Sleeping and Docking??

Here is what I learned on docking. Do it wrong a few times, and then take lounge chair one day and watch others do it. I've learned alot by watching others and now, although not an expert, I can get into just about anything. Go slow and watch others.
 
kevin27 said:
With all do respect to Bennett do NOT have your wife stand on the swim platform while docking. I have seen more than one person end up in the water doing that. It opens you up to some very bad things and possible death can happen if you back over her. Also instruct your crew to never put any body parts between the boat and the dock. Scratches can be fixed but injuries last much longer and more expensive.

Take your time and have fun. My best sleep is on the boat most of the time. Don't worry about the single engine. It will be easy with the stern drive.
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Many thanks for the advice. Never thought of it that way.

Thanks again,
Bennett
 
From the genset point of view I don't run it through the night when on the hook due to the CO2 potential. I'm sure I'm setting up to get slammed but that's just me. Many I know sleep on the hook with the gen running and are totally fine but from what I understand they leave the boat free to swing in the wind (no stern hook) to help keep exhaust from blowing back down below.

BUT - I would agree I LOVE feeling like I am in my own Mark Twain piece of the world when I pick a place and drop the hook. There is absolutely nothing better. The coffee tastes better in the morning. The cereal tastes better. The grilled leftovers from the night before tastes better.... I can't wait for the weekend!
 
Welcome to boating and to CSR!

Sleeping on the hook: It's a little nerve wracking at first until you get the hang of dropping anchor and making sure it's set properly. We use one anchor and just swing around with the wind. The ICW usually has some traffic so the boat will get rocked from time to time. Try to find a cove or somewhere away from the main channel.

Docking: Had a single engine Cuddy for years before the 330 and backed it in everywhere I went. Took a summer to get it right but once I got it I never looked back. Watch others, learn from their mistakes, take it slow and don't panic...worst thing you can do. If it's not lining up right, take another stab at it.

Good luck and enjoy the new boat.
 
What Kevin said. Don't let your ego get the best of you. It doesn't matter what all those people watching you think as long as you get you, your family and boat in safely. Take 10 attempts if you need to. Go SLOW. You will get the hang of it. My last boat was a single engine 28 footer and at first it was a bit of a challenge but quickly I got very good at it but even then I had to abort an attempt from time to time. Let the wind and current help you. If you fight them you will lose most of the time

Enjoy your new boat
 
I really enjoy sleeping on the boat until I wake up in 2 hours from complete body pain. :( I have a 3" memory foam topper over the factory cushions but still not good. I told the wife we need a bigger boat to sleep better but she's not buying it. :)
 
One of the good points that I read on this site was "never approach anything faster than you would like to hit it." That seems to come to mind whenever I come up to dock now. As much fun as it would be to do a "Captain Ron Docking" I'd rather not be fixing gel coat.
 
Sleeping on the boat:

Spend your first night or two sleeping on the boat secured to a dock. Anchoring over night has its own anxieties the first couple of times you do it. Don't mix first overnights with first anchoring overnight. Get used to the noises, motion, etc - while you know you are secure to a dock and can step off the boat at any time.

Docking:

Practice. Pay attention to the conditions, wind and current, learn how the boat behaves in different conditions. Work out your system of how you will approach and secure.

Get some advice, watch other people, and practice. Find a buoy out in open water. Practice bringing the boat up to the buoy. Work on the downwind side, then the upwind side. That alone can provide a practice environment that you can simulate all kinds of wind angles.

Hire a captain for half a day - find an empty dock and practice with instruction. Learn how to use a spring line.

Just some thoughts,

Mark
 
alwhite00 said:
I really enjoy sleeping on the boat until I wake up in 2 hours from complete body pain. :( I have a 3" memory foam topper over the factory cushions but still not good. I told the wife we need a bigger boat to sleep better but she's not buying it. :)
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Tell her YOU'RE buying it.
 
k9medic said:
Now, the sound of the generator puts me to sleep really fast.
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diesel powered genny, right?.....since the OP is new to boating we need to be sure he knows the potential dangers of operating a gas powered genny at night if his boat happens to have a gas genny.....

cliff
 
Love spending the night whether at the dock or on the hook. Stayed at the dock solo the first night I had mine, then First Mate joined me at the dock the second night, then we launched and spent the next two on the hook and haven't really looked back. We very often leave Fri and return Sun, but our marina has a good restaurant, plus live music on weekends from spring through fall, so if we don't feel like launching we still hang at the boat.

As for docking....my first goal is protecting humans, second is protecting other people's/marina property, third is protecting my own. Whatever I have to do to achieve those goals is perfectly acceptable, and I've adopted a dock neighbor's attitude: "perfect landing: no damage!" I'd love to look like a pro, of course, but I'll take safety over ego any day. And on that note, remember there's no shame in docking bow in if conditions and your confidence level demand. Some friends decided to do that recently when the weather whipped up suddenly and there was much more traffic than usual near their slip with everybody trying to get to cover--taking multiple runs at it wasn't a good choice in that particular moment.
 
Learn what your boat does in the wind and current, then use that to your advantage. For me, when I'm backing into a slip and the wind is coming from the slip, I back upwind, aiming the stern into the opening of the slip, then bringing the boat around to align with the slip.

If the wind is pushing me toward the slip I have my bow pointed into the wind and slowly let it push me back to the slip. If I'm not set up where I want to be, I go around and take another shot. There's no shame in a missed approach.

Practice makes perfect.
 
trflgrl said:
Love spending the night whether at the dock or on the hook. Stayed at the dock solo the first night I had mine, then First Mate joined me at the dock the second night, then we launched and spent the next two on the hook and haven't really looked back. We very often leave Fri and return Sun, but our marina has a good restaurant, plus live music on weekends from spring through fall, so if we don't feel like launching we still hang at the boat.

As for docking....my first goal is protecting humans, second is protecting other people's/marina property, third is protecting my own. Whatever I have to do to achieve those goals is perfectly acceptable, and I've adopted a dock neighbor's attitude: "perfect landing: no damage!" I'd love to look like a pro, of course, but I'll take safety over ego any day. And on that note, remember there's no shame in docking bow in if conditions and your confidence level demand. Some friends decided to do that recently when the weather whipped up suddenly and there was much more traffic than usual near their slip with everybody trying to get to cover--taking multiple runs at it wasn't a good choice in that particular moment.
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Does your boat have a counter-rotating drive on the port side? If not, it's a modification you may want to consider.
I did it a couple of years ago based on the recommendation and great info I got from other 300 Sundancer owners on this site.
It was super easy, and made a huge difference in handling around the dock.
 
trflgrl said:
As for docking....my first goal is protecting humans, second is protecting other people's/marina property, third is protecting my own. Whatever I have to do to achieve those goals is perfectly acceptable, and I've adopted a dock neighbor's attitude: "perfect landing: no damage!"
Click to expand...
I really like that goal set!
Coming in, especially with new folks on the boat, I make sure to ask everyone to keeps hands and feet in the boat. I've seen folks on the swim pads backing in, and it makes me nervous.
 
John_Gault said:
I really like that goal set!
Coming in, especially with new folks on the boat, I make sure to ask everyone to keeps hands and feet in the boat. I've seen folks on the swim pads backing in, and it makes me nervous.
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I share the priorities with anyone riding with us, at the same time as showing them the life jackets, etc.
But because of this thread, I'm rethinking something we do occasionally, which is exactly what you mention: one of us standing on the swim platform holding the back rail, dock pole at the ready. We're threading an 11' beam into a 12' slip, with a houseboat protruding from one of the two adjacent slips, so we've needed a little push or pull now and again. This weekend I worked to avoid the platform!

JVM225 said:
Does your boat have a counter-rotating drive on the port side? If not, it's a modification you may want to consider.
I did it a couple of years ago based on the recommendation and great info I got from other 300 Sundancer owners on this site.
It was super easy, and made a huge difference in handling around the dock.
Click to expand...
Yes, thank goodness! And the fall haul-out work list will include adjusting or repairing whatever's causing slack in the steering wheel, which will make it a lot easier to pivot using solely the throttles. It really bites when you know the physics of the maneuver but the mechanics just don't cooperate!
 
I can tell you first hand that after a near hit on the neighbor's anchor I have no problem with asking the fuel dock to call a couple of people to help me with the lines. a 260 is a hybrid boat. Its part power boat but when docking it likes to pretend its a sailboat. when its blowing into slip thats where having a bow thruster or second screw can be really helpful. But having some humility and being able to ask for help is even more important than either of those things. As for sleeping on the boat even at 6'6" I get better sleep in the v-berth than I do at home in a king size bed.
 
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