Docking

[Tony B]

Without going to extremes, we all realize that there is a middle point that is ideal. It's just that we don't always know what it is. Given a choice between how slow do I think I can go to get in there vs. how fast can I go to get in there, I'll pick slow. If I come in a hair too slow, I can give more power and still have control. If I come in to fast, I have to go in reverse to slow down. Not only do I have less control on reverse, even for a short time, but on any single screw, you will also pull to port when in reverse. This of course can be your big advantage if neither too fast or too slow, however in the too fast situation, pulling to port was obviously not part of the plan. so now you have to readjust your wheel and your throttle many times to get you back straight again. Too slow, all you would have to do is give more power.
If you need to make a sharp turn with a single screw and don't want to add power to go forward, turn your wheel all the way for the turn. Then hit the throttle all the way open and back again in 1 to 1 1/2 seconds max. The blast against the rudder will turn most boats and the power rush will die before the boat moves forward. Try this in an open area for practice. Bring the boat to almost a full stop then turn the wheel and give the throttle a blast and back off. Watch the boat turn with little to no forward motion.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by psneeld

well sorta...I have seen MANY docking accidents where the guy starts too slow...realizes things are going wrong then misapplies power

never seen that but if he is not in control of the power then he should not be docking. seriously you think coming in fast causes less problems? also i am talking about a 6 to 8 ton boat with a small diesel engine

[El Pinguino]

My three rules of shiphandling are
1/ A stopped boat is a drifting boat so
2/ make speed your friend and
3/never approach your berth at a speed greater than that at which you are happy about hitting the dock.
They may sound contradictory but they aren't really, they refer to different parts of the operation..
and also...
Never be afraid to abort the operation, go around, and do it all again rather than turn a minor stuff up into a major disaster

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Never be afraid to abort the operation, go around, and do it all again rather than turn a minor stuff up into a major disaster

Don't try to salvage a bad approach, it often doesn't turn out well, worst thing that can happen if you go around, even more than once is be the subject of some ribbing, but come in hot, screw it up and damage my boat, and we are going to talk, eventually

[capttman]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Don't try to salvage a bad approach, it often doesn't turn out well, worst thing that can happen if you go around, even more than once is be the subject of some ribbing, but come in hot, screw it up and damage my boat, and we are going to talk, eventually

I agree doing a slide by is better than crash landing.

When people say to fast to slow to shallow or to much wind, listen to that word to any time you put to in front of an action it's bad!! To skinny to fat to short etc LMAO

[Jammer Six]

None of this matter in a millpond. As long as there's no wind, no current and the water is smooth enough to shave in, it doesn't matter how you come in. In that case, sure, go slow.

The only time it matters is when the wind is making it hard to hear, blowing you sideways off the dock. Or onto the dock. Or into the dock.

I'm not interested in advice from fair weather. I can figure that out on the spot.

On another note, before docking, we have a chat. I talk to the crew and we talk about what we're about to do and how we're going to do it.

One of the things I tell them is that if there's someone on the dock (and sometimes there is, from our club) trying to help, ignore them. Do your job. Don't pass them a line, and for god's sake, don't listen to them.

The reason we don't use folks on the dock is simply because they weren't party to our little chat, and therefore they don't know the plan, not because they're incompetent or unwilling. (Although they are frequently incompetent, especially in State Parks.)

Again, it doesn't matter on mirror-smooth, no wind approaches. But no one gets to help when the storm is coming in.

Why would anyone want to talk about easy docking?

The only time I've had to fend off another boat is when I came in too slow, stopped two feet off the dock, couldn't do anything, threw it in full reverse to get out and the wind blew me across the slip faster than I wrote this paragraph.