when is it 'too windy'......

[CliffA]

the Admiral has not been pleased with me the past couple of weeks.....when we have been on the boat while it is docked at our marina the winds have been blowing pretty good....usually steady from 10 - 12 mph with gust in the 20's....so I told her it was 'too windy' to take the boat out....I have tried to dock my boat under these conditions in the past and docking was a challenge for me....

I don't like being hesitant to take the boat out in windy conditions but I don't have the confidence in my docking skills at this time.....we have only had the boat a little over a year so I still have a lot to learn.....

there is a retired Captain moving to our dock in a couple weeks....he is used to driving 50 - 60 ft. party boats.....he said he would be glad to take me out and help with some pointers on handling my boat, especially in adverse weather conditions....

at what level of sustained winds do you guys start to question if you should take the boat out or not?...I suppose this might be a more of a problem for boats on inland lakes.....i guess the ocean boaters have to worry about wave size as well...and if the camper canvas is up or down also has an influence on the decision....

cliff

 

[moparlvr4406]

10-15 doesn't bother me much as long as it isn't crossing . that makes it a challenge
I chose my slip carefully knowing the normal summertime wind patterns on our lake.
full tanks really do help with the handling too.

 

[Sous]

Usually for me (and the admiral) the "too windy" is directly related to the "too choppy" factor. I like to enjoy my time on the water so if the ride is going to be rough I'd just assume stay in the slip. 10-15 isn't too bad, but its getting to the realm of being a concern.

As to the docking, its all about practice and being able to read the conditions. Use the wind and current to your advantage and set things up accordingly. I'd also avail yourself of the offer from the experienced captain. If you're anything like me seeing and asking why helps me understand much more quickly. And from there its practice, practice, practice.

 

[BillK2632]

Cliff - I'm not the expert, I definitely would get puckered up in the wind with my 290da, but here are a couple of thoughts. I am sure there are others here who deal with wind everytime they go out.

With my current boat, I don't worry about wind, at least not for docking. However, when I had the 290da, about 15mph is when it was too windy for me - at least for docking. I always loved going out on a windy day, just not getting back in. When you see white caps on the lake, that's about a steady 15. For me that is when docking became an issue, my situation at PYC was tighter than yours, I had to go into a 50' fairway with boats sticking out on both sides, there was just not much room to get sideways in the wind. Two things that I learned real quick since I single hand a lot.

1. Learn how to use spring lines and your fenders. On a windy day if I could get a transom corner in the slip with a spring line, I could back it in in a gale. An old guy at PYC spent some time and taught me - I still use a spring line bringing my little boat in if the wind is blowing off the dock or keeping me pinned in between boats.
2. Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and put the boat on the T or open face dock and come back to move it later. I would rather leave it on the T overnight than sit at the dock on a pretty, but windy day.

Having the camper canvas up makes a huge difference. I've seen you operate that boat - you know more than you are letting on - haha.

 

[rcknecht]

Depends on the direction... and for the Ocean, wave heights... We probably would not go it in over 25 MPH steady unless we had a tail wind...

 

[Rhodeislander]

Hi Cliff,
Last year I learned the bow is the issue in the wind. On a calm day, line up 90 deg to the dock and back in. I make as if im docking in the slip in front of me. On a day its blowing the bow to star, i leave the bow more at a port angle and start backing, the wind pushes the bow for me. I also stand facing the rear, using my left hand for shift control. It works for me, I do agree 20 knot gusts aint easy. But having a plan helps.
Bud

 

[Stee6043]

Maybe I missed it - is the OP docking bow-in or stern-in? This makes a big difference on how you deal with wind (for me anyway?). It's easier to plant yourself against a pylon (safely) when going bow-in...I think.

 

[Tonka Boater]

Usually for me (and the admiral) the "too windy" is directly related to the "too choppy" factor. I like to enjoy my time on the water so if the ride is going to be rough I'd just assume stay in the slip. 10-15 isn't too bad, but its getting to the realm of being a concern.

As to the docking, its all about practice and being able to read the conditions. Use the wind and current to your advantage and set things up accordingly. I'd also avail yourself of the offer from the experienced captain. If you're anything like me seeing and asking why helps me understand much more quickly. And from there its practice, practice, practice.

My thoughts exactly. The wind used to terrify me but with experience it's not a factor in terms of my confidence. In terms of enjoyment...I do not enjoy going out in chop or white caps. For me, it's wind speed and direction. The main body of water on my lake runs east to west, more or less. A 15 mph wind from the west will create white caps over most of the lake because it's so open...combine this with boat traffic and it's a no-go for me. However a 15 mph south wind is no big deal because the lake is skinnier from north to south and the waves are not an issue and neither is docking.

 

[WDCboater]

We often have to deal with strong winds late in the day when we come back into our marina. We stern dock and our finger pier is on our port side. Unfortunately the wind and current always pushes us to starboard.

It took practice to get used to battling the wind. I have twin inboards, no joystick. I do have a bow thruster, but I normally only use it to straighten out the bow a bit. It also helps that we have a really tight slip. Once I get the stern in I just need to back it up.

The key I found is to take it slow and remain calm. If I do this I can usually think through problems. Also, when you're going slow you don't tend to damage things when you bump into them.

 

[fwebster]

10-15 kts are a normal quiet day for us on the Gulf coast. If I stayed in the slip at 15 kts, I'd never use my boat.

The challenge is usually docking and even then if you use the wind instead of letting it blow you around, 25-30 kts is manageable unless it is gusty. Sea Rays are usually stern heavy and pivot well aft of the center of the boat. For that reason if you set up docking approach so your stern is to the wind and you back into it, then things get a lot easier and more predictabe.

The rest of the story is what happens when you are away from the dock. Winds usually drive the seas. We have a number of open bays with relatively shallow water and, of course, the Gulf of Mexico. In a 35kt North or NW wind, I can hug the beach and run in flat calm water, but if I get a mile off shore, my wife and dogs are ready to kill me as flat calm can turn into 6-8 ft seas in 1/2 mile.

I think the take-away from this thread is probably going to be use your boat, learn how she handles and reacts in various winds and wind directions, and learn how to use a burst of power to get a gas engine/small prop combination to bite the water and react.

 

[trflgrl]

the Admiral has not been pleased with me the past couple of weeks.....when we have been on the boat while it is docked at our marina the winds have been blowing pretty good....usually steady from 10 - 12 mph with gust in the 20's....so I told her it was 'too windy' to take the boat out....I have tried to dock my boat under these conditions in the past and docking was a challenge for me....

I don't like being hesitant to take the boat out in windy conditions but I don't have the confidence in my docking skills at this time.....we have only had the boat a little over a year so I still have a lot to learn.....

there is a retired Captain moving to our dock in a couple weeks....he is used to driving 50 - 60 ft. party boats.....he said he would be glad to take me out and help with some pointers on handling my boat, especially in adverse weather conditions....

at what level of sustained winds do you guys start to question if you should take the boat out or not?...I suppose this might be a more of a problem for boats on inland lakes.....i guess the ocean boaters have to worry about wave size as well...and if the camper canvas is up or down also has an influence on the decision....

cliff

The answer is highly subjective, and will change over time--there is no shame in avoiding situations you think may go south too quickly for your comfort. (I suspect the Admiral would be even less pleased with you if you went out when you shouldn't and got her, you, and/or the boat banged up if conditions outstripped your skills.)
I'm sure your confidence curve will increase sharply after some time with the Captain.



We're starting our fourth season, most trips go out for 2 - 3 days at a time, and only a few to several miles, with multiple coves available that face different directions (there's no private lakefront property on our lake, so no houses and such to avoid), so we can just GO most of the time. We know that the return conditions are a crap shoot, and accept that we might cut short our weekends if we learn of a sharp change in conditions. White capping in general doesn't faze us....and slipping bow-in is my permanent Plan B. (First Mate, on the other hand, doesn't consider Plan B as quickly!!) Our docks are far enough into a cove that the wind is tempered, and we're pretty far back among several docks that give additional cover, so we haven't yet encountered conditions where we couldn't slip.

If a big weather change happens too fast to get back to the dock, we reset front and back anchors along the raft up, throw a few more if we were a little light, and batten down the hatches! (When not rafted, we release lots of extra line and pull up the stern anchor if it's out.)


And a thought for the Admiral....how much does she help when docking? Is she willing/able to learn how to pilot for that part of the deal? If at all possible, it's a REALLY good idea for her to learn basic skills for docking so she could bring you both home, or at least get to a marina pier or similar, in case there's ever a time where you're unable to do so. Her appreciation for your conservative approach to launching might increase if she gets a feel for what it really takes. You may be familiar already, but if not, MarineMax and others offer "Women on Water" type courses; the US Power Squadron offers basic and advanced piloting; our local chapter will do a women-only course when there's enough interest. (And if she's never thought about what she would do in such an emergency, other than call 911, I highly encourage her to start!)

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

The Captain will be able to help you with your technique for sure - then it's like what's already been said… Practice, practice, practice. Start off with calm days then practice in more wind as your confidence allows. Soon, you'll be confident in virtually any wind.

 

[mquiet]

Cliff, lots of great answers here. I used to have a 340 and found on the lake winds were not too bad. Ocean. They are steady 10-20kts. It sounds like you don't use much throttle when backing in. I would get assistance and get used to lots of power to back the boat down. Just make sure you take the power out prior to shifting or you will lose the v-drives.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gofirstclass]

Cliff, lots of good points written here but I'll add one thing. The wind can be your friend when docking. When I'm heading to the slip and get to within about 1/2 mile from my marina I check with the winds are doing and picture how they will affect the boat. The normal wind is from the SW and tries to keep me OUT of the slip. Then, when I approach the slip, I align the boat so I'm backing upwind into the slip.

If the wind is blowing into the slip the problem becomes keeping the bow aligned properly. I back downwind, keeping the bow pointed into the wind, until the stern is at the opening to the slip. I then let the wind carry the bow across the slip so it's aligned when I back in.

The whole secret is practice, practice, practice. Go slow and remember there's no shame in a missed approach. If you don't get things the way you want the first or second time, pull out of the fairway and take another approach.

 

[Quint4]

A captain aboard for a few hours is invaluable. I did it when I moved up to a bridge boat with twin engines. The "go slow" advise is good....except, you need momentum in the wind and current.

I use bursts of throttle to get my boat to react quickly in docking situations. Do not be the guy with the admiral on the swim platform.....no reason for anybody to be standing above the props with a distracted captain trying to negotiate a tough docking (or an easy one).

My captain taught me a good lesson, if things go wrong, forget docking, just find a "safe spot" to regain control and regroup. Put your bow or stern into the wind and hold for a few moments to re-think the next move.

 

[sbw1]

Prevailing winds where we boat are from the southwest. Our slip faces north so we almost always have wind on our beam when backing out or pulling into the slip. We don't go out when the winds are steady 25 MPH. My wife is not strong enough to untie the bow lines with 25 on the beam. We also boat on our small lake and river and stay off of Lake Michigan in those conditions. It is too rough to enjoy. We do come home sometimes when the winds are gusting above 25, but pulling into a slip is much easier than trying to get under way in high winds. We crab into the wind until at the slip and then pull the bow around to line up. Then into reverse to stop the boat. Takes a little getting used to but this has been our routine for nearly 39 years.

 

[bbwhitejr]

As I am sure you remember, weekend-before-last-5/14-15, was super windy in Ga/SC. We spent the weekend on the hook with steady 10-20mph winds with gusts to 30 following a cold front that passed on Friday. Lanier had a good 3-4 foot white caps that we ran dead into on Sunday headed back up the lake to the trailer. Loading in a cross wind is tough for me, but nailed it the 2nd try. We had to run 8 miles or so down and back and it wasn't bad.

Bennett

 

[Creekwood]

Don't let moderate winds get the way. Learn how your boat handles in all conditions. You won't learn your boat if you only drive it in calm conditions.

But if it's really breezy......Almost every marina has dock hands or staff that are more than willing to lend a hand at the docks to get you in your slip. Just radio ahead and ask for assistance at your slip. It's not unusual and its part of what you pay for.

 

[CliffA]

thanks for all the tips and suggestions.....

I am looking forward to spending time with the Captain....i am a 'visual' learner....i learn faster if i see something demonstrated as opposed to reading or hearing about it.....i rate my current docking skills as 'intermediate'.......he said he would also give the Admiral some basic handling lessons so she could bring in the boat in case I could not....I watched a guy bring in a Sea Ray 330 last WE....he had to go down a fairway to get to his dock with other boats on both sides....the winds were around 10-15 crossing his slip.....he backed the boat in perfectly...I don't think he even touched the sides of the slip....I was impressed.....

my slip is on the outside of one of the docks facing the shore of the lake....I have a small section of open water in front of my slip that is about 2-3 boat lengths long and 2-3 boat lengths wide....you can sort of see this in my sig pic....this should be enough room to regain control of the boat in case something goes wrong during docking......at least I don't have to worry about maneuvering in a tight fairway.....

i normally back into my slip stern first but I suppose a good 'plan B' would be to dock bow first in rough conditions....I have dock wheels on both corners of my slip to assist in docking.....

I pan to take down our camper canvas in the next couple weeks......this should make things little easier....

cliff

 

[CliffA]

this is my situation....usually we have either NW winds or SW winds....any specific pointers for dockng in these two situations are appreciated...

cliff