How difficult is it to dock single-engine stern drives?

[Capt Phil]

Your dead right B&B... experience and learning what to expect, not being surprised are really important elements of handling any boat. A single screw just takes practice and is what we all grew up learning on.
Great training ground!

[Mithril Bham]

Used to teach docking to charter guests on all types. Prefer twins (not outdrives). Once you get aft line secure you are done. In most conditions never touch the wheel. All accomplished through throttles.
Practice makes perfect.

[Ahneema]

Like the rest of these guys have said...it just take practice! I had a Seaswirl 2601 I/O...so I practiced in some larger end slips in my harbor before I attempted it in my new slip! So let me set up a docking scenario in a slip. So your coming down a finger in your harbor...very slow...slow, is good! And your slip is on your Port side...about 1-2 slips before your slip, you begin to turn to Port...about the time you are almost at your slip and you're about 70* to Port...you go full reverse and turn your wheel to starboard and your boat will pivot and you'll be set up go just pull straight into your slip...now I have a twin screws and had to completely unlearn what I had learned! Haha! I remember when I had my seatrial on my new boat and the broker did 4-180* to get out of the harbor without turning the wheel...so cool...much greater control! But takes practice! Good luck bro!

[Capt Phil]

You also are correct, Magellanyachts... take lessons from a pro and practice, practice, practice! Personally, I've only driven out drives a couple of times.
Ahneema also has an excellent point, slow is better, slowest is best! Although you do need way under to steer!
Phil

[Olddan1943]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

Ahneema also has an excellent point, slow is better, slowest is best! Although you do need way under to steer!
Phil

Remember, neutral is a gear, use it.

[Ahneema]

So let me share how important it is to practice, practice like Capt Phil says! One of my closest friends decided he was going to put his Parker in a slip after being pretty tired of launching from his trailer! I offered to help over a cigar the day before our adventure! I even offered to pull it in the slip for him since he had never done it before. He wanted to try himself...totally get it. He has twin Yamaha outboards, that tend to maneuver the same in the water as an I/O...I realized this after driving his boat several times...I think due to the prop wash you can't seem to get the same results like twin screws. Not an expert...maybe Capt Phil can further explain the details or physics! So we're coming down the finger, does what I tell him and when he goes into full reverse, both engines stall and he can't restart. We are now drifting straight toward the cement dock pylon. I jump up on the gunnel and run down to the bow and get on the other side of the railing and jump about 6' to the dock and grab ahold of the anchor when it gets close enough to stop the drifting boat from hitting the pylon. Before everybody tells me how stupid I was...you're all right and I realized that now...my knees hurt for 3 days. So while I have his anchor in my hands, easily able to walk it in to the slip in my mind, he starts the engines and goes full reverse and pulls the boat right out of my hands and now I'm not on the boat to help...he runs into the cement dock behind him and panicking he goes full forward and doing so one of his props hits the hull of a several $1000's sailing vessel! Fractured the hull of the other boat...fortunately the damage was above the waterline! Harbor Patrol was there...reports file...my friend felt like crap...I felt like crap because it was preventable...MAJOR LESSONS LEARNED! So trust Capt Phil when he says...Practice, Practice, Practice!

[BandB]

And do your first practicing away from any dock. You can emulate all the situations and moves and learn to control your boat in slow movement with all types of winds and current. Then first time docking at a dock have someone experienced right on top of you prepared to take over if any problem. Oh, and do hope they don't jump out of the boat.

As to twin outboards vs twin inboards, he obviously had an issue of idle in that they stalled out. More he could have discovered and had remedied with practice. I don't know the size of the outboards in question but vs a low hp inboard definitely harder to apply minimum power on a large outboard. Then outboards are located further back than inboards so less control of the front of the boat plus very minimal rudders. Still the difference and any shortcomings can be overcome with practice.

[Mithril Bham]

I have been in a lot of situations including force 12 in a 39ft sailboat. Nothing has made me more nervous than docking in situations where wind was blowing off the dock with strong cross currents and expensive boats around to damage. Sometimes it's better to drop an anchor or tie up somewhere else. I cringe when I think about some of the successful landings I've performed that could have gone easily wrong. I look back at those as wrong decisions.

Think several steps ahead. Don't be afraid to ask for help or look like an idiot.
Slow is good advice but sometimes slow is impossible.
Learn how to spin your boat in it's own diameter.
Backing sailboats into the wind is a good plan.
Docks & rocks.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by magellanyachts

I have been in a lot of situations including force 12 in a 39ft sailboat. Nothing has made me more nervous than docking in situations where wind was blowing off the dock with strong cross currents and expensive boats around to damage. Sometimes it's better to drop an anchor or tie up somewhere else. I cringe when I think about some of the successful landings I've performed that could have gone easily wrong. I look back at those as wrong decisions.

Think several steps ahead. Don't be afraid to ask for help or look like an idiot.
Slow is good advice but sometimes slow is impossible.
Learn how to spin your boat in it's own diameter.
Backing sailboats into the wind is a good plan.
Docks & rocks.

Also, if you're not comfortable, don't do it. Go away. Come back when better conditions. Dock at the transient dock. Just don't do something you feel is beyond your experience.

[GrowleyMonster]

I grew up docking shrimp boats up to around 90'. All are single screw, none have bow thruster. It's no biggie once you have seen it done by someone competent, and done it yourself a few times. I have moved boats of that size with no crew. Just have to figure it out ahead of time, don't be afraid to pour on the power, and be quick about taking it back off. Try to let the (right hand wheel) prop's lateral force help you instead of hurt you. Remember that you CAN usually steer going astern, if you first get some sternway on, then take it out of gear, and don't let the rudder get away from you and slam to the stops.

With a single screw, your spring lines are your best friend. If you have to, get the stern or bow near the piling where the spring will go, so the crew can reach it with the line from bow or stern instead of trying to lasso it from your spring cleat station. Once you have a line on the dock and someone to tend it, almost anything you do will get you against the dock sooner or later. Worse case scenario, your crew passes a couple lines ashore, then pulls the boat alongside using "Norwegian Steam".

Your boathook is your next best friend. You can hold an eye open by securing it to the pole halfway back to the splice with a single wrap of electrical tape or a piece of string that will break easily, or for very small lines, a clothespin or similar. But even better is to pass the eye around the piling or cleat and back to the boat, so you have the eye onboard, and a bight on the piling. This is very advantageous, especially for letting go.

[tuffr2]

On a windy day it helps to have help. If the wind is blowing to boat away from the dock it is very difficult regardless of the engine or engines.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

With a single inboard rudder size is very important, that video watching them I suspect they have a large rudder.
Boat we had was a smallish sportfisherman, and had a rudder about twice the size of your hand on about a 30' boat, worked well on plane, but not so much in the Marina.

My father called them postage stamp rudders.