Some docks are equipped with sliding tracks on the pilings, and the boat can be secured with a short midship breast line to the slide car, which will move up and down with the tides. The boat can be tied tightly to the dock and it will simply ride up and down with the dock. The easiest way to deal with tide changes is a floating dock. ![]() Floating Docks and Sliding Tracks If You Have 'Em This ensures that fenders will remain between pilings and the boat, rather than hanging uselessly as the boat rubs directly on the piling next to the fender. Want to see for yourself how much easier docking can be with pod drives, as compared to more traditional power systems? Watch our Hunt Harrier 36 with IPS video, which includes a docking segment.When a boat is docked where the tide will go up and down, there are several ways to ensure that dock lines remain relatively tight and the boat does not move forward or back along the dock in the wind or current. You can also watch our short video, How to Dock a Powerboat. BONUS TIP: Whenever possible practice, practice, practice docking-with someone else’s boat. This allows you to maneuver without building up a lot of momentum, which can quickly get out of control. #10: Always apply short bursts of power, instead of steady power. That way, you won’t get a blast of forward or reverse before the blast of port or starboard kicks in. #9: When docking any type of single-engine boat, always turn the wheel before applying power-not during or after. Position them properly and you’ll find that even the best boaters in the world can do a better job of damage-free docking, with the pressure-points protected. There’s more to this than merely hanging the fenders over the side you need to judge where the boat will kiss a piling, and how to orient the fenders so they don’t get caught under the pier or swing freely above it. # 8: Learn how to dock a boat using fenders that are placed with precision. If the approach doesn't seem to be going well don’t try to force the issue instead, circle back for another try. This is especially important for sailboats, single-screw inboards, and other boats with a limited ability to maneuver. Keep the powerplants on, so you can maneuver as necessary. Many people who don’t know how to dock a boat well make the mistake of shutting down as soon as the boat is in the slip, but you never know if a crewmember is going to drop his or her line(s), or when a piling will slip out of reach. #6: Never kill the engines until all the lines are secure. On a sailboat, a sail lazily left unfurled can have the same effect. A Bimini top or an Isinglass enclosure can act like a sail on a powerboat, and throw you out of kilter. Particularly in a small boat, this can have a dramatic effect on how easy or how hard it is to dock. If you do turn the wheel, then when you try to use the engines and the prop-wash hits a cockeyed rudder, the boat may take an unexpected path. You’ll be tempted, but you have more control if you leave the wheel centered and use only the engines. #4: With twin inboards, don’t touch the wheel. Tangle a mooring line in your propeller, and that docking job will go south in a hurry. If any lines of yours or a neighboring slip fell off a piling and into the water, current could stretch it out across your path. Give your slip a hairy eyeball, even if you’ve backed into it 100 times before. ![]() If you don’t tell your boat what to do-with authority-one or more of these other factors is likely to take over. You need to counter and overcome momentum, wind, and current. ![]() When it comes to causes of disastrous docking, applying insufficient power comes in a close second to applying too much. #2: Use enough juice to get the job done. Just in case, always approach solid objects slowly enough that if your docking job turns into a ramming, the results won’t be tragic. In other words, you never know when a sudden “oopsie” will cause your precious fiberglass chariot to do the opposite of what you had intended. #1: You've probably already heard the cardinal rule of docking a boat: N ever approach the pier any faster than you’re willing to hit it. But learning how to dock a boat will be easier if you use these 10 tips. The larger and more expensive the boat, the more stress you may feel when docking it.
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