albin 28 te, backing into a slip with a cross wind

[tomcat rio]

the little canal my slip is on is quite narrow, only about 35 feet from my bow to the bows of the boats on the other side. coming in, my slip is to starboard. i nose into the slip a little and then back out letting the prop/thruster swing to stern to port and then slide foward some and try to back in using the prop and thruster to swing the stern to port and into the slip. seems i only get one chance to do it right. if i screw it up, it ain't pretty.
the 90 degree cross wind is usually around 10 kts, sometimes a little more. if its too high, i just tie up nose in. but i do prefer my pointy end sticking out...the slip is only 10' wide.
..
anybody here have a favorite technique for a similar set of circumstances?
thx,
ed flanagan

[chiefrcd]

Well, my understanding is that on all single prop boats you have to contend with some "prop walk" that is torque that is generated by the prop that has a tendencey to pull the rear of the boat in a certain direction.
My Albin pulls to the left (port} direction. I'm in a similar space constriction as you. What I do is pull the boat up about half way past my slip and with the rub rail almost touching the piling I start spinning the bow with the thruster. Once the boat is perpendicular to the slip I just back straight in. I've only had one issue and that was with a 15 knot wind that just blew me right by my slip and I had to spin the boat around and try a second time. Don't be afraid to use the rub rail...that's what it's for.
I will say..practice practice practice....the more you do it the better you will get. I see watermen who back single screw boats without bow thrusters as good as any twin engine boat or boat with thruster....cause they do it every day.

[DBM]

I've never used a bow thruster before but the way i've always dealt with our single screw boat in tight quarters is a spring line.

I put the rear quarter against the downwind piling, secure a line around the piling to the rear cleat. Gently put her in revers and the bow will swing right around. The only tricky part is geting the line off when your ready to go straight back.

I kept the description pretty brief, but if you need a more accurate descripiton just post up and i'll try to do a better job.

DBM
Liberty

[tomcat rio]

...do the job single handedly.. most 'crew' seem to just talk a lot and get in the way.

[Mariner]

I've never used the bow thruster out of necessity, but it is a nice convenience to have. It certainly makes docking in tight quarters easier, especially when tying stern-to.

[jcollins]

Click here

[Russell]

The whole key is knowing that you can spin the boat in place by shifting back and forth from forward to reverse without touching the wheel. Opposite to what most of you describe, my Albin backs to starboard with the prop walk so if I turn to port the stern will also go to starboard in forward gear. Shifting back and forth allows me to spin to port in very little space. So I always have that in mind when entering a tight area. I also selected a slip on the starboard side to take advantage of this characteristic. As I slowly approach the near piling of my slip I turn hard to port and leave the wheel in that position. Just as the boat starts to turn I put it in reverse and watch the stern spin to starboard. As the swim platform nears the piling I put it in forward which kicks the stern farther to starboard and then back into reverse. If I can clear the piling I continue in reverse to get the stern in the slip. I use the bow thruster to line up straight and back in. I usually have a crew put on the spring line as we slowly back in but with fenders on the starboard side I can do this alone. Heading out uses the same technique. Tap forward to get the boat slowly heading out and use a little thruster to start to turn to port. Hard port on the wheel and a little forward gear once the stern is clear. Followed immediatly by reverse to continue the spin and alternate until the boat is heading straight out.

[Legacy]

First rule: only go into a slip as fast as you are willing to hit something. We have a few meatheads at our marina who gun the throttle and then yank it into reverse. Slow it down.

Every slip situation is different. When I had the 28, I went bow in with the finger pier on my starboard side. On certain tides the Charles River Locks would sluice 4-6 knots and make it a crazy game. I'd head into the current slowly and then when it was time to turn I'd let the current nudge my bow around and then I'd goose the throttle up a bit so the whole boat went into the slip before the current pushed her sideways. Practice is the only way to learn. I'd also recommend, I had 10 inches of clearance between the boat next to me, to have the fenders mounted on the dock if you can. Stay calm, be willing to back out in a hurry and realize everyone else learned the hard way too. Other thoughts - - watch pennants and how boats are laying alongside their slips so you know what the wind and current are doing. Use them to your advantage. O windy days, open your widows wide to reduce its force. Use wind and current to your advantage. And learn to focus on only one point, the same point, every time you line up. It'll be habit. Oh yeah. Don't blame your wife loudly if you screw up. Be willing to help the docking-challenged slip side by grabbing lines or fending them off if needed. Mutter stupid lines like "Why don't they make boats out of fender material" to help ease the tension of newer boaters. Sorry for the rant!



Rick
"Legacy"