Backing Into Narrow Slip

[lehighsail]

I have read and watched a lot of articles and Youtube videos on backing the boat into a slip and have gotten pretty good at it.....well, OK at it. My beam is around 11ft and the slip is about 12ft. and there are no finger docks on either side but there is one piling on either side near the bow. There are smaller boats in the adjacent slips.

If I back in straight, by the time we get the lines on the stern, the boat usually drifts to one side or the other. We keep fenders on either side, have not hit a neighboring boat yet and would like to prevent an incident.

My question is then: Are there any suggestions to prevent the lateral movement until I get the lines on? I have thought of lines from the pilings to the dock to act as guides but would like other options.

I know I could look for a wider slip but this one is located perfectly.

 

[njlarry]

In the end it often comes down to slow speed, rub rails, fenders and boathooks.
I also find side lines running the lenght of the slip on either side helpful to pull to windward.

 

[Ron20324]

...I have thought of lines from the pilings to the dock to act as guides ....

I assume, then, there are no mid-ships pilings. The guide lines are good insurance that neither you nor the neighbor violate a neighboring slip. My marina has the mid-pilings and finger piers, but we still have the lines. They are cheap insurance.

Have a crew stand forward of the shrouds on the windward side. When next to the outer piling, take the bow line and lay the loop over the bow cleat.

 

[richk]

A technique that works for us, especially when there's a cross-wind or current is
1. come alongside an outer piling.
2. line up cockpit winch with piling
3. wrap line from piling around winch
4. tighten
5. go in reverse
6. apply power
7. stern will swing into slip
8. once aligned btwn outer pilings straighten and start backing
9. release line from winch as you back

tie up
cold beer, or hot coffee

 

[BayMan]

A technique that works for us, especially when there's a cross-wind or current is
1. come alongside an outer piling.
2. line up cockpit winch with piling
3. wrap line from piling around winch
4. tighten
5. go in reverse
6. apply power
7. stern will swing into slip
8. once aligned btwn outer pilings straighten and start backing
9. release line from winch as you back

Now that is clever. I like it. I assume you also use the rudder to help swing the stern in?

I have also found that in reverse the boat steers much better with short bursts of power. The steering is best when the boat is moving but the prop is not.

 

[Ron20324]

Secure the 2 windward lines first, then the others.

 

[Joe]

A midship spring attached to the first piling as you back in on the windward or current side will keep the boat snug as you continue moving backward. You can drop it on from the cockpit as it passes the piling... then wrap it on halyard winch, or midship cleat if you have one.....if the nose starts to drift out, working the rudder a bit will bring the bow in while the spring holds the boat in position, then continue using the spring to control lateral movement of the boat as you move into the slip.

Another more permanent technique is to crisscross two long dock lines between the pilings. They act as a guide to keep you centered.....My friends in Florida use this method for their slip... it works well... makes it easy when shorthanded.

 

[Brian D]

A technique that works for us, especially when there's a cross-wind or current is
1. come alongside an outer piling.
2. line up cockpit winch with piling
3. wrap line from piling around winch
4. tighten
5. go in reverse
6. apply power
7. stern will swing into slip
8. once aligned btwn outer pilings straighten and start backing
9. release line from winch as you back

tie up
cold beer, or hot coffee

In essence, using a spring line.

I too like the idea of parallel lines from dock to pilings. Basically creating your own finger dock. If tight enough, you should stay within your boundaries. You can also hang bumpers off the lines. I vote that this is really your best option.

So many great ideals here.

 

[lehighsail]

These are great ideas. What we do now frequently is similar to what RichK suggests. What makes it tough is that the pilings are not forward of the bow but about 6 feet aft of the bow.
We do use the wrap around the piling technique which we found and it was called the Chesapeake Crabmen's or something like that.

I would appreciate it if JOE could explain a little more about the crisscross of the dock lines
that his friends use in Florida. Also if NJLarry could give a brief description of where the sidelines are connected from the pilings to the docks and how taut they should be.

Thanks to all for the help.

 

[rardiH36]

Do you have a reason for needing to back in?

I don't do it because my impression is that backing in looks really neat ... until something goes wrong. And the consequences could be expensive. The rudder is exposed totally to damage if the wind or current is miscalculated and boat backs in against say the finger.

I and everyone else along my slipway go in bow first. We often we have a 10 - 25 kt cross winds. I have two options, both of which require a high speed approach and a quick and a full throttle shift into reverse once any part of my bow happens to get into my slip... Which I consider a successful outcome. Option 1) is to aim at my upwind neighbor's transom and hope that I have correctly guessed that wind will be enough to drift my boat's bow into my slip. Option 2) is to come in at about 60 degrees to the wind and once bow looks like it will make it into my slip, then spin the wheel hard to square up.

Unless I had a sail drive and a bow thruster and a strong crew to fend off any miscalcution ... no way could I make it in backwards every time.

Do you have a reason for needing to back in?

 

[kappykaplan]

I back into my slip because it's much easier to get on and off the boat.

 

[lehighsail]

I have to back into the slip because there are no finger docks to get off on the sides and if I came in bow first, it would be about a 3.5 ft. drop to the bulkhead from the deck.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

More throttle helps ...

Yes, the absence of finger slips makes backing in a necessity. I back in as well, due to a relatively short pier on the upwind side (port side when I'm backed in). I have an open space toward shore, so keeping tight to the pier is necessary, especially when I'm docking without help. The bow will blow off toward shore very rapidly as soon as I stop moving.

Prop walk and wind pushing the bow usually conspires to ruin my aim so I find that the faster I can gain backward momentum, the more control I have, so I generally use more throttle. I tend to be most tentative early in the season, gaining confidence as the season wears on. (I can't explain losing my touch over the winter! ) I have a wood crash pad to prevent grinding my stern gelcoat against the concrete bulkhead but I've never hit it hard. I use a pretty good burst in forward just when it's needed.

I think the best bet in your situation is to devise a sort of net with lines to keep you within your space. You will have to play with the tension to get it working right. I like the idea of stringing fenders along the lines as well. Tension on the lines would necessarily be tight enough to keep the fenders above the waterline where they offer the most protection. But you have to contend with tidal changes, which will complicate matters, for sure.

 

[njlarry]

The side lines are I think the same as the guides that you refer to. Basiclly they run the lenght of the slip between neighboring boats and are placed higher than your lifelines.No matter where on deck the admiral is she should be able grap the windward one with a boat hook and quide you in.
I have seen more complicated guide ropes used to "funnel" boats in bow first but not sure they would work so well stern first as they would chafe against the transom corners.
For privacy, we go in bow first but I learned how to back in stern first, without touching the wheel, by a prof captian. Steering is done soley by use of the throttle. He was using a technique detailed in "Docking Techniques" by Tom Tursi. It is also taught at the Maryland School of sailing in Rock Hall. I have also seen it on You Tube.
It made backing in a lot of fun and took the fear out of it. Still use the fenders in case of cross winds.
So far I have avoided the use of warps for getting into slips as, but often use them for along side docking. It seems to me they need to be set up in advance and the admiral needs to understand how to adjust them. Without warps she can relax and just look pretty.