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Docking sux, any advice?

Resqu2

Resqu2

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Meadowview, Va
So I'm new to boating, always been a jet ski guy. I'm on a busy lake and it's always windy, at least when we are out. Our dock space is a double and has a good size cruiser type boat beside us and I have around 2ft of extra room when parked. This 2ft leaves NO room for error when docking. Last week the wind was pretty good and the wife was trying to pull it in and my only job is keeping us from hitting the other boat and we smacked the dock pretty good, the dock worker saw us and came and helped, I think he thought we hit the other boat is why he really came down but we didn't. This past trip I actually dropped the trolling motor and just used it and surprisingly this worked better than running the outboard but it still wasn't easy because of the tight space.

The Marina is packed this year so asking for another larger space isn't an option I don't think. I see others that have a worse time than me but I see some just drive right in in worse conditions than what I go out in. I'm sure practice makes perfect but it's hard to practice when your so afraid of hitting another boat which just isn't an option. It's only me and the wife so we don't have an extra person to help which would be great but most of the time that's not an option. Any helpful advice??
 
Resqu2 said:
So I'm new to boating, always been a jet ski guy. I'm on a busy lake and it's always windy, at least when we are out. Our dock space is a double and has a good size cruiser type boat beside us and I have around 2ft of extra room when parked. This 2ft leaves NO room for error when docking. Last week the wind was pretty good and the wife was trying to pull it in and my only job is keeping us from hitting the other boat and we smacked the dock pretty good, the dock worker saw us and came and helped, I think he thought we hit the other boat is why he really came down but we didn't. This past trip I actually dropped the trolling motor and just used it and surprisingly this worked better than running the outboard but it still wasn't easy because of the tight space.

The Marina is packed this year so asking for another larger space isn't an option I don't think. I see others that have a worse time than me but I see some just drive right in in worse conditions than what I go out in. I'm sure practice makes perfect but it's hard to practice when your so afraid of hitting another boat which just isn't an option. It's only me and the wife so we don't have an extra person to help which would be great but most of the time that's not an option. Any helpful advice??
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Unfortunately, there isn't just one solution to this situation. It just comes with experience. Pontoons are a different deal and with only a single engine, no thrusters (other than the trolling motor), they behave like a giant sail, out of control at times.

A couple of things we did when we first started. We practiced together as a team in the middle of the lake with mooring buoys, no pressure, no time constraints, mistakes are free. It helped us relax a little and learn some of the reflexes of the boat in open water, with some modest wind. The other thing I learned, more from handling direct drive inboards a lot, was to use your power/forward thrust to advantage. Generally I power it in firmly, but still gentle enough to give it a quick reverse if I "miss" slightly. With the aforementioned practice it didn't quite take the nerves of steel as one might think. Plenty of bumpers and a good dock setup also help, preferably with someone on the dock who's used to handling lines.

Hope that helps and unfortunately it demands practice, practice, practice ;-)
 
Our boats are basically sails at low speeds when windy. I'm only 3 weeks into the pontoon world but am an experienced boater and served in the Coast Guard many moons ago. I have learned rather quickly that you must judge the wind aim you vessel accordingly and let the wind do the work. Yes docking in easy conditions takes practice and the wind only makes it harder. A couple times already I've had my wife yelling I'm gonna hit the dock and then just glide right in. You should always have some fenders out on the side your neighbor is on just to be safe. Best of luck and keep practicing and it'll be easy in no time.
 
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That's the most stressful part of boating, and knowing you have that waiting for you doesn't help make the last hour on the water fun.

As stated, use lots of fenders. Have a boat hook or two ready. Get all the gates open and stuff out of the way so you can move quickly. Explain to passengers that it is very stressful and they need to stay seated until you give the word they can move. If you can approach the end of the dock straight on and let one person off to help grab the boat as you come in, that helps. Make sure they know they can be pulled off the dock easily so be careful. Have ropes tied to cleats and have them loosely looped so they can be thrown without tangles. I had a guy jump off my boat once when we were just at the dock but not tied up yet. The force of him jumping sent the front of the boat away from the dock so far I could not recover and had to back up and do it again. If someone is on the dock nearby, ask for a little help. Every boater knows what it's like to dock. Don't be afraid to ask. If you get to know the guy in the slip next to you, ask him to leave fenders out on his boat too. Know what prop walk is and use it. It is incredibly valuable in tight quarters. As stated above, practice in the middle of the lake with a pool noodle. Pretend it is the dock. I come in usually at about a 30 degree angle to the dock, dock on the port side, fairly quickly, then reverse gear and turn toward then dock. This will pull the back of the boat towards the dock while slowing the boat. I've had others watching think I was going to hit the dock or come in at a bad angle, only to have the boat pull itself up to the dock sideways Captain Ron style. That's the normal procedure for no wind. You have to modify it based on wind conditions. Hope this helps. It does take practice and is unnerving with a $40+k boat.
 
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The bumper suggestion would be great if I was beside another pontoon or smaller boat but the size and shape of the neighbor makes bumpers useless although I have 3 hung off each side I really only need them on the dock side of my boat. I do realize this will get easier the more we do it but it's nerve racking right now as I don't want to hit the dock or the neighbor. I need to snap a few pics of my space the next time I'm there.

I did watch a boat load of girls dock theirs over the weekend, they came in so fast I jumped up to watch, everyone on board was scrambling to get it stopped and it ended up completely sideways in the slip, thank goodness their neighbor was out on the lake.
 
Take some strong men friends with you when you go out on windy days.  Sometimes you can manhandle a boat coming in.

Docking at anytime takes practice, practice, practice.

Our boathouse is located on "big water" and it's sometimes tough to bring in the boat with 5 mph whitecaps from the side.  I start downwind and make a 90 degree turn into the boathouse--powered.  So far, so good.

The problem with pontoons is their square noses.  They don't kiss off a dock like a V-hull boat will.  If you hit a dock with the nose, the boat's going to stop immediately.  It's going to take anyone standing off their feet.
 
A pic would help.

I keep lines attached to the dock and use a hook to grap. 1 passenger on the hook and your good to go
 
I am also a newbie.  Here is my advice; I went out for a number of weeks and practiced docking my Benny at 5am when no one was around to see me.  Of course before I diod that I made sure my slip was set up with top of the line protection and I practiced with 4 fenders on each of the boat sides. 

My friend who also bought a pontoon the same year as me had a slip on a very tight marina.  In the beginning one of his sons would swim to the dock and haul him from a tethered line.  Later that summer because he was forced to dock in tight quarters I was amazed at how well he could control that boat.  The moral is - practice makes perfect
 
Listen here. I'm an experienced boater, and even I think you have very little room to work with. With variables like wind, boat speed, waves/wake, it's going to be hard to park perfectly with the space you have. I suggest going slowly and having someone at the stern (or yourself...let wifey drive) to assist in landing the boat. Nothing wrong with that. Don't sweat this too much, you are in some very tight space!
 
Always go slowly and learn how to use a spring line. I am a huge fan of it to get tucked in on a windy day. I bought my last year and I remember my first time out I couldn't get it off the dock. A couple tries later and I realized that I was rushing every move I made. Now I make sure to shed all my speed and use the 2 second throttle and off rule to make sure i still have steering. Mostly I just take my time and learned what my boat can do...

I still white knuckle it at the beginning of the season.... 
 
Be patient and realize that you are not the first nor the last.

My old slip had less distance between the b an c pier than my boat is long. Talk about pucker factor. Windy days, my fellow resort residents would grab chairs when they seen me coming up the channel just to see me do it.

Tight quarter docking and anchoring- everybody on board needs to know that it's a fire drill. Take emotion out of it.

My wife couldn't and would ruin the day as she would be mad. Thank god for the box anchor as that stopped most of the issues.

Docking with a tritoon is different then a ski or v haul. Try using the engine more. Power in and reverse hard if needed.

Boat hook may be nice to help push off this other boat.

Smile and remember that we all have and still go thru this.
 
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My first pontoon was the hardest learning curve  after owning 5 sea doos and having been around regular 16-20 foot v-hull boats my whole life but got good with it after a few years of practice, it did not have an extended transom so the engine was tucked in between the outer tubes plus the sps with full strakes didn't help. The new boat has an extended transom and ESP it turns on a dime as compared to the old one in tight @ idle maneuvering situations. But as stated above lots of practice and knowing the feel of the boat and learning to judge wind speed and direction during final approach is helpful.

Every situation and area is different so look for options that would work best for yours, practice and trial and it gets easier.
 
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kaydano said:
 come in usually at about a 30 degree angle to the dock, dock on the port side, fairly quickly, then reverse gear and turn toward then dock. This will pull the back of the boat towards the dock while slowing the boat. 
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Kaydano, thanks for this bit of advice.  I have to deal with wind and a pretty strong current on the Columbia River and since I'm new to boating, docking has been very stressful.  I'm looking forward to practicing with your advice!
 
Resqu2 said:
So I'm new to boating, always been a jet ski guy. I'm on a busy lake and it's always windy, at least when we are out. Our dock space is a double and has a good size cruiser type boat beside us and I have around 2ft of extra room when parked. This 2ft leaves NO room for error when docking. Last week the wind was pretty good and the wife was trying to pull it in and my only job is keeping us from hitting the other boat and we smacked the dock pretty good, the dock worker saw us and came and helped, I think he thought we hit the other boat is why he really came down but we didn't. This past trip I actually dropped the trolling motor and just used it and surprisingly this worked better than running the outboard but it still wasn't easy because of the tight space.

The Marina is packed this year so asking for another larger space isn't an option I don't think. I see others that have a worse time than me but I see some just drive right in in worse conditions than what I go out in. I'm sure practice makes perfect but it's hard to practice when your so afraid of hitting another boat which just isn't an option. It's only me and the wife so we don't have an extra person to help which would be great but most of the time that's not an option. Any helpful advice??
Click to expand...
I hear your concern. Docking a rectangle is never fun, especially at a public marina. 

Try coming up along the end of your marina dock, have a passenger grab the dock and maybe help pull the boat into the slip. 

Practice makes perfect - have the confidence!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
 
There is one thing that is very important to remember............TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!!!!!        EASY PEASY

Don't pay any attention to onlookers   

I've made more mistakes and screwed more stuff up trying to "do it the first time". I don't care if I have to back up 10 times or make somebody wait on me v/s getting in a hurry and then breaking something. Thats when you really look stupid :(

You will get better as you learn how the boat moves under different conditions and you will learn to adapt and adjust.

GOOD LUCK SKIPPER
 
First practice is the only way to get it down. I worked at a boat dock as a teenager. My job was to take all of the rental house boats out and bring them back into the dock. I grew up around house boats so I had a lot of practice. The method I use for houseboats as well as my pontoon boat is as follows. I come in at about a 15 to 20 degree angle with my back end angled out toward the current or wind and the front heading to the closest corner of the slip. I then turn the motor (prop) in the direction of the wind. I switch between reverse and forward. I let the wind carry the back end around and use the motor in reverse to keep it from pushing it too far around. I shift back to forward to push it into the slip. I alternate back and forth to keep it straight. The wind will actually help if you get the angle correct. Once you have the front of the boat into the slip you can straigten up and use forward to move in and reverse to stop the forward progress. Don't be afraid to use the power of the engine. Sometimes that is what it takes. This does take practice and I only use the method on a windy day. Practice the feel of using the power at a slow speed out in the middle of the lake until you feel like you know space around your boat and how to manuver in it. As mentioned above you really need someone at the front and back of the boat. Above all else don't worry about what anyone else thinks about your docking. If you make it in without any damage to your boat, anyone elses boat or the dock you have done a good job. You will get better over time just relax and learn to enjoy the docking as much as the rest of the trip.
 
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Our docks can be a bit tight especially on a windy day.  We have about 35 feet between the buildings with the other boats sticking out past the end of their dock and my boat is roughly 25' overall so that doesn't give you much room to spare.  Pontoon is roughly 8'6" wide and our dock is only 9'10" wide with the lift installed so yeah it can be a bit nerve racking to get her back in the slip.  What we use is a nice docking hook with the fiance on the bow or in the front seat to grab a hold of our lift cables (just above the pvc pipe) to help line it up if need be.

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 I'm getting the rust worn off from a long winter break and it's getting easier.......practice makes perfect as they say.

Our Micky D's and Taco Bell are on the water and the normal entertainment for the day is to watch boats come and go from the docks outside....YES I've been the entertainment before and probably will happen again.  Just take it slow and don't pay attention to the people watching.

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