Advice for docking a boat that doesn't maneuver very well

[mickt243]

Have you considered a small electric trolling motor? Could use one as a directional thruster

[markpierce]

Hmmm. Need more practice? Never had a problem berthing my cutter Blackwatch with outboard behind the rudder. Extremely easy if berth was upwind when I often sailed into the berth, singlehanded.

[daletournier]

I got out if shape very badly in marina once. I now stack the odds in my favor and are patient. I generally will look at a marina before going in, I think through my plan, as well as work out my exit strategy, I try to get a berth that favors my prop walk, I try to go in on slack tide (depending on relevance) and try to get a blow on situation. Yes, alot to ask but as said I try to stack the odds in my favor. Can't always get everything I want but I'm not afraid to ask for another birth if the allocated isn't favorable.

[sailing_gal]

I use a technique commonly called "back and fill" when backing into a slip in my Island Packet--- full keel, huge rudder, although prop is between the two, but it doesn't really matter. You can't steer this boat in reverse very well, so I pull up to the slip as best I can and turn hard 90 degrees where I can line up the stern with the slip as best as possible. Put her in reverse just to get some thrust, then back to neutral. Let the boat ease back, when you need to point it in one direction or the other- put her in forward gear and turn your bow to position the stern. Then give it another push in reverse and then back in neutral. Repeat as often as necessary. keep in mind prop walk, as mentioned before, you can make it work for you. I suggest practicing in open water backing up something like a mooring ball for practice.

[anacapaisland42]

add 12" onto the rudder
Bill

Originally Posted by Ryban

One of my biggest anxieties as a singlehander isn't facing big swells or gusty conditions offshore, but dealing with docking in a busy marina.

My boat is notoriously difficult to maneuver under power, because the rudder is directly behind the keel, and the propeller is above and behind the rudder. Thus, the only way to get steering authority is to be moving, and the tricks that normally allow for tight turns just aren't possible. Reverse is a nightmare.

The good news is that my boat is small, and doesn't weigh all that much, so it can be man-handled. I figure if I can get close enough to a slip without hitting anything, I could throw a line over to someone on the slip and do the job manually.

I may be putting into a marina soon, and I'm looking for some advice on how to make this experience go well. Conditions could be very windy (Santa Marta). If not there, I'll surely be putting into Shelter Bay a bit later.

Thanks in advance!

[_andi_]

Yeah, the Vega has a reputation for maneuvering badly, but nonetheless a very common boat over here (Northern Europe). Some actually put on an extra rudder an call it a "harbor rudder", sometimes a double use for a vindvane (like a hydrovane). I've never seen such a setup personally though.

For warping I can really recommend "Stress free sailing" by Duncan Wells. There's videos on vimeo/youtube and a book as well.

[TrentePieds]

Bear in mind that this is a Vega 27 with a peculiar prop placement. As OP sez, you can only steer when you have way. Because the prop wash doesn't impinge on the rudder you cannot do a pirouette around your pivot point the way most of us can. You CAN do a "3-point turn", but it requires sufficient room to be shunting back and forth, and it requires so much time to do it that wind and tide are likely to throw you off.

Careful preparation with attention to wind and tide, having dock lines and fenders all set up, and having the heaving line handy to use as a messenger if required, is probably the best bet. With a light boat like the V27 the heaving line will take the strain of warping in any case.

Call the Marina betimes on VHF requesting a dock hand to help, and get instructions as to where your assigned slip is in the marina. Lie off till you see the dock hand. Then come in, going ahead. At a speed that strikes a compromise twixt having steerageway and impacting only gently if you hit anything, turn into the fairway twixt the finger slips, again allowing for wind and tide. Stop at your assigned slip WITHOUT attempting to enter it, heave your heaving line to the dock hand and let him warp you in.

If you have crew aboard, you can let one of the off at the hammerhead so he can walk to the slip and be your dockhand. If you can't get a dockhand to help, and you have no crew to put ashore, follow the same procedure to here, then using your boat hook, jiggle 'er in. Careful what you hook on to - you don't want to break other peoples life lines. Let them do that themselves ;-)

Departing from a tight finger slip you'll prolly need to manhandle the boat out from the slip, letting the inertia of it take her out into the middle of the fairway. You'll need to consider carefully the technique for getting aboard at the last possible moment. Once you are in the clear enuff to gather steerage way, the battle is over :-)!

IF you have a crew that can handle the boat, you can shove it out of the finger slip and walk to the hammerhead where the crew can pick you up by coming alongside. Or swap roles: Crew shoves the boat out and you bring 'er to the hammerhead. There may be a boat at the hammerhead, but no-one will mind if you cross, given the circumstances.

Every boat and every marina will call for the development of a particular technique. That task is YOUR's - because you are the skipper :-)!

You'll soon develop a little repertoire of techniques appropriate to the conditions in which you normally operate.

Cheers

TP

[JOHNMARDALL]

If you're single-handed and docking in a strong cross-wind or strong cross-current, nothing beats a bow thruster. They're available for boats starting at around 25 feet and take the stress out of docking and close-quarter maneuvering. The purists will rail against this horrible violation of everything near and dear to Captain Joshua Slocum, but nobody I've met has had a boat with a thruster and gone on to a boat without a thruster. After all, a recreational boat is about having fun.

Good luck

John Mardall
Vetus Maxwell Group.

[akprb]

Check out “docking” on blog :-)

Lots of good advice you have already gotten.

If it has not been mentioned already PRACTICE. If I’m delivering or just purchased I’ll find a place that is quiet and safe and just maneuver. On, off, backing down a channel, tight to port, tight to starboard.

The next is once settled try not to nest! Leave the slip often to the point it becomes routine. Your training your muscle memory. At some point thinking will no longer be needed, you’ll just “feel” your (italics) boat.

That’s when it becomes fun, safe and liberating.

Enjoy it!

[sailorchic34]

The key to docking single handed is practice. My Islander 34 is very much like the op's vega. I've never docked with crew in 11 years. Always single hand. Now a days I don't even put the fenders out till after the boat is docked

What I do:

1. Rig dock lines to grab as I step off the boat. If unsure of which side I'm docking on, i rig both sides.
2. Determine wind and current before entering marina. You control the stern but the wind controls the bow in low speed manuvers.
3. I've learned to do all my steering from in front of the wheel. This saves seconds when you dock by not needing to get from behind the wheel. I only steer from the front now.
4. 4 slips before the one I enter, I'm in neutral with 2 to 2.5 knots way on. A bit more if going to windward.
5. I actually aim for the side finger about mid way out, approching from about a 30 degree angle to the finger, when entering the slip, I then turn the wheel and add some reverse to straighten the boat in the slip.
6. I keep a tiny bit of way on as i step off, grab the dock line(s) and girl handle the boat to a standstill.

Done right there is just an inch or two is space, between the boat and dock (with no touch). Why I don't use fenders docking as they tend to push the boat off the finger. Not having fenders allows you to get 6-8 inches closer to the finger.

Ideally you want the wind coming from the side away from the finger. If wind is off the finger and say 20-25 knots (as is typical in the Sf bay area in summer) one must move smartly as the boat will want to drift off the finger very quickly.

Getting out of the slip is even more fun with a full keel and barn door rudder. Key here is two things. Get speed on and then put the boat in neutral to get the rudder some control. If it's really windy from the wrong direction, let the wind push the bow about (remember that the wind controls the bow) where you can have the stern facing the wind. Using back and fill with full swings (lock to lock) of the wheel.

I've sometimes just had to go full forward and then reverse, spinning the wheel like a mad woman, just to power through the wind. Luckily the islander, like the vega, will spin just about in it's length.

Folks with spade rudders just don't know the fun they are missing in docking...

[fred4936]

Our boat is not much different that the Vega. I have found spring lines to be wonderful! Like touched on in an earlier post, get the docklines out early, and use the spring lines. Backing into a slip is very difficult, we go bow first, the back out, which is much easier than the other way around.

[roland stockham]

Have a floating line at least twice the boat length tied to a bow cleat and lead back outside all to the cockpit. Take another similar length from midships. Can be light, ie just heavy enough not to cut your fingers. Make sure you come in downwind of the pontoon. Approach across the berth space at min steering speed and trow the line to shore support. Most marinas will get a dockmaster to meet you if you radio ahead (they don't want you hitting anyone). If there is no shore support take the lines around a post or cleat at the end of the finger and check the way with the MIDSHIPS line not the bow. Your are now safe and can warp into the berth.
When leaving either use the lines to drop off the back of the finger and go from there. Or take a slip line to the side you want the stern to turn to. Make fast on board. let the wind push you back out of the berth and when the line comes up short it will check the stern and the bow will swing. When pointing the right way motor ahead and slip the line. It the wind has changed so you are leaving into wind take a line to the other side of the fairway and float or dingy it across so you can leave from the windward side.
When learning it can be useful to sketch the maneuvers first but with practice you can control any boat with 2 floating lines and a bit of time. No need to use the engine at all. This was standard practice in the days before big engines, rudders and fin keels. Ideally lines would be 8mm and at least 200ft. They should be floating so the don't snag and you can foat them across a gap. They don't need to be strong so cheap pollyprop' is fine.
If you can get hold of a training book for the RYA coastal skipper course this is part of the syllabus (well it was when I took it!). Also give some neat tricks on how to use the kedge to steer.

[fatherchronica]

I try to only enter an unknown marina at the top of the tide. Many are in bays that fill and empty at unbelievable, to me, speeds. It removes one extra maneuvering headache. Not always possible but I always check. Of course if the choice were between docking in a strange dock in a several knot current or docking at night I would choose the former, and we have a headlight mounted on the pulpit. Just me.

[CarlF]

Where the docks are floating and have cleats, here's a great technique in a boat with a low freeboard where you can both steer and still reach over the side. Make up a 10ft line with a spliced loop at the free end. Tie the other end to a quarter cleat about 6-8ft forward of the stern. You may need to install some more cleats. Come in forward right along the dock at the slowest speed that gives you good rudder control. As you pass a dock cleat that's where you want the stern to end up -- drop the loop over the cleat. Don't let anyone ashore help- they'll just mess it up. Keep the engine in gear and the boat will be pulled in tight to the dock and just sit there. It works like magic and will impress the crowd on the dock. You may need to experiment to get just the right line length and cleat location. Step off and secure more lines before taking the engine out of gear. If the prop was ahead of the rudder you can hold the stern in better but it should work OK for you too.

[Terra Nova]

For everyone who does not know, when coming in to a dock (end tie or slip), get the center spring line on (tight) immediately. Now the boat is under complete control and cannot go anywhere. Then you can take your time dealing with all other lines.