Discouraging day

skennelly

Been handling my boat pretty good but today I looked like I just bought her at the docks.

Was a day I wished I had twins or a thruster.

Current was bad around the docks and my approach to the situation wasn't good.  Got blown around a bit...luckily didn't touch any other boats.  But very discouraging.

Trying to learn from it and shake it off.

Willhound

It happens. I classify any landing where I don't hit anything and make it into the slip as a "good" landing. Some are just better than others.....

skennelly

Thanks @Willhound my issues were leaving my slip LOL.

rasbury

Hey, it happens coming or going- don't worry about it.

212rowboat

if you wanna look like you know what you're doing, like REALLY know what you're doing in a situation like that:  put out the fenders early.  wind and water can't be tamed- we just work with it when it allows.  

skennelly

@212rowboat good advice.  I did have bumpers out so I did something right .  Thanks for the support fellow boaters.

rasbury

It's like riding a motor cycle, dress to crash.

Michael T

@skennelly, may I say, having boated for over 5 decades, any boater who hasn't had a few close calls has been playing with their boat in the bath tub. :-)

A few years ago I was exiting a big marina on a very windy day. I had Axius set on docking mode. As I passed a big waterfront hotel I got hit by a tremendous wind directly on my starboard side. In the time it took to switch from docking mode to full throttle Axius mode I had been driven 10 feet to port. As soon as full Axius was available I jammed the joystick to full Starboard side. By the time the Axius stabilized the boat the Admiral told me our hard top was less than six inches from a line of anchors of docked boats. The Axius saved me a LOT of money not to mention embarrassment.

I should have checked the conditions better. I was complacent and over confident - hubris, for sure!.......big lesson learned.

Willhound

skennelly said:

Thanks @Willhound my issues were leaving my slip LOL.

Well....I have a small 16 foot fishing boat beside me..a few weeks ago as I was pulling out the wind caught me and I went sideways.  My swim platform caught the edge of his cover and caused a small friction hole. About the size of a dime. I haven't seen the owner since but I did point it out to the marina staff and let them know that when/If they see the owner to mention it, or I will. I'll either fix it or replace it as needed. The point is, if I had left my buoys out until out of the marina it might not have happened. So my new procedure is all buoys out in and out of the marina and a boat hook ready to push off if need be.
I guess the point is we can all do the best we can with piloting, procedures, bouys etc. But boats ride on a virtually non friction surface and are subject to external factors like wind and current.  Sometimes "poop" happens.

gtyee

Windy days suck even with axius, just have to be patient and slow going and be ready with the fenders!

gtyee

Even a windy day is tough with the axius, I leave boutson both sidesof the boat just in case .

212rowboat

... storm rolling in yesterday afternoon- a significant one.  tides were low.  a friend who is having engine issues with his 300hp yamaha on a 23' dual console is launching at the end of my street into the ICW after resolving those issues- and with intent to run the boat over to his lift about a mile away by water... 

low tides means the boat can't be properly floated off the trailer- the ramp abruptly stops and drops about three feet- he had to power off the trailer.. 

tide is ripping one way- winds another (and not full value, but a quartering value), and it's shallow... 

this fella wrestled with that boat for five minutes before he finally got a straight line out of the channel.  he looked a fool... there were people at the docks and ramp watching him- and instead of looking down their noses at such they had this look of dread "my turn is next".... yup.  

gotta be prepared for such things, and realize you must work with what you have... coaxing and compromise on your lines- fighting it rarely ends well, and neither does doing nothing. 

BellevilleMXZ

Ya, dont sweat it, we all have those days. I had a bad saturday, coming in, it had got windy, and out of practice from over the winter. Wind kept swing bow out, and had to pull out and come in again, as Im on  the end of the dock. Coming back in got crossed up again, and wind got me into someones anchor. No damage to his but 2 new chips in mine. All the while some woman on a stick boat, mouthing about how bad I was doing and maybe I should dock somewhere else. 

Stodge

Been there, done that.  I had a time last season when I was trying to back into a well for a rendezvous with my boat club.  It took 13 attempts to get into the slip.  i had current and wind against me and just couldn't get the thing to cooperate.  In the end I needed a little more throttle than I was using.  

212rowboat

i once watched a fella approaching a channel do the complete opposite of what made sense to me... he purposely unfurled his stowed bimini top.... it went WOOF as it filled with air and pushed him against/opposite his intended direction.  the current was not being cooperative, though the wind was.  his profile was small enough that the current was winning, until he used that bimini like a sail.  he was coming off plane into that tricky channel i've spoken of several times, pulled back on throttle still in gear- likely idle- pulled his wife to the helm as the boat lost ground, unfurled that bimini and jumped back to the helm- it was two seconds later he was in a straight line and didn't deviate all the way to the dock... smart dude.  i learned from him. 

craigswardmtb

The single screw 270's are just awful in close quarters combat.  I am so glad to not have that boat anymore when it comes to docking.......  I would like to say it won't happen again, but most likely it will just happen less frequently.  
Shake it off and better luck next time...
Have you thought about a thruster?

zaverin1

True twins give you more control 
I usually leave my side and front windows up attached to bimini.
front has an oval window that is always rolled up to let air thru the boat
anway docking in my new marina is interesting to say the least with all the canvas up acting lile
a sail lol
you learn to power in even with twins

MarkB

Don't sweat it. It happens to all of us. Most of the guys with twins couldn't do any better. Did you have any neighbors at the dock to help? 

rasbury

If ya ain't banging into something you ain't boatin....

skennelly

@MarkB yeah had a dock neighbor assist and got me on track...would have been tough without him.

@craigswardmtb - thruster isn't in the pocket book for this boat.

skennelly

Again thanks everyone.  Today came back to the dock from the trip that started this with current in the harbor and backed her into the slip like a champ.  Lol