Sicktght311
Active Member
- Sep 21, 2021
- 108
- Boat Info
- Sundancer 270
- Engines
- 7.4L MPI/Bravo3
I'll go first........
30ft LOA, 9ft beam, single screw, no bow thrusters
i have about an 11ft spacing between the pilings, BUT the space between the bow/stern sticking out of most boats on either side of the dock channel is no more than 45ft at best. Its a floating dock and there's about 6 of them total in the marina, so my slip is between 2 of those floating piers and its one of the more narrow ones. Most of the boats in my dock max out at 27ft, or are docked bow in with outdrives sticking out, but it was one of the only slips available until i can move over one of the the larger spaces, so i had to take it for this year
So first, getting out of my slip regularly requires a 3point turn just to give myself enough wiggle room to start pulling forward down the lane to get out.
Second, docking leaves NO room for error. I have to back the boat in stern-to, making sure to get the pivot correct and right on the money since there's not a ton of room to correct myself, but the wind is typically South or West, which means i'm either backing with a crosswind, or a wind pushing me into my slip (any my bow if i'm off ever so slightly). To top that off, with those strong South or West winds, it makes it almost impossible to try to back down the lane and back in facing the other direction, since there's very little room to turn around in general past my slip, and one wrong move and i'm broadside against a bunch of props. Forget about backing in from the end of the pier down to my slip. One gust and my bow is scraping props with no room for me to correct
So my docking procedure is always the same and has to be right on the money or i have to abort immediately.
1) Pull south into the channel/between my pier and the pier next to me, usually into the wind, or with a crosswind
2) Get just past my slip about 1/2 boat length, turn the bow about 25 degrees to starboard, then spin the wheel the other direction and pop into reverse gear
3) back the boat into the slip with a little more juice than i normally would if the winds were dead and try to get it right on the money between the pilings. If its perfect, then stop backwards momentum quick, let the bow come around in the wind if its south/southwest, and back down into the slip quick
4) if i'm off slightly try to have my wife on the swim platform pushing/guiding me between the pilings, and then pop it in reverse quick for backwards momentum into the slip
---Bonus that we have spring lines that run from the piling back to the dock on either side, that we use as cheaters. As soon as the boat's ass is in the slip, if we need extra help, my wife or I can also yank on them to walk the boat backwards into the slip.
*for Reference. The boat next to me with the blue bimini is 25ft
30ft LOA, 9ft beam, single screw, no bow thrusters
i have about an 11ft spacing between the pilings, BUT the space between the bow/stern sticking out of most boats on either side of the dock channel is no more than 45ft at best. Its a floating dock and there's about 6 of them total in the marina, so my slip is between 2 of those floating piers and its one of the more narrow ones. Most of the boats in my dock max out at 27ft, or are docked bow in with outdrives sticking out, but it was one of the only slips available until i can move over one of the the larger spaces, so i had to take it for this year
So first, getting out of my slip regularly requires a 3point turn just to give myself enough wiggle room to start pulling forward down the lane to get out.
Second, docking leaves NO room for error. I have to back the boat in stern-to, making sure to get the pivot correct and right on the money since there's not a ton of room to correct myself, but the wind is typically South or West, which means i'm either backing with a crosswind, or a wind pushing me into my slip (any my bow if i'm off ever so slightly). To top that off, with those strong South or West winds, it makes it almost impossible to try to back down the lane and back in facing the other direction, since there's very little room to turn around in general past my slip, and one wrong move and i'm broadside against a bunch of props. Forget about backing in from the end of the pier down to my slip. One gust and my bow is scraping props with no room for me to correct
So my docking procedure is always the same and has to be right on the money or i have to abort immediately.
1) Pull south into the channel/between my pier and the pier next to me, usually into the wind, or with a crosswind
2) Get just past my slip about 1/2 boat length, turn the bow about 25 degrees to starboard, then spin the wheel the other direction and pop into reverse gear
3) back the boat into the slip with a little more juice than i normally would if the winds were dead and try to get it right on the money between the pilings. If its perfect, then stop backwards momentum quick, let the bow come around in the wind if its south/southwest, and back down into the slip quick
4) if i'm off slightly try to have my wife on the swim platform pushing/guiding me between the pilings, and then pop it in reverse quick for backwards momentum into the slip
---Bonus that we have spring lines that run from the piling back to the dock on either side, that we use as cheaters. As soon as the boat's ass is in the slip, if we need extra help, my wife or I can also yank on them to walk the boat backwards into the slip.
*for Reference. The boat next to me with the blue bimini is 25ft