Docking solo

[tasdevil]

I lake sail solo with an Oday 22 docking at a neighbors dock.

The dock is 24 feet long with an approach restricted by buoys and docks ; the other approach is just possible but comes past the remains of an old pier and a wreck, depth clearance being uncertain.

I screwed a basketball hoop to the dock with a solid sampson post just beyond and my normal procedure is to come in dead slow , boathook to the hoop to pull us in ,then hop ashore and a dock line to the post - the other end being attached to the mast as it is solid and central.

This works well enough - although I don't like the " hopping " part at my age - but with a gusty wind or a bit of a chop it can be an interesting experience ; especially as my Honda O/B is mounted well below the level of the transom making the controls hard to reach.

Has anyone with a similar situation got suggestions for a better technique ?

 

[capta]

solo docking

Learn to use spring lines.
For two years, until I found my honey (girl friend, not boat), I handled a 53'er mostly alone, cruising (no thruster).
On your home dock set up a back spring (leading aft from near amidships) that you can either pick up easily or drop over a dock cleat easily as you come alongside. Once the spring is tight, leave the boat in forward with the helm turned some, away from the dock (each boat is different on how much helm) and she will suck into the dock and stay right there while you get the other lines on at your leisure. If you do not have water passing over your rudder from the engine, you will have to turn the OB instead of the helm.
This works anywhere after you get the hang of it, up wind, down wind, irrespective of current or even a beam wind blowing off the dock.

 

[tasdevil]

Re: solo docking

Thanks ,I have done this at times - trying to elevate the lines so they're easy to get - but it's often tricky especially if the wind has moved them - and if I miss a line I can be onto the wreck .That's why I use the boathook - it's a long one - because it gives a solid attachment from the cockpit.

 

[hewebb]

I solo sail most of the time and leave my lines on the dock and catch with the boat hook as I come in-very slowly. Lines are already tied off at the proper length for each location. I am in a slip so it is much easier than at a dock. I keep another set of lines on the boat for tie up at other places.

 

[Chris Nowell]

We have a permanent spring line attached to a side forward cleat that is just short of the transom and has a large bowline rigged at the end. Motoring in slowly the bowline is dropped over the last cleat on the wharf and the boat snugs itself up to the wharf on it's own if left in gear with the helm set to turn the stern slightly towards the wharf. The length of the spring line is critical, too short and it's hard to use, too long and you wreck the bow. I know this is reiterating Capta's instruction but I can't believe how well it works in ALL conditions and that it took me so many years to figure this out.

 

[Winkfish]

Without photos, it's hard to picture, but 2 things come to my mind. First, can you tie a line to the hoop to grab on your way in? Would it be close enough that you could reach it instead of using the boat hook?

Second, when we fish the rigs down here, we often use a "rig hook." It's literally a hook with a line attached to the end which we tie off to a cleat. We approach the rig, put the hook over a cross member, and we're there. Perhaps you could tie a line to the end of your boat hook, or another hook that would stay put. Tie the "boat end" of your hook to a cleat, and when you come in, put the hook over the hoop. You can then let go of the hook to get other lines tied on to the dock.

 

[tkanzler]

I've been using the technique capta described, in various forms, and on various sized boats, for many years. While each boat is unique, there's always been some 'best' way to do this. My last keel boat had breast cleats, so a two-piece spring line worked well - snap the hook on the boat half onto the ring that I spliced into the dock half, and motor against it. But eventually I just went with dropping the loop of the permanent dock line over the stern cleat - it would pull tight to the dock, with the right rudder angle, every time, and it was easier than using the two-piece spring, especially solo.

On this small, light boat with a big engine and no breast cleats, the stern cleat works fine also, but I've found it's easier for inexperienced crew to simply drop a dedicated docking spring line with giant loop tied into the end onto the cabin roof winch. The longer line gives him/her more time to do that once it's pulled off its hook (remember, slo is pro), and the control is a bit better with the winch being further forward than the stern cleat.

Motoring against the spring at idle gives me all the time in the world to get the preset permanent dock lines on, or at least one forward and one aft so I can kill the engine.

The docking spring hangs off the piling on a piece of nylon hose that's screwed into the piling in a vertical orientation. Easy to grab off by hand or boat pole, and if some part of the boat tries to grab the line holding 'hook', it's just a piece of flexible hose, so nothing bad happens (I've caught rigging on hard hooks in the past).

 

[Stu Jackson]

http://www.catalina-capri-25s.com/f...ID=15645&whichpage=1&SearchTerms=dock-o-matic

 

[Joe]

Doesn't anyone know how to use a boat hook for what it was designed to do?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Joe, those telescoping boat hooks don't work as well as the old-style solid wooden ones!

 

[finding41]

I broke my new telescoping boat hook twice in two weeks! First time I was using it as a whisker pole and the plastic thread part broke when the wind changed. I fixed that with an aluminum thread piece. 2nd time I hooked a mooring ball to hook up. Well it bent in half that time.
I returned it and they gave me a new one and $2.21 back! It was on sale the day I took it back and they couldn't override the sale price.

 

[capta]

Stu
Kinda curious why those folks w/ the dock-o-matic rig used Sta-Set double braid instead of nylon? Seems a waste of money & a much more complicated rig that way.
Please Joe, tell us idiots how to use a boat hook properly. Thanks.

 

[Mark Maulden]

Telescopic boat hook with rubber grip on end that has a hole about the size of a pencil. One hell of a squirt gun.....

 

[Joe]

Joe, those telescoping boat hooks don't work as well as the old-style solid wooden ones!

That's my point... a traditional boat hook.. i.e. six to eight foot solid staff with a bronze hook end.... is an invaluable tool. The $20 teloscoping, lighweigt, plastic tipped poles don't really offer the same utility. And, thus, are not used with the same effect. But the main reason is few production boat sailors, myself included, would fork out $178 to $199.... for one, no matter how magnificent the product.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Stu
Kinda curious why those folks w/ the dock-o-matic rig used Sta-Set double braid instead of nylon? Seems a waste of money & a much more complicated rig that way.

My guess is that they felt the rubber made up for the incorrect use of that type of line. If I did one I'd do it with three strand nylon dock line. I still use a 40 foot length of dock line from our midships cleat and play cowboy lassoing the dock cleat. I make it "most of the time" but the Dock-O-Matic would be a lot easier. One of these days...

 

[zeehag]

with my ericson i just had lines come to waist of boat, slowed way down on approach and did it myself by walking off boat to tie her. perfect every time.
formosa has a lot more freeboard and length--i have folks on docks assist--fuel docks and rented docks both here have helpers if you call in advance for assistance. i could do this boat by self, but is funner to have help--i would do it same way but using midship lines instead of bow and stern lines--spring her then cinch her--i sho wi ti her anyway--so isnt a big deal to change to doing by self--if you come into dock S L O W L Y , you dont need helpers.....


except for those florida half docks--those sukk....need helpers....

 

[tasdevil]

Hey..Great !.........I made up a dock-o-matic this morning ( using garden hose), mounted an elevated cleat on the dock and it works fine.
I'm keeping my boat-hook and hoop as a backup in case I miss the catch when it's choppy...Thanx !

 

[BobM]

Sweet!

http://www.catalina-capri-25s.com/f...ID=15645&whichpage=1&SearchTerms=dock-o-matic

The ingenuity of my sailing peers never fails to surprise and please me.

 

[Ron20324]

Maybe throw a grappling hook to pull up to the dock?

 

[Joe]

My guess is that they felt the rubber made up for the incorrect use of that type of line. If I did one I'd do it with three strand nylon dock line. I still use a 40 foot length of dock line from our midships cleat and play cowboy lassoing the dock cleat. I make it "most of the time" but the Dock-O-Matic would be a lot easier. One of these days...

He could have saved a lot of money by just using nylon three strand and a length of old garden hose.... no need for the 40 dollar snubber with nylon and the three strand is super easy to eye splice..... sta-set X and a snubber.. are you kiddin' me.