating experience, and you choose to make a comment like that, please MAKE IT TO THE CAPTAIN OF THE BOAT AND NOT HIS WIFE.

This has ticked me off all day, and thank you for letting me rant about it.
Should I ever be docking next to you, and make another mistake, and possibly damage your boat, please be assured I will take responsibility and pay for the damage.

Thank you,
Keith
 
Yeah, that's a little gutless of that other guy. If you've got something worth saying, say it. Otherwise keep 'yer trap shut. Kudos to your wife!
 
It is always easier to point out others flaws indirectly which in this case was to your wife and not being out on the water himself (tied off in the dock).
 
KeithD said:
So,
yesterday we head off to a popular spot on Fire Island, and we pull into the marina. My friend gets a slip, and I'm assigned the slip next to him. He pulls in with no problem (a little help from his bow thruster), and as I'm pulling in, the wind picks up. It's a bit of a tight squeeze, and I'm going in between my friends 340 and a blue-hulled 380. I'm struggling a little bit, and have to compensate for the wind, and I'm also concerned about going near the blue hull... my buddy is on the front of his boat, and the 380's owner comes to the front of his boat...

Anyway, the wind gets the better of me and I come across my friends boat - along the rubrail. I get into the slip, tie up, and thankfully there's zero damage to my friends boat. One of the screws from his rubrail however, put a nice foot-long scratch in my gelcoat. Well, whatever, no one got hurt, it's only damage to my boat, and it's only gelcoat.

I'm definitely disappointed, but I'm not letting it spoil my day out with my family and friends. I walk to the front of the boat and thank the guy next to me for watching out, and get a curt head nod as a response. I guess he wasn't thrilled about having someone so unskilled as me pull in next to his boat.

We had a fantastic day, the beach was beautiful, the kids had an amazing time, and we had three other boatload of friends show up, and the day was perfect. It's why we all go boating.

On the way home, my wife mentions that the guys in the boat next to us were less than friendly. I noticed it but didn't really care either way.

Then my wife tells me that the owner made a point of saying to her that maybe her husband should take the boat to another (less crowded) marina and practice docking. She informed him that her husband does a fine job docking, and that the wind just grabbed us. Big points for her for sticking up for me. But she didn't tell me until after the day was over.

So, in my opinion, unless you have boated perfectly your whole life, without ever making any kind of mistake, you shouldn't make comments to another boater like that.
And if you have had the most masterful and skilled boating experience, and you choose to make a comment like that, please MAKE IT TO THE CAPTAIN OF THE BOAT AND NOT HIS WIFE.

This has ticked me off all day, and thank you for letting me rant about it.
Should I ever be docking next to you, and make another mistake, and possibly damage your boat, please be assured I will take responsibility and pay for the damage.

Thank you,
Keith
Click to expand...

Hey Keith, I just got yelled at from some dude in Lindenhurst yesterday. I was coming out of my channel and hugged the right side of the channel closer than the left (gets shallow over there). He yelled "Hey... you know you have the entire channel" I wasn't closer than 30 feet from his boat at idle in a channel. Anyways... my point is... people can be a$$holes sometimes. Don't let it beat you up. I didn't. In fact, i just gave him a smart a$$ comment back! :grin: What's important is you and your family had fun.

btw... Where were you? Cedar?
 
Don’t even give it a second thought, we all go through it. Besides, you will probably never see the guy again ever, so who cares right?
 
I hate jerks like that. I've been in your exact situation with Mr. Perfect giving me disapproving looks instead of offering to help. On the other hand, I've had guys at my dock with much bigger boats and much better skills meet me at my slip and hand me my lines just to be neighborly and not judge my skills.

.
 
That kind of snobishness really tics me off.

Did this guy come out of the womb knowing how to dock a boat? I'm always eager to help someone get moored (shouldn't we all be???). Last night, my marina neighbor (we have fingers between us) was teaching a friend of his how to dock his single screw trawler. I was out on the end of the finger lending a hand. The guy practicing was super apologetic. I gave the guy a compliment for trying and encouraged him to keep at it. We're all here to help each other right?

"That guy" , Keith, will get his due....
 
EVERYONE and I do mean EVERYONE has had a bad docking experience including that guy, and you know what........just when we think we can do it all.....it'll bite us again, especially that guy. The wind humbles us all.
 
Yeah, I wouldn't sweat his comments although I'd rather him say it to me as you said. I'd be more worried about that scratch.

This wasn't you was it?
[YOUTUBE]z1s4qoYKCqM[/YOUTUBE]
 
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You should feel honored. You apparently berthed right next to Jesus Christ Himself. (wink)


If it makes you feel better, I kissed the dock very lightly the other day coming in in absolutely NO wind whatsoever. First time. After I get moored up, my 7 yr old son comes up to inform me that I "SLAMMED" into the dock and points out the small rub mark on the dockpost. Everyone's a critic nowadays I guess.
 
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I'm going to take the other path and say, I like comments like that. in fact I've made friends because I sucked at docking when I first got my boat and got the "you dock like a turd" look. I apologized, told them I've obviously got some practice ahead of me and maybe he had some pointers to help with my learning. And that I did, I practiced and had them rate my docking (you want to get a tough critic? ask the guy who's boat you almost hit how your docking is going), hired a guy to help me dock in heavy heavy winds, got rated some more. Show an honest effort to get better and soon no one around you will be slamming into your boat either. it's contagious, both ways, good and bad. No one wants to be the worst docker in the marina. if you keep your bar low, everyone else will too as long as they are just not as bad as you.
 
Keith - You can dock next to me anyday! Just watch out for me :smt001. Where was this, Ocean beach or Kismet?
Mike
 
There are gutless jerks in every walk of life. My take is that you are very competent and this was just one of those days. Anybody with any sense should have been able to recognize that adverse conditions affected you as opposed to an utter lack of skill. Sorry but this guy isn't worh any more worry. He's probably a joyless persona who gets his kicks by thinking he's better than everyone else when I promise you he's had smilar experiences.
The ONLY time I get overtly critical and yes angry with other boaters is when the blantanly ignore the rules of the road like no wake zones. That's not a skill issue. Having a docking misadventure is a different story. Unless that person repeatedly displays incompetence over and over with no effort to get better.
 
My Marina in Charleston is pretty open to the ocean, the current is a PITA. My first time in when we moved the boat there, the neighbors saw me coming in and I think we had 4 people on the dock. Anyhow, current got the best of me and started crabbing in. I rubbed a 40ft Hatteras down the starboard side of my boat. Lucky I had fenders out on both sides, so no damage. BUT... the owner was on the deck. Dude didnt even get out of his chair and I rubbed his boat. As soon as we got tied off, I went over and apologized. He was VERY cool and explained that current in the marina was harsh, and not to sweat it, and hed come grab a line next time he saw me coming in. Most people are cool and there to help.

Anyhow, almost EVERY time we go out and dock at a restaurant or something some A$$ will make comments. Last time was docking at the Crab house in Charleston up an inlet, and there was about a 5 foot section of dock on the end. So we swing around to let the bow hang over towards the shore out of the way, and tie off. As Im swinging the stern (perfectly by the way and at least 4 feet from another 16ft center consol) this dude comes RUNNING out of the restaurant and yells, Hey, your making me nervous your going to hit my boat. Ther\y are everywhere man. Ignore them.

Back to the original start of my post, ( i do have a point) The same gent (Hatteras) said that EVERYONE has issues in that marina, and not to sweat it. Those who don't care to help and stand there and judge can kiss your A$$. EVERYONE has bad docking days, you don't control the wind or current man.

Kudos to the wife and dont sweat it.
 
Guy was a gutless chickens**t. This is why he wasn't man enough to say something to you. As previously posted Captain to Captain or don't say anything at all.
Geez he said it to your wife (also good for her).

Jack
 
I often have a rough time docking. My boat has twin I/O's that both spin the same way. Although I have two motors, I don't have the manuverability of a true twin screw boat. Mine can't back up straight, either engine kicks the stern around to the left. There is no good way to back up to the right. I had a single inboard in a previous boat years ago and found that easier to dock in some conditions than my current boat because the transmission and throttle were seperate controls.
I don't let it bother me.
I especially love the knuckleheads that give directions from the dock. Although skilled with twin engine boats, few of them have ever experienced the thrill of docking a non counter-rotating twin I/O boat and are therefore talking out of their a$$.
I have a friend who has a 37 Sundancer and when we go someplace together and plan on docking in adjoining slips I always try to get in first because it is a lot easier for him to get his true twin screw 37 around my twin I/O non counter rotating 30 than it is for me to get around him.
In fact, he decided to dock his boat at the same boatyard as me this summer. The owner of the yard put him right on my starboard side and the single poles are only about a dozen feet off the bulkhead. It has made docking nearly impossible for me and severely limited the use of my boat this summer because I don't want to have to worry about not being able to get back in to my slip if my friend doesn't use his boat.
Needless to say, I'll be looking for a new slip next summer.
Anyway, everyone has a bad day docking once in a while. You had one bad day this trip, but that guy will be an a$$hole every day of his life.
 
IMO, if you can't dock an I/O with one engine, then you're not doing it right. I've never had both engines in gear when docking, even in heavy wind or current.
 
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