Owning a boat sucks!

[Hermit Scott]

Even with my novice ability I can pull in the slip nose in with out much problem. I would love to keep my boat stern in and make a boarding plank for the convenience.
With the spring lines the way I have them as one line that stays in the slip kind of tight and out of the water I may be able to back in ok even in the wind. I will try it this weekend when I am down there. I have to clean the prop, she has hardly any power right now.
Every time I have backed out of my slip, I try to back the boat to the right but it just won't do it. I have to back out facing the wrong direction and then circle around to go out to the bay. Is this prop walk and something to do with the wind?

 

[jibes138]

good question

Prop walk will tend to make your stern go to port on your boat. Also at low speeds the rudder is very inefficient and the shape is wrong going backward so even more inefficient. A few tricks of the trade. Get the boat moving then take it out of gear and just let the velocity allow the rudder to work without the prop walk. Second don't jam your rudder all the way against the stops, this will just act like a brake and stall the boatJust turn the rudder part way and it will work much better. Then use forward gear to turn the bow the way you want, so lets say you are still going backwards put it in forward at idle and the prop wash over the rudder will turn the boat for a while before you start moving forward, just when the boat stops moving and wants to move forward kick it back in reverse. Bpats are designed to go forward efficiently and all appendages are set up for that. Going in revese they are amazingly inefficient since you are working against everything that is good with the world. Kind of like going in reverse is evil and going forward is good.
The wind can have a huge effect on all this but even more so the currents. If you are in a tidal area the currents have about 7 times more force on the boat than the wind (varies depending on wind and current velocity of course)so see how the water is flowing and compensate. Prop walk can be used to your advantage once you get used to it. I back into my slip and when my stern is aligned with the starboard piling I hit reverse and the prop walk turns me the rest of the way, I miss the piling and grab the spring line.
PRACTICE DOCKING OVER AND OVER. I see people taking lessons at times and the instructors will have them repeat going in and out repetitevely. I think this is one reason boats don't get used much, the fear of docking and looking like a fool in the process. Better to look like a fool once in a while then to never use your boat. Ted Roosevelt has a great poem about getting in the game, good read if you can find it.

 

[sailingdog]

You really don't want to be using coins as washers. The metals used in the more expensive coins are fairly high on the galvanic scale and can cause problems if left in close proximity to lesser metals and saltwater. Also, the tensile strength is questionable.

I can install another cleat on the dock if I want. I had to repair the port bow cleat. I didn't have a washer so I drilled a hole in a quarter.
What is the benefit of moving that line out away from the boat?
NC- I am sure if you wanted that boat you could have it for practically nothing. I want to see inside it. I think the owner of the marina owns that freedom.

 

[Todd Smith]

Backing

The wind will try to push the bow of the boat downwind, so that the stern is pointing into the wind. Anticipate this effect and plan on using it. Sometimes it is easier to back out instead of fighting the wind.

Check out this link for the description of a pivot turn that uses prop walk to turn in very small area. This is the turn that jibes was describing.
http://www.cruising.sailingcourse.com/docking.htm

The other trick for backing up is that the boat will turn better with more speed and without engine power. So you can give a shot of reverse power to get some speed up and then throttle back.

Some boats manuever in reverse really well, some are terrible at it. I would go practice near a bouy that is surrounded by clear water. Do circles around the bouy, then figure eights. Practice stopping beside the bouy, etc. Do this in forward and reverse. Because there is nothing to hit ( besides the buoy ) you can practice in a relaxed manner. If things start messing up, just power away and try again.

Todd

 

[Hermit Scott]

Saildog-the bow cleat I put the quarter on was the bow cleat on the dock. It was either, leave it with out a washer, leave one of my craftsman wrenches on it as a washer or do the quarter thing. I will replace it with galvanized when I get back down there, I am going to add another cleat on the dock next time anyway.
Going forward it turns suprisingly well in a tight radius. It is a left handed prop and does pull it to port as I back out. It didn't even want to back out straight.

 

[Mike G.]

I practiced backing last year

The wind will try to push the bow of the boat downwind, so that the stern is pointing into the wind. Anticipate this effect and plan on using it. Sometimes it is easier to back out instead of fighting the wind.

Check out this link for the description of a pivot turn that uses prop walk to turn in very small area. This is the turn that jibes was describing.
http://www.cruising.sailingcourse.com/docking.htm

The other trick for backing up is that the boat will turn better with more speed and without engine power. So you can give a shot of reverse power to get some speed up and then throttle back.

Some boats manuever in reverse really well, some are terrible at it. I would go practice near a bouy that is surrounded by clear water. Do circles around the bouy, then figure eights. Practice stopping beside the bouy, etc. Do this in forward and reverse. Because there is nothing to hit ( besides the buoy ) you can practice in a relaxed manner. If things start messing up, just power away and try again.

Todd

As Todd suggests, I practiced backing late last year. It helped quite a bit. After about 45 minutes of backing around a buoy, the dock hands at the marina came out in the launch to lend a hand. They thought that I was stuck in reverse!!!!