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Docking The Boat


sundancer37

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I have a new 2019 wakesetter 23lsv. I am having a difficult time driving the boat into the dock to be lifted, I have a covered dock with post on both sides, seems as soon as I let off the throttle the boat goes where ever it wants to. I was wondering if filling the ballast would help. Then of course empty them before lifting the boat. any suggestions

 

Thanks Gents

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 This was helpful for me.

As stated above, move in and out of neutral as you approach the dock.  Correct for left or right bow drift, by shifting into neutral, moving the steering wheel WHILE in neutral for your intended correction, then move it light forward gear.  This will counteract the previous drift and get the bow slowly correcting back in your desired travel.  Once undesired drift starts to correct back to needed direction, go back in neutral, steer the wheel again to take out the drift you just caused which is correcting your intended track over the water, tap in fwd gear .  Repeat as needed: neutral, wheel correction, forward tap. Neutral, correction, forward tap.  Repeat as necessary.

This was my first season owning an inboard.  I too have a narrow, coverd dock slip.  I consistently have a 90 degree crosswind to counter as well.  It took some time for me to master these techniques, as they are not intuitive like driving a car.  You move the wheel in place when in idle, then put the boat in gear to manifest the change in bow direction that you are looking for, then make another above input to stop all motion left or right.

be patient with yourself - it will come.  Soon enough, you won’t even have to think about it.  It won’t take long!

Edited by Whitecap
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1 hour ago, sundancer37 said:

I have a new 2019 wakesetter 23lsv. I am having a difficult time driving the boat into the dock to be lifted, I have a covered dock with post on both sides, seems as soon as I let off the throttle the boat goes where ever it wants to. I was wondering if filling the ballast would help. Then of course empty them before lifting the boat. any suggestions

 

Thanks Gents

I would not fill the ballast.  Filling the ballast will make it harder to turn when you need to.  It takes practice.  I have guide posts on my boat lift that are spring loaded and push the boat back to center if you come in too far to the right or left.  That video that @Whitecap posted has some good pointers in it.  I do what @Michigan boarder does.  Small movements and adjustments when correcting and tap forward and neutral.  take your time and watch the current.  It takes practice for sure.

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Click in and out of throttle for a second at a time and know that your wheel should be turned the way you want to go before you give it any gas. Also, remember how reverse works, think of it as a pull to the drivers side, so like mentioned above use it to your advantage and angle yourself slightly to the right while being over on the left. My boat slip has only a couple inches of room on either side and after a few season I've pretty much mastered it in any conditions, threading the boat on in. But with that being said if I come in too close on the right side I will back up and dealing myself as there is no coming back. Therefore I usually try and come in  ever so slightly the on left side and use the proper amount of reverse to guide myself in. Practice, practice and practice. While you are learning don't be afraid to ask people to go up front but you will quickly learn you're better off on your own.  

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As others have said Lots of neutral is the key, that way you keep the boat moving nice and slow. Also the slower the boat is moving will give you better control on your adjustments when you bump it into forward. One big thing is, think about what you want to do before you get to the dock and know which way the wheel is turned before you bump into forward.  

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16 hours ago, Whitecap said:

 

  Repeat as needed: neutral, wheel correction, forward tap. Neutral, correction, forward tap.  Repeat as necessary.

 

That is a good way to sum it up.

Also, always approach upwind or upcurrent.  If you approach into the wind you can use its resistance to turn against, and you will have better control.  If you are approaching with the wind behind you it will render the rudder ineffective until you exceed the speed of the wind, which is likely way faster than you want to go into the lift.

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Reverse is your friend in slow moving situations.  Weather pulling into our lift, gas dock or up to another boat, I always enter at about a 30 degree angle with he starboard side against whatever side I want to pull up to.  if you enter at this angle and about 10 feet from your finish spot just put it into reverse, just engage reverse, no more throttle than that, the boat will slow and the drivers side rear will slowly pull around the align with the slip or dock edge.  The idea is to stay in neutral a little as possible if you have wind or current as you don't have any control if you are in neutral.  Some prefer quick heavy reverse throttle movements, I personally prefer the barely in gear throttle movements as I find it more controllable and far more comfortable for others on the boat.

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I concur with the majority here, I call it "Bump" the throttle though. Bump and bump in reverse if I need to. But I have a Response......like half the boat the OP has......

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47 minutes ago, Stevo said:

And rely on your passengers /crew to “walk the boat” into position on the lift. 

 

12 hours ago, Cole2001 said:

While you are learning don't be afraid to ask people to go up front but you will quickly learn you're better off on your own.  

Respectfully, I disagree with this.  I prefer everyone remain seated until we stop moving, otherwise someone grabs a corner and it can cause the boat to spin or really do anything that is unexpected or is working against what you are trying to do.  A good driver should not rely on any assistance.  And really no human body should be trying to stop the momentum of a 23 LSV, that's a lot of boat, there is a pretty good risk of injury especially if they are non-boaters or kids.

@mackie12 my buddies 23 LSV docks pretty much exactly like my Echelon.  Whole different boat out on the water, but docking is the same.

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16 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

 

Respectfully, I disagree with this.  I prefer everyone remain seated until we stop moving, otherwise someone grabs a corner and it can cause the boat to spin or really do anything that is unexpected or is working against what you are trying to do.  A good driver should not rely on any assistance.  And really no human body should be trying to stop the momentum of a 23 LSV, that's a lot of boat, there is a pretty good risk of injury especially if they are non-boaters or kids.

@mackie12 my buddies 23 LSV docks pretty much exactly like my Echelon.  Whole different boat out on the water, but docking is the same.

I tend to lean on the side of caution and floating the bow through the gates of the lift and “walking “ the boat into position is where I was going with my comment.

power loading a boat onto a lift or trailer is a recipe for several unintended consequences.

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1 hour ago, mackie12 said:

, I call it "Bump" the throttle though. Bump and bump in reverse if I need to.

“Bump” is the key word here. Don’t put it in reverse and hold it. Bump the throttle to slow or stop forward movement. 

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4 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

 

Respectfully, I disagree with this.  I prefer everyone remain seated until we stop moving, otherwise someone grabs a corner and it can cause the boat to spin or really do anything that is unexpected or is working against what you are trying to do.  A good driver should not rely on any assistance.  And really no human body should be trying to stop the momentum of a 23 LSV, that's a lot of boat, there is a pretty good risk of injury especially if they are non-boaters or kids.@mackie12

Oh yes, I agree with you on that completely. People ask if I want help and I usually will say that I would prefer to not have any. 
Was more meaning as you’re learning to have some people walk it into the slip rather than try and line everything up. And I would only ask people who I’m familiar with and know they understand boating. There is a time and a place where this should be done. 

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4 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

Respectfully, I disagree with this.  I prefer everyone remain seated until we stop moving, otherwise someone grabs a corner and it can cause the boat to spin or really do anything that is unexpected or is working against what you are trying to do.  A good driver should not rely on any assistance.  And really no human body should be trying to stop the momentum of a 23 LSV, that's a lot of boat, there is a pretty good risk of injury especially if they are non-boaters or kids.

This.  I ALWAYS tell new folks to sit down and stay put until I tell them to move.  Too easy to crush a limb.

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4 hours ago, Stevo said:

I tend to lean on the side of caution and floating the bow through the gates of the lift and “walking “ the boat into position is where I was going with my comment.

power loading a boat onto a lift or trailer is a recipe for several unintended consequences.

 

Agree here completely.  Powering the boat on to the trailer (or lift) will catch up with you eventually.  I only power on the trailer when I have no other choice, namely when there is no dock at the ramp.  I will typically pull up to the dock, get out, and walk the boat on to the trailer.  Sometimes the boobs at the dock give me a hard time.  They don't realize that a mistake with a V-Drive is a costly one.

I will take the extra 90 seconds to walk the boat up rather than risk a prop strike.

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2 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

This.  I ALWAYS tell new folks to sit down and stay put until I tell them to move.  Too easy to crush a limb.

Agree here too.  Another problem is the dudes on the dock that insist on "helping" when I approach the dock.  Sometimes they'll ask if I need help (and be offended when I decline), or they will take initiative and grab the bow rail or tower.  If they get hurt (crushed limb?), who do you think they will place at fault?

 

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5 hours ago, kylesullens said:

 

Agree here completely.  Powering the boat on to the trailer (or lift) will catch up with you eventually.  I only power on the trailer when I have no other choice, namely when there is no dock at the ramp.  I will typically pull up to the dock, get out, and walk the boat on to the trailer.  Sometimes the boobs at the dock give me a hard time.  They don't realize that a mistake with a V-Drive is a costly one.

I will take the extra 90 seconds to walk the boat up rather than risk a prop strike.

Dragging around a 5k pound plus boat by hand doesn't sound like fun, especially with any wind, current or rollers from other boats. (maybe your ramps are setup different)

I just bump into gear enough to keep it straight, let the boat settle on the bunks, give it a little gas and then winch the boat the last couple of feet.

Anyone I have ever seen pulling a boat around with ropes has taken ten times longer than everyone else to pull out, all while blocking at least two ramps. 

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