Docking in a slip

[Rick Webb]

Somthing to Consider

I will usually back into a slip. On my boat it is easier to see and I am able to keep a hand on the boat tiller and the engine tiller at the same time if I am sitting down in the cockpit.

Spend an afternoon coming into and away from the dock after a while it will become intuitive.

Often it is easier to pull away from the dock altogether rather than try to recover from an approach that does not go as planned.

It always seems to be the case that your best approaches and landings will be done when nobody is there to see them.

The best advice I ever received was approach the dock at exactly the speed you want to hit it.

 

[Doc_holiday]

There are clearly a lot of variables here and I can only speak to mine. I have a Mac. 26s with an outboard. The challenge I face is reverse because the motor still pivots and there is no tiller on the motor. When I go into reverse, I have to keep on hand on the motor an the other on the rudder tiller. This makes things tough and I will be working that out with some means of holding the motor centered or linked to the tiller. My throttle is remote.

Wind will add to the challenge. A second hand who knows how to use a boat hook and is sure footed will be a huge asset. Some marinas will have some hands that will help when a boat is coming in. Certainly if I see one coming in, I try to help. A dock hand is always helpful.

Some larger boats have bow thrusters which can help but where's the fun in that. Some skippers can sail right into their slips but not me and I'd love to see someone do it 3 times in a row.

 

[All U Get]

I don't see any other sailboats in the pics, it just strikes me as odd. This slip would also be the center of activity since everyone would be walking by to their boat. This could be a snug little spot, good find.

All U Get

 

[caguy]

Connecting your rudder to your OB for steering would be a good helpful mod for you. There are quite a few ideas if you search rudder outboard link or connect. Here is an excellent thread on the subject.

http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=586247&highlight=caguy

Here is a picture posted by Scott737

 

[Winkfish]

A trick a former boss of mine, very good sailor who used to single hand his 30 footer a lot, was to put a few lines across the front of his slip, making a kind of "safety net" so it would softly stop his boat before hitting anything hard. I used the trick when I had a 20 footer without a motor. Worked like a charm.

Still, man that's a tight squeeze!!

 

[Skipper]

22 Catalina? Dude, you have vector thrust. Keep the rudder locked mid, and use the motor to steer the boat like a dinghy. If you have no way to lock the tiller, use it in conjunction with the motor. Also, back into the slip, so you can exit going forward.

Have your lines already attached to the pylons. Use a hook to get them when you come in.

Last, the dock is made of wood. It won't hurt your boat. Never panic. Just go slow. Push off with a hook if you get near another boat. A Cat 22 is about the easiest thing in the world to dock.

 

[victorhoisington]

Ok,

I'm not an expert and on our docks I get to deal with wiind and waves so you have a few less factors to deal with. For perspective, I have a Hunter 28 with 10'6" beam and a 12' slip to fit it into.

One other item of note, from the pictures your docks are fixed so you must allow for tidal changes while at the docks. Your dock lines will be fixed to the docks and usually dropped when leaving and picked up while landing, your boat hook will be your best friend in this situation.

When landing here is my procedure, all ahead slow about 3 boat lengths from the slip, shift to neutral, the momentum of the boat will maintain steerage and allow for a nice slow approach, as mentioned earlier you can shift to forward as needed if you lose steerage.

At 1 boat length from the slip, while the moter is idling shift to reverse, the boat will continue to glide forward with plenty of momentum, about half way into the slip, provide some rev's to the engine to begin slowing. As I get fully into the slip use enough reverse to come to a complete stop. Shift to neutral, walk up with your boat hook and pick up each dock line as needed to secure your boat.

Here are a few words on docklines. Where I am at I have a total of 6, 2 bow, 2 stern and 2 spring lines. If you need to allow for both forward and aft movement then you will need to add 2 aft springs. I have snubbers on all dock lines due to the amount of wind and wave action I must account for. You must allow enough slack in your lines for teh boat to move up and down with the tide change. I setup forward lines (2 springs, 2 bow) so that when the boat is fully forward it is centered in the slip, slightly off the dock and all 4 forward lines come taught together. Similarly for the rear. I also set things up (again due to wind and waves) such that within my 12 foot slip the boat actually can't touch either port or startboard docks but yet I can move the boat to allow for easy boarding.

Leaving the slip may be a little more difficult but, you should be fine, just watch the prop walk until you get steerage. You way want to stand at the helm and face backwards the first couple of times till you get used to it.

This is my setup and procedure, I'm absolutely sure there are better ways to do it but if you go slow you will figure out what works for you.

Victor
'French Temper'
Hunter 28

 

[mudtertel]

Looks like you have a fixed dock . If so make sure you leave enoght line for slack tide.You can always pull your boat in. If to tight at High tide , Your ship will just have to hang there till the tide comes back in.My dock is a floating one. I've came in under sail,I've came in with motor, and came in under both. Never come in fast, it tense to jar the teeth.I myself like when my wife jumps out , to secure the aft end. Then I jump out after she does to guide the bow in and secure. Wish you luck, and happy sailing

 

[hotchki]

Re: Slip

Use everything at your disposal --
Check the wind first. Is it helping you onto the dock? Is it blowing you off? Take action based on those observations first. Your windex is a real plus here. Go slow enough for steerage and as I learned many years ago, plan for motor failure at any point...

and of course, practice makes it a lot easier!

 

[LuzSD]

Go slowly, agree with others to ghost in, using neutral, forward and reverse as you need... Have friends there to greet and guide you..no shame in that. Practice lots of times with them right there and you'll see what your issues are going to be. Relax, if its not going to work, you'll see that pretty quick. I like docking, every time is a little different. Good luck to you, hope it all works out well and you enjoy having a dock.

 

[jcrumpley]

Practice throwing the boat hard into reverse. It might suprise you how your outboard will react. They will often tilt right out of the water if not locked down. Then, of course, they do no good at all to stop forward progress.

 

[plaineolde]

I've had both a C30 and my current C36, both inboards vs. outboards, so a bit different. I'm single handed 99% of the time, which isn't an issue when there's no wind, but makes things a bit more exciting when there is, especially when it's blowing directly into the slip.

I have lines tied between the pilings on both sides of the slip, kept very tight. I have a set at chest level, and a second set a few feet lower. The lower set are there to keep the boat from blowing into either of my neighbors' slip and banging into their boats. Since my slip is oversize (18 x 50ft), my boat rattles around in it, so having the ropes to contain it is very helpful, and the upper ropes are useful for pulling the boat in, or grabbing with a boat hook to pull the boat from one side to the other. Just about everyone in my marina has at least the upper set.

The main thing (in addition to practice) is planning, planning, planning..! Think about where the breeze may push your boat, how it will react when you shift to reverse, etc. You can try some things ahead of time; throw a cushion into the water and back up to it. Since I've always been mainly single handed, I've found planning to be the biggest factor in successfully handling the boat both in docking and sailing, anchoring, etc.

But don't stress too much; no one was born knowing how to dock a boat..(though some may act like they were..!)

 

[Plumper II]

Catalina 22, 2500 lbs? Easy! It's not like you are driving a battleship. Just go slow, have the lines ready and get someone on the dock as soon as possible. The rest you can do by hand. You can probably even turn it around by hand behind your slip if getting out is scarey.
If you are really cautious you could put someone on the dock behind the slip to walk the bow forward.
The boat that is in there is longer and wider. You'll find it a breeze. You should have lots of room behind you to get someone on the dock, a luxury most people with slips don't have.

 

[Stu Jackson]

We had both Catalina 22 & 25 in downwind slips. We'd come in and grab the starboard side dock line and place it over our winch. The boat would stop. Simple. Another version of the midship spring line included in my link in an earlier post on this thread. Good luck.

 

[nick16958]

I do not know when you posted this
do you still want some advice

 

[CARICKA]

Everybody gave great advice; so I'll just add my 2 cents. If you are going slow, you aren't going to hurt the boat if you hit the dock. So don't panic if you do. If you share a slip with another boat, always favor the opposite side. It's better to hit the dock than someone else's boat. Also, don't be afraid to ask people on the dock for help. I've always found that they love to help and it's a great way to meet neighbors. Some skippers yell at people who come over to help; don't be that person. Thank them and invite them in for a beer. I've been sailing regularly for 40 years and still miss a docking here and there. I have one more piece of advice that everyone else will probably disagree with and think I'm crazy. I don't put my forward bumpers out until after I've docked. I do put them out in the stern if I share the slip with another boat. The few times I've had a terrible docking and did damage, it was because my bumpers got caught on something (e.g., the neighbor's boat). After that, I started noticing that the bumpers rarely play a role in docking. Their main value comes into play when the boat is tied up to prevent friction or prevent damage if the dock lines come loose or get stretched. Main thing, again, don't worry about making mistakes or hitting the dock.

One more thing, practice out in the open water with an imaginary dock. Main thing to get to know is how the stern of your boat reacts when you go from forward to reverse. Most boat, especially inboards, swing to port because of the torque from the engine and the prop. If you share a slip and you are on the starboard side, this could cause you to hit the other boat if it's a tight fit.

The funny thing about docking a sailboat is that I've always found it easier to dock while under sail without using the engine. But the marinas won't allow it unless that's your only form of power.

Guess my 2 cents turned into a dollar.

Rick

 

[tomjoseph245@gmail.com]

Hey Rich, sounds like you've gotten as much or more advice than you wanted, if I could add anything from what I've learned is.... never approach a dock any faster than you're willing to hit it. Tom

 

[cajon409]

I heard that it should not be called docking, but a control crash.

 

[jcb2]

Keep the centerboard down.

I will be moving off a mooring and into a slip. I need advice on how to dock, as I have never done this before. What is necessary and how to tie up? The slip is in a very protected area from the current and possibly the wind. See attached photo. The only slip coming available is seen on the right with a 28 foot Searay in it.

I just picked up a couple extra fenders and 110 feet on line from a consignment shop. All looks virtually new.

What else is needed? Any recommend literature is also welcomed.

Thanks,

Richie

Richie,

Keep your centerboard down to allow you to pivot when you steer into the slip. I had a boat of the same size and struggled with the board up since all the steering is then done by the outboard with hardly any keel to resist lateral movement. Go slowly and shift into neutral when approaching the dock. Turn into the slip when the bow is a foot or two before the slip. Your momentum should be enough to let you turn around the first piling and that will also slow you down. When entering the slip, shift into reverse so you can "back it down" if you think you're going to hit the dock.

I also found that a couple lines tied between pilings on the sides of your slip gives you and your crew something to grab for control and offers some protection from bumping your neighbor's boat.

Don't worry. That 28' fishing boat is beamier than a Catalina 22. You should have no trouble. Others have given you good advice about spring lines, etc.

 

[jeffrey.dixon]

Hello,

All advice here has been good. Go slow is always good advice. Remember that with an offset outboard, your rudder will only respond if you have way on. If you are at a dead stop, you will need to steer with your outboard to see any kind of response.