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How to dock a boat

A telescoping boat hook is a must have. When windy, it's handy to pull you in and or push yourself away from other boats. 
 
I will never have a boat hook onboard.  I remember my parents yelling at each other about using the thing.  Hit the dock but stop yelling.  Long time ago but remembered and never repeated.  
 
Yeah, they ain't much good if someone doesn't have it in their hands ready ... lol!!
 
Thanks for posting.  Docking for fuel, at a restaurant, and in our new lift are my primary concerns as a soon to be new pontoon boat owner.  This is great food for thought for me.   :)
 
I go out a lot alone, and docking in heavy wind by yourself is tricky. 


What I've done a couple times trying to parallel park at the gas dock with a cross wind that blows you away from the dock is come in bow first, tie off the front port cleat to the dock, then have a long line tied to the port rear cleat, and carry the opposite end with me when hopping on the dock. Then I pull the back end of the boat to the dock. You have to have a long line to do this, but it works. +10 on the boat hook.  
 
You mean spend extra time on my boat to practice docking...?  Extra time on the water...?  Only because you insist.   :D
 
Only in my second year as a boat owner so probably not in a position to give advice on docking however, +1 on the telescoping hook!  The hook has been very helpful to us.  I once went out alone in rather windy weather in first few months with the new boat and without the hook I would have continued drifting back, spinning and drifting back some more...Lol....hopefully I didn't end up on someone's you tube video.  
 
One recommendation when docking alone. Put your life vest on. Sounds dumb, but better safe than sorry. We had a guy drown couple years back. Stepped off boat, slipped, hit head on dock and drown. Sadly alcohol was involved, BUT, if he had a good life vest on, he probably would have survived. 
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
One recommendation when docking alone. Put your life vest on. Sounds dumb, but better safe than sorry. We had a guy drown couple years back. Stepped off boat, slipped, hit head on dock and drown. Sadly alcohol was involved, BUT, if he had a good life vest on, he probably would have survived.
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Looking back...boy was I stupid! I always docked alone, never put on a vest. Awesome advice!
 
I usually pick up my wife near our lake place after I get the boat at the marina.  I probably dock my boat 95% of the time by myself and have never had any problems. Sometime I have to try more than once, but I go slow enough and have a routine where I don't get myself into trouble.  Once i got the new boat last year there were a  couple of times where i practicec parking it for like 30 minutes just to get my routine down. With new boat coming, and a new marina this year I am  sure I will have to do the same. I am looking forward to the new marine as i will have dock on both sides. At my old marina one side you had a boat about 10 inches from you with no dock. you have be really careful when you have a boat right next to you. Should be much easier this year.
 
Docking our boat for us is a team effort and we could probably do it in our sleep. My wife grew up in a boating family and she knew how to handle a boat long before we met and married. 9 out of 10 times she will maneuver the boat...........in our slip, at the gas dock, at the ramp launching the boat and retrieving it. I'm the 1st mate. I'm the one who puts out the fenders and steps off the boat to tie up and untie when it's time to go! But I'm the driver when it's time to ski, tube and wakeboard. We have a telescoping boat hook but have only used it when retrieving something someone has dropped overboard........
 
BigKahuna said:
Docking our boat for us is a team effort and we could probably do it in our sleep. My wife grew up in a boating family and she knew how to handle a boat long before we met and married. 9 out of 10 times she will maneuver the boat...........in our slip, at the gas dock, at the ramp launching the boat and retrieving it. I'm the 1st mate. I'm the one who puts out the fenders and steps off the boat to tie up and untie when it's time to go! But I'm the driver when it's time to ski, tube and wakeboard. We have a telescoping boat hook but have only used it when retrieving something someone has dropped overboard........
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It's nice your wife is skilled and comfortable operating the boat in tight areas. My wife isn't comfortable taking the boat out. She has only taken it out once when I haven't been home. I keep asking if she wants to practice but I guess she knows her limits. I'd rather have it that way than be overconfident and cause damage, injury or death. In my company there was a guy who lost an arm boating. His wife wasn't versed at operating watercraft. When she circled to pick him up after he fell skiing etc, she accidently ran him over with the boat.
 
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