Singlehand docking

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persistence]

Use fenders and leave dock lines on the dock

Use horizontal fenders along both sides of your finger dock and use wheel bumpers at both ends. That will keep you from scratching up your boat if you hit the dock. THEN QUIT WORRYING ABOUT BANGING UP YOUR BOAT AND DRIVE IT IN. Leave your docklines on the dock and pick them up with a boat hook if you come in bow first. If you back in as I do, you just step off the back after you are stopped and put them on your boat cleats. Unless the wind or current is from front to back of the slip, the boat isn't going anywhere. Loop the ends of all your docklines (at the right length) but one stearn cleat and use that to make your final adjustment in the slip. Undo that one first when getting underway. You need to practice using prop walk, forward and reverse and you will be surprised how easy it is to manuever a sailboat with the engine. You must have some forward speed - I use about 1.5 to 1.9 knots until I am sure to make the slip like I want, then I coast in, reverse thrust to brake and then finess the boat forward and back if necessary. I am convinced most people's docking problems are mental - not their ability to handle the boat. Docking is a piece of cake if you quit worrying about it. Now I do find it more difficult in a pier docking situation than finger docks because I also worry about scratching my boat. Get over the scratching and you will do fine.

 

[John]

I have one !

Steve anything that makes your boating more enjoyable and safer( since you,re a singlehander like me)is a good thing.Don't listen to people who are still mad because someone invented fiberglass and the GPS system.Since I installed mine this summer,3 of my neighbours have bought one and everyone is glad they did.

 

[Bill C320 Papillon]

guess the file was too big

sorry

 

[NautiDuck]

Chill out people

I used to like to use this site but not much any more. It seems to have attracted a fair number of people who think they are God's gift to sailing.If you don't have anything constructive/helpful to say then take your fingers off the keyboard. This is a forum for people to ask questions and get help. Berating them because they are a newbie or don't do things like you is not helpful.You folks who have berated this guy for asking the question about the docking system - Do you know him or anything about him, his crew or anything else?Maybe it is time for some of you crusty old salts to go back down to the docks and scrape barnacles off your wooden hulls.

 

[Moody Buccaneer]

Excuse me ...

for having an opinion.How can anyone expect to be good at something they do only once or twice a month for 6-9 months a year? If you are lucky to sail in a warm climate and can sail year around and you use your boat every week, that's still only 52 docking attempts a year. If a practice attempt takes 15 minutes you can have a years worth of docking practice done in one weekend (12 hours). If you pay yourself $1000 (that you would have spent on the bow catcher), it works out to $83.33 an hour to learn docking skills, and you still have the $1000. If you buy the bow catcher, you have not improved your skills, and are $1000 poorer.No one jumps off the boat when I bring the boat to the dock. If I cannot bring the boat to a stop so I can step off, I have failed to execute the manoeuvre properly. No big deal, I make a second or third or forth attempt ... I'm no great sailor, just an experienced and practiced one.I think my point is valid, if you *NEED* a bow catcher to dock safely, you are limited to only docking in places that have such devises. What do you do when you go to the gas dock? Make a low speed pass, toss a line to the pump kid and hope you don't pull them off the dock before you get the boat stopped?If you don't have good boat handling skills ... go practice and learn some.This thing costs $1000, that's 500 beer. Spend a few hours, days, weeks practicing boat handling and docking. Bow in , stern in, approaching up-wind, down-wind, cross-wind, port-side to, and starboard side to. Give your self a beer every time you or your crew can step off the boat onto the dock. The goal is to get drunk. I'll bet you have good docking skills long before you run through $1000 worth of beer. In my opinion, if you can't put your boat where you want it, when you want it, you are out of control. If that offends you, tough. ;{

 

[Ross]

Very well said Moody.

Randy K, When someone expresses the opinion that good boat handling skills are more important than gadgets and novice sailors should be diligent in learning them rather than looking for a short cut. That also is good instruction. As to impressing the dock gang, just ignore them and learn your skills and wait for the day they come in short handed with an adverse wind.

 

[Benny]

A neighbor of mine did something similar

but with lines. He made a "Y" tying a 1/2" line to a pole in the front with a loop extending about 4-5' out and then tied a line going to each pole at the port and starboard sides. He tied it about a foot above the high tide mark. He uses it to stop the boat while he gets the lines; the boat usually rests a couple of feet back from the "Y" when tied to the dock so the tides do not affect the lines. I always thought it was interesting but have not had a desire to copy it. It may not be a bad idea as a couple of times I have come close to tapping the the dock with my bow.

 

[NautiDuck]

Tips without taunting

I have no problem with people giving tips but the snide comments are uncalled for. Read the post by tom h. Completely uncalled for.

 

[Ross]

Randy K, Sometimes you just have to

consider the source. Almost all of the responses to this thread have been positive or at least in good natured jesting. I personally thought the devise was clever but not of any real utility. It probably works but how do you get from the boat to the dock? it catches and holds the boat centered in the slip. Perhaps the same folks sell gang planks?

 

[Fred]

Get a line tied to the middle of your boast (some

typos deserve to live) put two fat fenders, one four feet forward and one four feet aft of the line. Toss that line to the fellow on the dock, or step ashore with it, or have your crew step ashore with it.This keeps the fellow on the dock from ruining your steering by pulling the bow or stern in at an inopportune moment.If you pull the centre of the boat in, the bow and stern will usually follow.If the breast line (a breast cleat is the cleat at the centre of the boat) is tied to the dock, a little foward on the engine will bring the boat in and keep it there (on the afore mentioned fenders) while you get a couple more lines attached.If theres no room forward, a little reverse will do the same thing.If you want to look really slick, when the wind is right, dock so that the breeze is blowing toward the dock. Just hold the boat with a bit of forward and reverse, and let the wind push you in while you sip a beer and look casual. When the boat is against the dock, set the beeer down, step ashore and tie her up.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Many keep saying step ashore with it or

have your crew jump onto the dock.Moody nailed it. You should NOT have to get off your boat to tie up. Ever. No one. (unless there are rings on your docks, which, first, should be outlawed as unacceptable by boaters, and second should be pulled out of the docks and thrown overboard along with the dock architect who put them in)Using a midships spring line which put over the stern dock cleat and returned to the boat, requires no one to ever even consider getting off the boat to dock.We leave our dock lines at our slip and pick them up with our boat hook when the boat is there. I still cannot believe why anyone takes their dock lines with them. That's not because of $$, but you can buy short 15 ft. docklines to leave at your slip because you NEED MUCH longer ones at other places (i.e., EVERYWHERE else you go).Learn to put your boat where it should be, when, as Moody says, you want it there. Sure, stuff happens, but that's boating. This point is NOT that we're perfect, but that we too have problems coming in sometimes, because stuff happens, but the fear factor is gone because we practiced.I continue to recommend that people spend their first weekend or so with their new boats doing NOTHING BUT docking. Spending all that $$ on a boat and then ruining an entire beautiful sailing day because of the rigors of, as Moody says, 50 times a year "docking" makes no sense to me.Randy, tom h's post was tongue-in-cheek and, I thought, quite humorous. Perhaps some don't share the same sense of humor, but chill works both ways.

 

[NautiDuck]

If it helps you enjoy sailing get it

Steve, if you like the product and it meets a need, and you can afford it, go for it. Pete from Toronto says he likes his and others in his marina have gotten them too. I bet he'd be happy to give you more information. The demo on the web site looks pretty reasonable to me and the mechanics seem sound. Reducing the stress of docking is a worthwhile goal. Getting one of these devices does not, contrary to popular opinion around here, mean that you are not a good sailor or are forever banished from other docking sites. If this helps you and the Admiral have a more enjoyable sail at your home port then that is well worth it. The most important thing is to enjoy using your boat. Good luck.

 

[chuckwayne]

easy docking

Jerry's got it right! we follow his approach but have added a dock pole-called a dock catcher- that holds our lines up at deck height. as we back in, a crew member picks up the springline from the end of the dock and drops it on the midships cleat. with the engine idling in reverse, the tension on the spring holds the boat nicely against the dock while we secure the bow and stern lines. it works single handed, too.

 

[Terry Cox]

I solo sail 98% of the time, but even when the...

the admiral is aboard I normally handle all of the docking procedures. I will almost always cast off taking our dock lines with us expecting to need them at some distant dock. Many docks around these parts do not have standard metal cleats, rather raised horizontal timbers to thread dock lines through. Either way I cannot imagine securing the dock lines on our boat without getting off. The first thing I do when the boat touches the dock and stops is to step off and secure the midship line. Once the boat settles down I secure the rest of the lines from the dock.Terry

 

[Ernie]

everybody seems to off the main idea here

Just about every response here refers to having the crew scoop up the lines at the appropriate time. If you read the original post, it refers to coming in alone without crew I for one might be willing to try something like this when I go out alone. Making a soft landing in a marina under constant attack from ferry wakes and shifting winds in a 33 footer by yourself is a bit dicey no matter what your experience level (soemtimes even with a good crew).I agree that $1000 is a tad on the steep side!! I'm going to try and fabricate one of the "Y" systems out of spare lines.

 

[Mike]

Lines between the pilings

If you have fixed docks you generally have pilings between the slips. If you do tie some dock lines between the pilings to catch you from being pushed into the neighboring slip/boat. Use something in the 5/8 range and string them as tight as you can. When you come in either bow or stern to you have something you can grab with a boat hook. Worse case you get blown against the leeward lines/pilings and you'll just have to pull like hell to get yourself over. Something else to try if you have midship cleats on your boat is to pull in as tight to windward as possible, tie the windward spring line onto the midship cleat and then gently power up. The spring line will act as a fulcrum and pull you over to the dock. Done with a little practice you'll be able to put her in the slip nice and neat with time to grab the other windward lines. Best first practiced with crew on board in more benign conditions if possible but doable solo if need be.

 

[Mike]

I'd try lines first

I rented for a season at a marina in Dunkirk, NY. The slips were 2 abreast between fingers. There were pilings between the slips. Many of the people there took two lines and tied them crisscross like an X in their slips. When they came in the bow would catch the lines, snug them up, and prevent the bow from striking the dock. If you have the pilings, give that a try first. I'd also take a walk around the marina and look at what other people are doing, and talk to a few of them.

 

[Paul]

Y-line

Y-line is the way to go. Bring the boat in and it nestles in the lines, certainly long enough for you to grab the one or two lines that you need to cleat to keep the boat from blowing back out of the Y. You can then cleat all the other lines at your leisure. Some folks here have permanent Y's, but I rig one before I go out, using my rear springs and an eye I added at the front center of the slip. More of a V, really, from front-center to each rear corner of the slip. Provides a tighter cradle. Using this I've taken my 356 in and out of the slip without incident, singlehanded.

 

[Mike]

Stern to?

The "Y" is nice for "bow to" but how about those who pull in "stern to"?

 

[Ross]

Georgetown Mike , We dock stern to at Owens

and most owners run parallel lines from the outer pilings to the dock. One of my neighbors clips a short line from his stern pulpit to one of those long lines and just backs in. With a couple of fenders hanging on the stern I can back in and hold the boat to the dock with the engine while I pick up my dock lines.