Docking The Boat

[Ronnie]

50 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

 

Yo @sundancer37 where you at?

He's been back to the site 2 hours ago, not sure if he's checking his thread though.

[justgary]

49 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

Yo @sundancer37 where you at?

He's out in his new boat!  I can't blame him....

@sundancer37, what part of Florida?

[kylesullens]

16 hours ago, 1HELLUVALIFE said:

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. 

When a loading dock is present, I have no problems maneuvering the boat via ropes, and I dare to say my trailering times are as fast as you'll find. In the absence of a dock, I use the basic method you describe - idle up to the trailer, get in between the bunks, and winch the rest of the way up.

My general point is that if you are turning the prop while it is close to the trailer frame, it will catch up with you eventually.  I only do this in extreme circumstances, which for me is the rare occasion when there is strong crosswind and no loading dock available.

[formulaben]

On 10/16/2019 at 12:32 PM, sundancer37 said:

...seems as soon as I let off the throttle the boat goes where ever it wants to.

Let me guess, the bow goes to the left?  OK, I'll give my 2 cents here...just know the below presumes no wind, as that's a whole 'nother story.

GO SLOWLY.  Use idle power to get up to speed and lined up with the trailer, but immediately after getting lined up go just fast enough to maintain adequate steerage for the approach, burping the throttle (1-3 seconds FWD then back to neutral) to modulate and slow the approach speed.  Depending on your boat, an approach at full-time idle is usually much too fast.  Use momentary forward throttle "burps" to maintain headway and steerage at a nice slow pace.  Steerage will work best while burping, so any large corrections should be while engaged in FWD, but the goal is to use many small corrections instead of big ones.  Remember: a simple rule is to never drive a speed near the dock/trailer/lift faster than you are willing to have a collision!

GIVE YOURSELF ROOM.  When approaching the trailer, give yourself plenty of room.  Start well back and give yourself plenty of distance to line up perfectly in a straight line to the bunks; something like 100+ feet is the minimum as a beginner until you get a better feel for your boat.  In some scenarios you may not have that much room, such as in a canal or in a marina, but do what you can or go practice somewhere else where you can simulate this and practice.  The extra distance will give you plenty of time to get a feel for the steerage and get properly lined up and time to slow down as you get closer.  If you’re lined up properly, don’t panic when you get close to the trailer and realize the closing speed and the imminent “collision” that is about to happen…note that if the approach is on course and on speed, you really shouldn’t be doing anything differently as you near the trailer guide poles except less/shorter burping to slow the approach.  But note that if you are making massive corrections close to the trailer then your approach was probably bad to begin with (or you didn’t give yourself enough room, or it got windy.)  In this instance, break off the approach, and try again with more distance.  Again, the idea is to go slowly, but don't be afraid to add a touch of reverse here...just remember that the stern will definitely move towards starboard in reverse, so anticipate it: just before you go into REV turn to the right to get the stern moving towards left/port and then the two will tend to cancel out.  In this instance you may get lucky and find yourself stopped and yet still lined up, so you can just go forward and continue.  Don’t try to salvage a bad approach; making big turns close to the trailer is a good sign things are going to end badly!  Cut your losses before you get so close to the dock/trailer that a collision is unavoidable.

KNOW YOUR STEERING CORRECTION ANGLE.*  When burping (going in and out of gear) towards the trailer, note that a small steering adjustment will be needed to continue tracking a perfectly straight line.  For left hand rotation propellers, a small right steering correction will be needed going from FWD to neutral, and a small left correction will be needed when going back into FWD.  Just pretend the steering wheel and gear lever are connected: both of them should move together simultaneously when burping as you approach the bunks.  In my case I use about a 6-8” movement on the steering wheel, and YMMV…this is something you should practice (next to a long dock, if possible) before you try it onto the trailer.  If you master this, you’ll track straight and true right onto the trailer like a seasoned pro!

*Most are familiar with prop wash and how it moves the stern towards starboard when reversing.  The opposite also happens in forward, but the rudder all but eliminates the effect thanks to steerage...BUT the relatively small steerage input that negated the prop wash pushing the stern to port side in FWD is still there when you go from FWD to neutral.  But don't take my word for it, just establish a straight course in idle along a long straight dock or out in the open lake, then take a sight line and then go into neutral without moving the wheel and you'll note a small left (port) drift occurs.  It is subtle, but this is what will happen when you're near the trailer and the consequences are more substantial.  The faster you're going, the less rudder input you need to counteract it.  This may be hard to perceive when you first try it, but when approaching the trailer it makes the difference between gliding perfectly onto the bunks or playing a quick round of bumper pool with the trailer guides. As I go back and forth from FWD to neutral I move the wheel between 4-8"; the slower I go the more I move it, so just before getting to the trailer I am burping less and using more right (starboard) steering correction while in neutral as necessary to keep it tracking straight.  It's fairly easy to do, just remember to pretend the steering wheel and throttle lever are connected and move them together when shifting.  Your steering input may vary greatly, so play with it and know YOUR steering correction for your boat.

[malibudog]

It helps me to recognize what part of the boat I am actually steering.  Unlike a car, you can't steer the nose (by turning the front wheels).  In an inboard, the part of the boat you are steering is the rudder, which is near the very back of the boat.  Get the nose headed in generally the correct direction, and then bump the throttle for very short periods to steer the tail of the boat so that it stays behind the nose in the direction you are wanting to go.  Bumping the throttle in an out works because the rudder is far more effective when it has more water flowing past it.  You can increase the water flowing past the rudder at slow speeds by bumping the throttle (you gain water speed even though the overall boat speed stays slow).  If you think about steering only the back of the boat, not the nose, it will help.

[The Hulk]

 same as PWC need a little burst of thrust or no steering, well not much at least, just play the electric slide song while docking and you'll be good!

[Rbt]

On 10/16/2019 at 4:33 PM, Nitrousbird said:

And this question has what to do with ballast??

I’m thinking his idea of ballast will help keep the boat from drifting off course. Heavier weight is harder to change course.

[Nitrousbird]

3 hours ago, Rbt said:

I’m thinking his idea of ballast will help keep the boat from drifting off course. Heavier weight is harder to change course.

I posted that when he put it in the wrong section of the forum...