Help please!

[MikeEly]

Evening all, I’ve just picked up my new boat, a 35.5ft fairline targa. I’ve sailed on and off for a few years but only in coastal waters really whilst fishing etc.

Anyways I’ve bought a mooring at a local marina and there is where my issues start…. I bought the boat on Friday, took it out for a cruise up the great Ouse and loved every minute, until I returned to moor, it took me 3 attempts just to get into the marina! Then a lot of swearing and brown marks in my underwear before we safely moored. Yesterday myself and a friend went out for a couple hours, when returning the wind was strong(slight excuse) and it was to be bluntly honest, terrifying trying to moor up.

My main issue is my confidence I’m sure but it’s also my lack of skill, particularly with a boat this big after only ever sailing little dory boats or day sailers. The boat has twin Volvo penta endings with a bow thruster but for the life of me I can’t practice enough to get into my mooring. I’m now looking for someone to come spend some time with me on my boat to train me, I understand there are courses etc but I just want some 1-1 before I go ahead and start looking at everything else. Can anyone help or point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance, Mike

I’m in Ely, Cambridgeshire btw

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mike.


On larger motor boats, the bows are often too high off the water, so you may need to reverse up to it, or use a lasso, to drop round the buoy, and lift it up to boat level.

Reversing up to the buoy also works well, for buoys which just have an eye on the top to attach to, as a person on the swim platform can more easily thread a line through it.

For short stays in calm weather, you can simply rig a line from the stern, but for longer stays you may need to rig a long line, all the way from the bow, to the swim platform, taking care to ensure it runs outside all the rails.

Balance the boat stern to the buoy, reverse slowly towards it, thread the line through the eye, and walk it from the stern, back to the bow, pulling on the line as you walk, to rotate the boat, so you end up secured bow on. Careful use of the bow and stern thrusters can aid this procession on a heavier boat.

These are more conventional instructions:
Picking Up A Mooring ~ BoatUS
➥ https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice...g-up-a-mooring

[Benz]

You keep saying "mooring," but it seems like you mean "Slip."
A mooring is usually a huge anchor with a floating ball at the surface; when the boat's attached to it, it looks like it's at anchor and can swing freely. Not usually found in marinas, and pretty easy to attach to.
A slip is a space alongside a pier, inside a marina that's like a parking lot for boats, and can be far more challenging to get into safely.

[grantmc]

When I first bought my boat I had a couple of nightmares trying to berth. Crashed the boat, But there was only one way to get the hang of it and that was to practice. That I did 3 or 4 times in different conditions.

I'd pop down after work and take her out of the marina and then bring her back in right to my berth a dozen or so times on each of those occasions.

One thing I have learnt, most people go too fast, develop patience, and learn to gauge how far the boat will just slide through the water with just little blasts of the motor to counter contrary winds.

[Ballsnall]

Ask around at your marina, I'm sure someone there knows how to park a boat.

[TrentePieds]

Mike:

This forum is mainly inhabited by rag wavers. We have a sister forum that you may find more useful:

https://www.socialknowledge.com/comm...trawler-forum/

Maybe the problem is that you've really bought TWO boats without realizing it :-)!

You have a Fairline Targa that skitters along on top of the water at something like 30 knots. That boat is not hard to handle. In fact, the only thing you have to do, really, is make sure you don't point it at anything you don't intend to kill.

The other is a Fairline Targa that sticks down into the water a little bit but bobs around like a cork. That boat is intractable, and ever will be, so your job is to learn to handle intractable.

I fear that many people new to twin engine powerboats will try to drive them like a car. At low speeds, such as those you are restricted to in marinas and in many rivers, that don't work! Your wheel is a waste of time, so put your rudder deflection indicator to zero and forget about the wheel unless your Targa is on the plane. What you DO do is wiggle your way along by using differential thrust on the engines. You obviously control that by adroit use of the throttles, but, even then, it can be confusing because, unlike a car, a boat may very well have a "heading" (be pointed in a direction) that is quite different from its track "over the ground". And that, again, will be different from the boat's track through the water.

Muckin' about in the River Ouse won't make it any easier because you - the helmsman - have to compensate both for wind (inducing what is called "drift" which in a boat like the Targa can be severe) and for current (inducing what is called "set"). "Bobbin' cork syndrome", you see :-)!

Get a yottie of proven competence to go out with you to show you how. I know how to do it, but I'm far from sure I can teach it by e-mail :-)

All the best

TrentePieds

[Pete7]

Mike, given we had F9 this weekend in the UK, I am not surprised you have difficulties. We are in the Solent so a bit far to help you sadly. However, practise in calm conditions with bumps and grinds will restore your confidence. Find an empty pontoon with lots of space and practise, in calm conditions.

You will get there, nice boat btw

[Renegde_Sailor]

Mike, when you say mooring are you talking a mooring ball out in the water, or a slip in the marina?

[Adelie]

With a dual engine installation there is a lot you can do. You can even make the vessel go sideways without a bow thruster.

My 2 cents:
A. Read a bunch of the following articles and watch some videos. If you have inboards with rudders, focus on those. If you have outboard or inboard/outboard focus on those. They really do behave differently.
B. See if there is somebody about that has the same kind of drive as you that will coach you.
C. Tie a cord around the top of the wheel when it’s centered. Helps to get it back to centered when no or little way on.
D. Go slow.

First link below looks like the best to me.

https://www.boatingwithdawsons.com/b...eel-dock-twin/

https://www.yachtsurvey.com/docking.htm

https://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/tw...stern-docking/

https://www.boats.com/how-to/boating...ine-powerboat/

[ChrisJHC]

Great suggestions above.

If all else fails, contact your local sailing school and ask for a day of private tuition.
Make sure you specify it’s for a power boat not a yacht, however most of the schools will cover both sides.
Obviously this will come with a cost.

[MikeEly]

Apologies guys, when I say mooring I’m meaning a docking in the marina, against a pontoon amongst 100’s of other boats, thanks for all the help already though!