Easy boat to dock

[gwishon]

Ranger Tug or Cutwater. Depending on model, has both front and stern thrusters. A breeze to dock under virtually any conditions.

[Mauruuru]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING!

[Lihuedooley77]

Suggestion

A bit larger vessel, twin screws, and a bow thruster.

Good instruction, and lots of practice.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by jakkum

A twin engine powerboat can be moved sideways, without going aead or astern

If you want to move to starboard, rudders to port port eng ahead, starboard reverse.
Playing a bit with the revs and rudder and you will see you can mover her without turning to stsrboatd
For port......

Some boats will refuse to crab sideways with this method, or do so only reluctantly, if they are set up so that the screws in Ahead turn outward (yacht style) instead of toward each other (crewboat style). In that configuration, the side forces or "prop walk" from both wheels are fighting against the intended sideways motion. When they turn toward each other, then the prop walk helps the boat to move sideways in the intended direction. However if they turn outward, then the boat will pivot much easier. So direction, or "hand" of the props is an important consideration in maneuvering.

[GrowleyMonster]

Hard to really add to all the good posts. But here are a few tips from me anyway.


A single screw CAN be steered going astern if it is going astern only under momentum and not with the prop turning. A big rudder helps though. This can be useful when backing into a slip. A right hand prop will back to port. So if you stop the boat with the port quarter toward the slip and start backing, the boat gathers sternway as it lines up with the slip. Taking the prop out of gear stops the turning movement and the boat continues to move astern. The rudder will provide some directional control. As the boat enters the slip, a quick in and out of gear with the rudder turned opposite the desired direction of the stern will both slow the boat and adjust the stern's position in the slip. Finally engage the prop ahead to stop it dead, when in position, pass lines and make them fast. Done.


With single screw, always be aware of which way the boat tends to back.



Easy on the power. Use what you need, no more. Crashes are gentler and you have a better chance of being able to correct, before they occur.


With a single screw, coming alongside a dock, get a spring line out first, from anywhere in the mid-length of the boat. Come ahead against it with the rudder hard over and you will ease right into the dock. Keep powering easy ahead with the rudder hard over, and pass another line forward from the same cleat or near it. These two lines will now hold your position fore and aft, and against the dock. Send a breast line from bow and stern and under normal conditions, you are good. Send them further fore and aft to make them true bow and stern lines, and lead the spring lines out further, if there is a large tidal range or a storm surge is likely, so the longer leads will give you more up and down freedom before your cleats rip out or your lines part or the boat is pulled under the rising water etc etc etc. Longer leads stretch more. Short leads don't give you much wiggle room.


Like docking, undocking a single screw is made super easy by intelligent use of a spring line. Move your bow breast line well aft and spring ahead against it gently, with the rudder toward the dock. The stern will swing away from the dock. Disengage prop, cast off the line and back out.


Practicing under supervision is really the only way to get good at this in a reasonable time frame and with minimal insurance claims LOL!



Approaching a dock, always test astern propulsion. It sucks to be surprised that you can't back down when you are headed for a hard crash.


Always consider how you will bail out of a docking maneuver. Be ready to back off, come around, and try again.



Do not listen to the chattering dock monkeys trying to tell you what to do. If you do, at least pick the ONE who seems most knowledgeable. They will confuse you if you let them and half of them don't have a clue anyway.


With a small single screw, going bow in to a slip is easier. You have more directional control available. When you go astern to stop the boat, remember which way the stern will swing. When leaving the slip you can just push out manually.


Fenders are your friends. Boat hooks, too. And crew ready to use both.

[GrowleyMonster]

if your 30' boat is twin screw, dead simple. Don't worry about crabbing the first couple times you play around with it. Just pivot. One screw ahead, one screw astern. Both astern to go more or less straight back, both ahead to go more or less straight ahead. Remember your rudders are WAY more effective going ahead and they have much less effect going astern because there is no water being forced past them by the screws.



As with the single screw, take it easy, use only as much power as you need. be ready to bail and go around for another try. With twin screws you have more control, but more to think about. Practice is essential.



With an outboard, you have very good directional control going astern. Use it to your advantage.

[jakkum]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Some boats will refuse to crab sideways with this method, or do so only reluctantly, if they are set up so that the screws in Ahead turn outward (yacht style) instead of toward each other (crewboat style). In that configuration, the side forces or "prop walk" from both wheels are fighting against the intended sideways motion. When they turn toward each other, then the prop walk helps the boat to move sideways in the intended direction. However if they turn outward, then the boat will pivot much easier. So direction, or "hand" of the props is an important consideration in maneuvering.

You are right. The different setups have very different results.

[fish53]

Some boats are relatively easy and some quite difficult but ultimately it's your skill in handling the boat that matters. You have one advantage in that you assumedly intend to primarily operate one boat, yours. As such all that you need to do is practice, a little help from someone experienced at first is nice but not entirely necessary. Start on calm days and as your confidence grows don't be afraid to go out when it's less than ideal. It also helps to educate your potential crew at the same time so you can work as a team. There's lots of opinions and preferences but I find handling large single screw displacement boats most satisfying but that's what I started on, 70 to 100 foot trawlers, deep draft, large rudders and powerful diesels with experienced crews that understood what a springline is for.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by fish53

There's lots of opinions and preferences but I find handling large single screw displacement boats most satisfying but that's what I started on, 70 to 100 foot trawlers, deep draft, large rudders and powerful diesels with experienced crews that understood what a springline is for.

In general, bigger boats are easier in a way. And certainly smoother to handle. Weight scales up faster than windage or underwater surface, so everything happens more slowly with a larger boat, making subtle inputs to a smooth landing easier.

[edlepera]

I first learn on my Dad’s 16 foot aluminum V hull with a 5 HP motor. In the Navy the first boat I learn to drive dock beach was a 36 foot Landing Craft Vehicle personnel. It had a steel ramp that you could drop down and drive a jeep on and off. high sides Which would catch wind very easily. It had a 671 Detroit diesel Marie minute three bladed prop. A real beast to drive but the real trick In passing test was to drive it in a straight line and reverse 100 yards

[fish53]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

In general, bigger boats are easier in a way. And certainly smoother to handle. Weight scales up faster than windage or underwater surface, so everything happens more slowly with a larger boat, making subtle inputs to a smooth landing easier.

Not entirely true, to begin with as tonnage increases response time does also thus the need to anticipate becomes more important. Also the contention that tonnage and windage scale up is somewhat irrelevant as it's more an issue of submerged underbody and windage. When I ran tugs we handled loaded container barges that had plenty of tonnage but a huge amount of windage. I also was once mate on a tanker carrying gasoline that when light had more windage than depth and when loaded had almost no windage. That ship had a direct reversing Atlas diesel with an air system that only allowed four gear changes and each took about twenty seconds. It's important also to note that the effect of current on the submerged portion of any vessel exerts more pressure per square foot that air does on the superstructure. Fortunately waters current flow is relatively constant where the wind can change both strength and direction quickly. For most on here of course cargo and it's effects on a vessels handling are academic but current and wind are not. I view boat handling as a pleasant skill that with practice and some education isn't all that hard and done right is quite rewarding.

[rslifkin]

With the weight comment I was going for wind and current causing slower acceleration on a heavier boat, meaning you can correct for it before the boat gets pushed as far.

[fish53]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

With the weight comment I was going for wind and current causing slower acceleration on a heavier boat, meaning you can correct for it before the boat gets pushed as far.

That's true, it takes longer for external forces to accelerate the boat but that same dynamic comes into play when you apply power to maneuver. It's sort of relative, you may get into trouble more slowly but it also takes more time to get out of trouble. One other factor with larger vessels is when you do accidentally hit something the bill is usually significantly larger as well. Have you ever seen the R/V Seth Green in Rochester?

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by fish53

Have you ever seen the R/V Seth Green in Rochester?

I have, although I haven't seen it yet this year.

[fish53]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I have, although I haven't seen it yet this year.

I ran that one year for the NYDEC about thirty years ago, just curious if it was still around. I don't get back there often, I was born in Rochester and have a lot of family there.