Tips on Docking a Boat
One of the truisms of boating is that docking is always easy when someone else does it. Actually, docking is easy when anybody does it, as long as that person takes the time to assess the docking area, pays attention to the direction and strength of any current that's running, pays attention to the speed and direction of the wind and carefully selects the appropriate method for the type of boat and situation.
Other People Are Reading
-
Docking with an Outboard Motor
-
The simplest method of docking is to allow nature to give you an extra margin of error: Approach the dock up-current---point your bow into the current and approach the dock at a shallow angle. That way you'll have better control of your boat throughout the docking process.
When your forwardmost cleat (the one nearest the bow--the front of the boat) is upstream of the bollard (the appendage on the pier you tie your boat to) on the pier to which you wish to tie up, come ahead at bare steerageway (as slow ahead as possible) with your rudder turned slightly away from the dock. The current will try to push you sideways. Don't oversteer, but turn your wheel very slightly into the current and increase your speed only until your sternward motion is checked. The speed of your forward motion that is equal to the speed of the current will cancel out. The speed of your forward motion in excess of the speed of the current will be dissipated by the current forcing your boat sideways toward the pier.
When your bow makes contact with the pier, have a deckhand drop the eye of a dock line over the bollard on the pier and tie off to the cleat on deck. Take your engine(s) out of gear, turn your wheel hard away from the dock and allow your boat to drift aft (backwards) until the line (called a spring line--you use it to "spring" to or away from the dock) becomes taut. With the spring line taut, the lower sections of the motor will catch the current and "sail" your stern (the back end of your boat) gently into the pier. Have your deckhand drop a line over a convenient bollard and secure the line to your stern cleat.
Docking in a Tight Space with a Spring Line and an Outboard Motor
-
A crowded dock, where boats are bow to stern separated by a few inches makes this technique particularly attractive. To deal with those conditions, it's a good idea to have a docking spring made up well before you need it. A docking spring is a line with eyes on both ends that is equal in length to the distance between your forwardmost cleat and the sternmost part of your boat, including outboard motors or any extensions, like dive platforms.
The procedure is simple. Set one eye of the docking spring over the fore cleat on the side of the boat that will be next to the pier. Move into the open "parking space" at a 45 degree angle until your bow is near enough to the pier that your deckhand can step off the bow with the unattached eye of the docking spring in hand. Have the hand drop the eye over the bollard where you will tie your stern.
Turn your bow away from the dock, at bare steerageway. Of course, your bow is tethered to the pier, so it will move forward and pull into the pier as the line draws taut. Hold your wheel hard away from the shoreside and your stern will pull in. Tie your stern in place by dropping the eye of a stern line over a bollard near your bow and securing the other end of the line to the sternmost cleat on your boat.
-
Tips and Tricks?
-
More sloppy docking jobs result from embarrassment than from poor technique. Remember two things: Bringing your boat safely to a pier requires a light hand, careful thought, planning and concentration. You can't make your boat violate the laws of physics any more than you can grow wings and fly. You can, however, learn how your boat moves in response to currents and wind, and use these environmental factors to your advantage.
If you plan to dock your boat and go ashore for lunch, a strong wind blowing toward the dock in the morning will assist you in "putting her in the hole." By the time you've had lunch and done your shopping, that wind will, if you're lucky, have shifted and be blowing in the opposite direction, making the job of undocking a lot easier. Likewise, a steady river current running alongside the pier will teach you to ease into the dock using different methods, depending on the strength of the current. You'll improve your technique through practice.
The other thing to remember about docking is that you should take all the time you need to do it and not let anyone rush you. People who tap their foot while waiting impatiently for you to put your boat in dock can maybe barely dock their own boat and that's why they are in a hurry: They need all the time they can get to do half as well as you.
Docking with a Cross-Spring line
-
Come into the dock at a 45 degree angle. Before you hit the dock, turn away from the dock and apply enough power astern to stop your boat with your stern near a bollard. Center your wheel and back straight toward the bollard at dead slow or bare steerageway.
Have a deckhand throw the eye of a stern line over the bollard and tie off to a stern cleat (the cleat at the back of the boat on the shoreward side of the boat). Turn your rudder away from the dock (if the dock is over the starboard side, turn the wheel to the left) and back at bare steerageway until the line comes taut. When the line comes taut, the stern will continue to try to turn to the port side, but will be anchored by the stern line you just put down and the bow will swing inward toward the pier. Have a hand throw a line over a convenient bollard forward and tie off to a deck cleat.
Tips About Your Dock Lines
-
Part of docking is "putting down" lines to keep you from moving around. On a large ship, there may be as many as 48 lines holding a ship in dock. Most small boats, though, need only a few.
The bow line runs forward from the bow. It doesn't need to be really tight, just pulled close and secured. It keeps your boat from moving aft and bumping into things behind it.
The stern line runs aft from the stern. Like the bow line, it can have a little slack. Its purpose is to keep your boat from moving forward and bumping the stern of the boat ahead of you.
The breast lines are the lines that run straight over from the side to the pier, to keep your boat close so you can step on and off easily.
Spring lines are used to "spring" away from or into the dock. A bow spring line runs aft from the first or second cleat on the shoreward side of the bow; a stern spring runs forward from the first or second cleat on the stern. The cross-spring is on the same cleat as the spring line, but crosses it in the opposite direction. A bow cross spring runs toward the bow, a stern cross-spring runs toward the stern
Unless some exceptionally heavy weather arises, these three lines will keep you properly docked.
To keep your dock lines in good condition, keep them clean. Rinse them with fresh water after each use. If they're nylon lines, grit and sand will work their way into the lay of the line (the twisted strands) and eventually work their way out the same way that sandpaper can eventually wear through a piece of wood. You can avoid this by scrubbing the lines with mild soap and water and a deck brush.
When not in use, store your dock lines in a deck box or other ventilated, well drained compartment.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Author
