Anxious about "stern in" marina

[airdvr1227]

We switched marinas this season. Everyone has their boats stern in. I've never done that. Anyone got any good tips for a rookie backwards driver?

 

[redneck joe]

go sloooooowwwwww...



Twins or single. Twins you will learn and its easy ((wind dependent). Single is a bit more tricky but with practice you can but seriously go slow. Yer gonna hit, hit slow.

At our marina it is (was) common practice for anyone relatively close on the dock to come to help us guide in and when we knew we had folks that needed extra help we made sure to give the extra help.

That said we had a few that like to park bow in for privacy. Your call.

 

[redneck joe]

oh just saw you have twins. Relax and have a beer.

 

[airdvr1227]

I get the slow part but it's always so windy on Erie. I think I'll have no worries but for that. I'll have fenders permanently mounted on the dock and I'll deploy fenders on the other side. Just hoping my down wind neighbor is nice. Also, I'm thinking about using a spring line. Having the admiral hook the first cleat on the dock and the mid cleat on the boat. Should pull me tight against the dock right?

 

[smokeonthewater]

I didn't see anywhere where you said there was any reason at all that you needed to change tha way you dock except that other people were doing it that way..... If you are more comfortable going bow first then do that.... Who cares how other people do it.

 

[redneck joe]

try these?

 

[airdvr1227]

I didn't see anywhere where you said there was any reason at all that you needed to change tha way you dock except that other people were doing it that way..... If you are more comfortable going bow first then do that.... Who cares how other people do it.

It isn't so much about how everyone else does it. We live on board on the weekends and it's nice to be able to use the stern area in combination with the "patio" area afforded each slip by the marina.

 

[Chris1956]

"Stern in" is very common her in NJ, as it affords the easy way to board. Normally you gently put the "inside" stern corner near or on the outermost piling, and use it a pivot and reference to swing the outside portion of the stern into the slip. Tying up includes crossed stern lines and crossed spring lines bow to stern on both port and starboard sides. Unless there is a heck of a wind, this maneuver should be relatively easy with twin motors.

 

[JoLin]

Also, I'm thinking about using a spring line. Having the admiral hook the first cleat on the dock and the mid cleat on the boat. Should pull me tight against the dock right?

Scott, not sure I understand this part. Is your dock setup such that your stern will be toward the bulkhead, and bow sit between 2 pilings 20' or so off the dock? Let me know- I have a simple dockline setup that's worked well for me for 4 years and keeps the boat where it belongs.

As for docking....

Most advise putting the bow into the wind before you start to back down, and letting the wind push the bow around as you enter your slip. I'll tell you that it depends entirely on the boat and you need to experiment. My Carver behaves much better with the wind at my stern- to the extent that I'll run past my slip and turn the boat around if I need to, to put the wind at my back before I start backing down.

Try this. Approach your slip by running perpendicular to it, dead slow (I usually put one of the engines in neutral as I'm getting close to cut my speed). As you get even with it, turn the the bow 45 deg out, throw it in reverse for a second, then into neutral. Immediately center your helm. From now on you won't touch the wheel- you'll steer the boat with your props. If your shift controls are in a good spot, you can face the stern and operate the shifters. It's very intuitive if you can face where you're going and put one hand on each control. On Escapade I can actually sit on the dash right next to the controls. Use your throttles and shifters to steer the boat into the slip. I don't usually need to pivot the boat around one of the pilings, but it works and the piling is a good tool.

There will be times when partway into your maneuvers you'll realize that you screwed the pooch on your initial approach and you aren't going to end up where you wanted to with out a lot of fancy maneuvers. When that happens to me I just abandon the attempt and go around for another pass. No harm, no foul.

Try not to sweat it too much, but I admit that I always do a little. Been doing it for four years and the adrenalin still pumps when I dock.

 

[airdvr1227]

IO saw a guy who ran the taxi boat out to the mooring balls at PIB. On his return to the dock he would be engaged ion reverse. As he went past the first cleat he threw his line over it. This line was already attached to a forward cleat on the boat. As the boat took up the slack it would pull him to the dock. He would then leave it in reverse, hop off and tie up. Only then would he hop back on and take it out of gear. Looked like a good system to me and he was able to do it with no help.

 

[cptrick3]

I would have reservations getting off my boat while still in gear.

 

[JoLin]

I would have reservations getting off my boat while still in gear.

I do too, but when you're single-handing a largish boat, there may be times when you have to. When the wind's blowing it can be the only way to hold the boat hard against a dock while you secure it.

Scott, the way I read your last post, the guy was coming in broadside to a dock/bulkhead, right? That's the only way I can picture him grabbing a cleat- it'd have to be on the dock. Maybe I'm just not getting it, but I don't see that how that applies to backing into a slip? Not that you couldn't make use of a spring line, but I think it'd be easier to just pivot on the downwind piling

 

[smokeonthewater]

If there IS a down wind piling.... Everywhere I've been there is a dock on one side a someone else's boat on the other.

 

[JoLin]

Okay, the light just went on. What you guys have are referred to as 'finger piers'. We don't around here... stern to the bulkhead, bow between 2 pilings set (it varies) about 20 feet out from the bulkhead. That puts a different spin on docking and should make it easier in general. You only have one boat next to you instead of one on each side. I'm jealous.

 

[NHGuy]

JoLin...so you have pilings on both sides of your bow and no finger pier? That's horrible.
Seems to me you have to catch the windward piling, and then the windward stern line to the opposite cleat. Then quick get everything else lassooed real quick.
I'm in negotiations for my first cabin boat, Was gonna get a marina slip. If they don't do fingers I might have to practice a lot. The admiral on my boat is a really great rider but not very dock intuitive, meaning she can't read my mind at the dock. Now if I try to put one over on her, she sees that fine. But as for reading wind, wave, boat movement, and me - not so much.
Maybe I'll get rack service or dunk service. I'm getting apprehensive!
Nah, I'll put out 27 fenders, have lines already on the cleats, and have my windscreen open with boat hook in hand. At least I boat on a lake, so there's no current, just breeze and momentum to deal with. Wait, that's not apprehension, it's excitement. Boat weather is coming.

 

[JoLin]

It isn't as bead as it sounds, and you hit on the key. It's practice and experience (and I'm still learning). It's very seldom that I need to pivot off a piling to get into my slip. Having twin engines and being able to face the dock while using the engine controls makes it a lot easier. Everybody else around here has to do exactly the same thing I do, whether it's backing into our own slips, or visiting a waterfront restaurant or a park marina. We simply don't have finger piers anywhere around here. AND, it impresses the heck out of inexperienced passengers when you 'steer' the boat into a slip without using the wheel.

A little apprehension is good, keeps you from getting cocky. And you're gonna have a few 'uh-oh' moments while you're learning. But don't let it keep you from taking a slip in a desirable location. You can and will get the hang of it. My tips in Post #9 might help. IMO the most important thing to know is that it's okay to abandon an approach and start over. And on the day(s) when you just can't make it because of wind, just put the pointy end in first :joyous:

 

[shrew]

I didn't see anywhere where you said there was any reason at all that you needed to change tha way you dock except that other people were doing it that way..... If you are more comfortable going bow first then do that.... Who cares how other people do it.

Many, many marinas don't build finger piers long enough to get on/off the boat while tied bow in. I've found that marina's where the finger piers are long enough many will opt to tie bow in because the view of the water is nicer than the view of the dock and affords more privacy.

 

[crazy charlie]

do yourself a BIG favor and take a lesson .Always best to learn from an experienced proand when he tells you to turn around and face the stern and don't touch the steering wheel....LISTEN to him. Charlie