www.iFourWinns.com

Hi everyone,
I have been boating since about 2000, however I have never owned my own boat. I can't claim to be a good boater, but I do know more than many of the stupid people that drop some cash on a boat and hit the water.
There is another thread here that talks about all the stupid things that people have done while boating, but can we remember that we all had to learn at some point.
To date the worst docking mistake made by me, was made in the Finger Lakes (NY State). The boat lift is attached along side the cement sea wall. It was very windy , and when I pulled into the lift, the bow went into the port side sharply. So I hit reverse (with the wheel turned sharply) and the stern went into the diving board. The diving board took out the port side window, and I cut my bare foot on the broken glass. All of this happened with about 35 people watching me. And the boat was a 2004 Colbalt bowrider (25 feet), it is owned by a close family friend that reacted in a calm fashion to my mistake.
So my question is what tips can everyone offer to make me a better boater? Most importantly I want to be able to dock well. I have NEVER docked at a bar/rest on the lake because of all the other boats in those slips. It makes me VERY nervous. Please help an active learner.

Thanks,
Zack

I am sure some of the senior boaters here will have alot of great tips about judging wind and current and knowing your boat. But the biggest comment i had when helping my father-inlaw learn to dock his pontoon boat was to just take it slow, if things dont look right back away and start over. The faster youre moving the more counteraction you need to and the more likely you are to over-correct and before you know it your out of control.

After a month of leanring the boat by almost drifting into his shorestation with minor slow corrections, he now flies into it and stops it on a dime.

just my 2 cents to start with.

_________________
2008 H210:
- Two tone Navy Blue, Silver and Yellow
- 5.0GXi/SX 270hp
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 5.9 Laramie

Ah yes, practice but do it when it is not windy out and there are not a lot of people watching what you're doing. The way I learned how to dock was basically coming into our gas dock in Northport Long Island, it is a nice long dock and there are usually attendants to help you. I keep the boat on a mooring and go out to the boat on a dinghy. So the only time I had to dock was to pick up people who didn't want to ride in the dinghy or to go to the gas dock. I went over there on days that were calm and not busy (summer weekdays or really early in the morning when the wind is always less). At first I was too hesitant to dock if there was not a lot of space in case I miscalculated, like 2 boat lenghts. Now I have done it so many times I can get it in between 2 boats without too much stress. Do not attempt docking on a windy day, it is really too hard for a beginner docker. You need to learn to pay attention to wind, currents/tides and also keep in mind that a single prop boat does not move straight a head or a stern. In foward a right hand prop will move the stern of the boat slightly to the starboard side and in reverse, it will move it to port. Of course with an IO or OB you can compensate for this. The wind can move you into the dock or push you away. So can the current or tide. You will usually have better control docking into the wind if you can.

practice practice, etc on calm days when no one is out there, it will come but it takes time.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

+1 to take it real slow .You could practice by throwing a buoy in the water and just practice coming along side of it and bringing the boat to a stop. This way if you get it wrong no damage and no crowds laughing at you. Also if you bring the boat to a stop a few boat lengths before the dock , then drop it into gear briefly just to get the boat moving, then coast, if necessary repeat .
Hope this helps
Ardy
South Oz

_________________
Ardy
Adelaide South Australia
Red H180 3.0 Merc

To add a bit, the thing that mechanically will help you is to make sure the shifting system of the boat works just like it should and the engine is in proper tune so the idle is low enough to allow smooth shifting and that it does not stall when shifting. If you buy that boat with the Cobra in it, you really have to make sure of this! That's why I made a point of the importance of good available service.
When I got mine (14 years old then!) it shifted into gear OK but would not go into neutral well. Imagine trying to dock, when you THINK its in neutral but it's really in reverse or foward!

I got it to a great mechanic and now she shifts with 2 fingers just like a Cobra should!

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Great tips, I've been a boat owner for a couple years but a boater for much much longer and in college I was the driver and it can be tough. My tips are mostly repeats but a couple new ones.

First, don't ever try to dock the first few times without a friend on the front and back of the boat. Atleast these folks can help catch the boat before smacking into the dock.

Second, as said in every post take it very slow. I learned quick with my new, more powerful, and much longer boat that just a little idle speed goes a long way. I stop way short and see how far I float before giving it another touch of throttle.

Third, if your a new boater make sure you buy the 8inch or larger buoeys, I don't care how small your boat is, they will save you in many cases.

I've learned whether by myself or with one other person which is a little easier to drift slowly into the dock. Hook your docking line onto the front and the back. Then as we get close I go in neutral and one stands front and the other back. Then jump off the boat with the line in your hand and pull the boat into where you want it. I am capable of driving it right in, hitting reverse and stopping the boat but many things (waves, wakes, wind) can screw with even a seasoned boater. So for me (and this goes for tying up to another boat) I would rather stay a couple feet off the dock, jump onto the dock and pull her in.

Oh and Mike, I really like the new pic. Going to need a closer shot, maybe the hull id just to make sure that isn't just another Four Winns picture you found on the internet.

_________________
2008 Four Winns 224 Funship 5.0 GXI/DP Black w/ Tower
2007 GMC Crew Cab Short Bed / Bose Ed.
2007 Fourwinns H180 (SOLD)

"There are no stupid questions, only stupid people"

My three tips
1] its easier to pull the boat in reverse then push it in forward
2] never approach something faster then your willing to hit it
3] practice

_________________

That's the whole key.

Practice using your throttle like a thruster. Learn how to swing your stern sideways. A good exercise is to get into a calm cove and learn how to make your boat spin in a circle.

_________________


Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I have to do quite a lot of forward and reverse moves to get into my slip and I would be lost without the steering indicator gizmo that sticks to the centre of the wheel "see photo" It may be a common thing in the US, but not that common in the UK. Hope this helps.

_________________
Regards
Beyond the Blue

"If we improve with age I'm now excellent"


Ex 1998 238 Vista 5.0Gi SX DP
Lexus RX300

Hi--We all end up sideways at one time or another. Just learn from it.
A few quick pointers The manoeuver that has helped me the most is approaching a dock at 45 degrees or less,
to stop forward motion and swing the stern in --put into reverse and turn towards the dock. If you are using
twins, then starboard in neutral, and port engine in reverse. Some people have even thought I had a thruster
by the way the boat comes around. (note--this is for starboard docking)
2. If you have help on the dock--make sure you tell them what to do--i.e. when they get a line, put it around
a cleat, then you can work with it. They will loose a tug or war if they don't!
3. Slow and easy. I watched I guy dock a 65 Hatteras into an impossibly tight spot--no thruster. I asked him
what his secret was--just take your time and if you are not sure start over and don't pay any attention
to who may be looking at you.
4. Find someone with a boat who can perhaps spend some time teaching you a few things on your own boat.
Most would be glad help a newcomer.

What is that Gizmo Beyond?? Does it show position of the leg??

BTW I'm originally from Manchester (Urmston) - where do you go boating there??

_________________


Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

All boats handle differently. A single engined bowrider will handle very differently than a twin engined inboard cruiser. So it's hard to offer advice that works in all circumstances.

What does always apply is experience with your boat is the only way to improve your skills. No amount of text will ever help more than behind-the-helm experience.

That said, the wrong speed is not your friend. Note, I wrote "the wrong speed" not "too fast". Some boats handle very inconsistently at too slow a speed. My 348, for example, has much more positive handling when I give it just a bit more throttle than just being clicked into the first idle position on the throttles. The difference between, say, 3mph vs 4.5 is astounding when it comes to maneuvering through the marina when there's wind present.

For me the key to successful docking is paying attention to where the boat is GOING to be in the next two or three steps of maneuvering. Not so much what's going on NOW and or what's going to happen immediately next. Getting a feel for how the boat is being pushed about due to currents or winds, and how that will affect the boat is key. I think of it along the lines of feeling just where the "point of no return" might be if the conditions present got out of hand. Knowing where that point is, and avoiding it BEFORE getting to it, makes all the difference in docking.

BE VERY CAREFUL about thinking people's hands can safely fend off the boat. This is a BAD IDEA. A boat weighs thousands of pounds, hands and feet are no more than hamburger when they get between the boat and anything else. You really do not want to get into the habit of EVER depending on manual efforts to dock the boat. Same deal with expecting people to leap off the boat onto a dock. Have you ever seen how nasty a wound you can get by slipping on a dock and getting a large splinter gouging up into, say, the back of a thigh? I saw that happen to some poor bastard a few years back and he was on crutches/can for two eff'ing YEARS because of it. I shudder to think of the possible dental injuries of falling into the edge of a dock or piling. It just seems like an astoundingly bad practice.

As for heckling audiences on shore, you're on a boat, they're on dirt. Who's having the better time?

_________________
-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

For sure that is good advice, about not letting anyone fend off or try to stop the boat by hand. No jumping on the dock either, a cleat can really hurt you bad, trip to ER is no fun. I think a good thing to do is to practice in an open area, just going ahead dead slow at idle, then coasting, then just touching reverse for an instant, then quickly to neutral to stop the boat. Once you know how to make the boat stop, you will have confidence that you will not crash into the dock. You always want to get the boat close enough that you can step off onto the dock with the boat stopped. Keep in mind if you are docking with the starboard side toward the dock (many seem to because it's easier to judge how close you are since you're standing on that side) when you hit reverse the stern may come out to the port a bit unless you steer slightly away from the dock as you nose it in. Asymmetric thrust has to be understood and used to help you.
Make sure you have the fenders and lines in the right places before you come in. I try to keep the lines where I can get to them easily, that way when I step off the boat, I have both lines in my hands and can pull the boat in a bit if needed and move it to where the dock cleats are located. If the wind is blowing the boat away from the dock, you really want to be able to control it with the lines until you can tie it up.
And these techniques work fine with smaller boats, let's say up to 22 feet or so, bigger and heavier boats really need more than one person to help out at least in the beginning, the high wind profile work against you if it's windy.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Alec
Urmston eh! know it well, your not missing much mate. The gismo's actual name is a Rulan Rudder Position Indicator, it shows the position of the leg in relation to the steering wheel, preventing over and understeer, simple and only costs a few quid.
http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/controls-wheels-steering/rudder-position-indicator510327.bhtml

I live in Radcliffe 8 miles north of Manchester, and boat in Cardigan Bay, Wales. I berth in Aberystwyth Marina.

_________________
Regards
Beyond the Blue

"If we improve with age I'm now excellent"


Ex 1998 238 Vista 5.0Gi SX DP
Lexus RX300

Which only works for sterndrive boats as inboards do not have a fixed correlation between the wheel and the rudders. For those it's typical to have a rudder position indicator gauge on the helm. Still, that's a clever gadget.

_________________
-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista