I under estimated the crosswind and wasn't able to get the boat turned around as I drifted down on the row of boats. Of course I had another episode last summer where I tried to get the boat turned in a tight area in order to back in between a row of stern tied boats. A guy walking by said "wow! Nice job!" Definitely very satisfying! I applied what I had learned and spun the boat on its length and eased into the slip like a pro, stepped off the boat and tied up. The slip I had to get into was very tight, and the fairway was very narrow. I learned the back-and-fill method of rotating the boat on it's own length using bursts of forward and reverse with the helm hard over, making my propwalk work FOR me instead of against.what a breakthrough that was for me! The first time I used that technique I was alone delivering the boat to a marinat to be hauled out. I actually researched maneuvering techniques on YouTube and started practicing what I learned. Clearances were harder to judge, particularly if the dock was on the port side since the engine controls were by the starboard side wheel. When we moved up to a 39ft wheel steered boat it felt absolutely huge compared to what I was used to. ![]() I did avoid backing into slips whenever possible because the rudder was unbalanced, so if you were going in reverse and started to turn the force on the rudder was quite strong and would go hard-over if the tiller got away from you! The tiller allowed quick adjustments, and you could even scull the stern around with a good hardyank on the tiller. With our old 30ft tiller-steered boat I adapted to docking pretty easily because the boat was very responsive and turned on a dime. Dropping the hook and weighing it are a breeze and far more enjoyable. Just getting docklines, fenders, plugging in, etc, etc, is an effort. When we cruise, we mostly anchor, which is my first choice. If I can use the wind to my advantage, 20+ doesn't bother me. I mean adverse wind that is preventing a turn, or blowing me off the slip and into a hazzard. Remote work this past summer finally made that possible. I've told myself a thousand times that wind over 20kts and I just want to wait it out. It looks even more challenging than it is, especially with favorable wind. The fairways are narrower than our LOA, so there is no turning around, once committed. Our home slip is complex and a bit challenging (stop, backup, make two turns in reverse, then essentially parallel park along the main dock, with a boat in front and behind us. While I always try to appear modest, inside I'm grinning ear to ear, if anyone mentions a docking went well and guests almost always do. ![]() Well, looking around at the ocassional marina ping pong, maybe quite a bit better than average, just not claiming to be bullet proof. I love the sense of accomplishment and feel I can dock a boat maybe a bit better than the average bear. Click to expand.Pretty cool that you feel that way.
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