The overriding mission of The Nuts & Bolts of Fishing and Boating is to bring you practical, real-world knowledge and skills you can use the next time you get on the water.

 

And for those of us with boats, no matter how experienced, we sometimes get butterflies when docking.  So many factors come into play when you're moving 3,000 to 15,000 pounds of fiberglass and gelcoat around on a fluid surface.   To some degree, it's like trying to steer your car on a sheet of teflon.  Spend an hour or so at the gas dock at virtually any marina on a summer Saturday afternoonn and you'll witness a whole new meaning to the word "Oops".

 

Current, wind, speed and momentum all converge at a single moment when you're trying to put ten pounds of potatoes into a five pound sack.   Try putting a 100 foot houseboat into a slip and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

In fact, docking a boat can be a reasonably simple process, but it takes practice and patience.  Go down to the charter docks one afternoon and watch those skippers nimbly maneuver a 60 foot sportfisher in between 100 other boats in a space you'd swear it would never fit.  Plus, they're BACKING it in !!!  And it you watch carefully, most of them never touch the wheel.  It's all done with the throttles. 

 

Here's a couple of pointers that will help you become a better 'close-quarters' helmsman (or woman).

 

First.   Take it slow and easy.   Unless it's really blowing or the current is really ripping, there's no reason to go charging into a boat slip.  Remember, boats have NO BRAKES.  The only way to stop the forward momentum is to apply reverse thrust or to physically hit something -- and that's not good.  Use your throttle sparingly, but don't ever kill your engine until you are secured to the dock.  So many people will get the boat pointed in the direction they want to go, and then shut down their motor, thinking someone is either going to catch them or they can reach over the side and grab the dock, thus stopping the boat.  And a lot of people get hurt or bang up their boat doing this.   Simply use a little forward throttle to set the process in motion... then NEUTRAL... see where the inertia is taking you...then adjust with a little more throttle (forward or reverse) and adjust your course as needed.   In this case, neutral is your friend and in most cases you never need to advance the throttle past idle speed.  Use just enough throttle to maintain headway and direction.

 

A good habit to get into is to make a practice approach and see how the wind and current might be affecting your heading.   Stay far enough away from the dock to give yourself enough time to make a correction or do a 'wave off'.   Airplane pilots do Touch And Go's on a regular basis.   You can do a similar type of maneuver by easing up alongside a dock and then easing off again.

 

Practice does make perfect, so try doing some docking attempts on a day when the marina is not busy.  

 

OK, secondly...wind and current will definitely affect the position of the boat as you're coming in.  So, when you're lining up for the slip, neutral the throttle for a few seconds and see what's going to happen.  If the wind or current is pushing you, you'll need to compensate for it.   That means you'll need to come in slightly below or above the slip as you make the approach.  Don't think you can simply steer your way around. The results won't be pretty.   I much prefer to make my approach into the wind or into the current.   You have a lot more control this way.  If you have the wind or current at your back, it's difficult to slow down, or even sit still. 

 

Next, have all your docklines ready.   And have a buddy go ahead and put out your fenders.  As you come alongside the dock, your momentum and speed should almost be non-existant.  At that point you can pitch a line across a dock cleat or piling and snug the boat up.  Remember, high power moves in close quarters are a recipe for disaster.   If the area is congested, like a boat launch at the end of the day, consider simply waiting a while --- away from the crowd.  Either idle around or drop an anchor (well away from the ramp) and watch all the antics of the other folks.   It's quite eye-opening.

 

Keep everyone in the boat until it is completely stopped. Literally hundreds of people get hurt each year trying to leap across to the dock. 

 

You can use these same tactics for putting the boat back on the trailer too.   After all, it's essentially just a slip on wheels.

 

It's really hard to describe all the nuances of docking in print, so we've included a video clip to help you visualize the way to do it.

 

Remember, always file a float plan, have the requried (up to date) USCG safety gear on the boat, and take a boating safety course offered by the US Power Squadron.