RTP 20

There are a lot of ways that your boat dock can be damaged. Learning to properly dock your boat can help you to avoid one common way that docks are often damaged. A description of how to properly dock a boat is important, but the only way to truly learn is to go out on the water and try it yourself. The instructions in this article assume that there are not heavy wind conditions, which add an extra degree of difficulty to docking a boat.

The vast majority of the time when you are coming in off the water, you will be approaching the dock at an angle. Coming in at an angle makes it much simpler to aim the boat and get quite close to the dock without actually scraping the dock. If possible you should always try to approach the dock at an angle. As you are pulling in you will want to have the boat on the slowest setting possible, which on most boats means setting the throttle to coast. The downside of coming in this slowly is that most of the ability to steer is lost. Since your average boat is not just going to drift into the dock on a steady course, you will need to move up to a higher gear if you need to steer the boat to keep it on course, and then once it is back on course, allow it to coast again.

Even though it is true that boats are able to make wider turns when they are going slower, because of less skidding, the best idea is to use the power intermittently throughout the turn to maintain the proper speed and steering control. As the dock gets closer, you will need to turn the boat. At the same time you will also want to be decelerating to a stop by putting the boat in reverse gear. During this period, the boat will become harder to steer because of the lack of water flowing over the rudder. The momentum of the boat is also something that needs to be controlled. As you gain experience, you will learn how to use this momentum in steering the boat. The exact timing of the turning of the boat varies with the type of boat and weather conditions, and the more you practice, the more accurate you will become at starting the turn at the right time.

One important thing to keep in mind is that almost all propellers thrust more to one side than the other, especially when the boat is reverse. While this is often annoying when steering in open water, it can be useful when docking your boat and can help you determine which side it is easier to come in on. These simple instructions on docking your boat will hopefully help to preserve your dock and your boat from unnecessary scrapes and scratches. With practice and experience, you will be able to hone your docking skills for a perfect trip into the slip every time.