How to Dock a Keelboat Into a Slip Under Power

Most people prefer to use a motor when maneuvering into a slip. Start your engine and drop and furl your sails while you're still in open water. Put out the fenders, and motor slowly into the docking area. The next steps are easy if you follow these guidelines.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Boat Hook
• Deck Shoes
• Sailboats
• Sailing Gloves

1. Draw an imaginary center line down the middle of the ship. Now approach the slip from any angle within a 90-degree arc of this line.
2. Position your boat about five boat lengths away from the slip.
3. Reduce speed to bare steerage way.
4. Move toward the slip, pointing your boat at the center of the slip.
5. Turn toward the slip at about one and a half boat lengths from the slip. Adjust your position enough to enter the slip at the smallest possible angle.
6. Shift to neutral.
7. Watch the beam on the side of the boat that's closer to one of the docks. You may not be able to make your final turn straight into the slip unless the beam has cleared the corner of the dock.
8. Have fenders in place or assign a crew member to suspend a fender by a line at the point where the boat comes closest to the dock.
9. Instruct the crew to step off the boat onto the dock on the side that comes closest to a dock - no acrobatic leaps.
10. Use dock lines around cleats to slow the boat to a stop. Let the lines slip over the cleats while applying moderate resistance rather than tying them fast before the boat has come to a stop.
11. Use reverse if necessary to slow the boat.
12. Secure the dock lines.

Tips & Warnings

• Slower is always better when you're close to docks and other boats.
• Don't be afraid to hit the dock. You won't do any damage to the boat or the dock if you're going slow.
• If conditions are windy, expect to be blown off your course. Add more throttle to control the boat.
• If you find yourself heading uncontrollably toward some object, it's probably too late to use your engine to avoid collision. Use fenders to cushion any contact or fend off manually if you can do it without injury to crew. Fenders bend - bones break.