Congratulations on buying your first boat!
It’s time to plan a weekend boating trip with your family. We have plenty of ideas that will make this excursion quite memorable. However, first things first – how long have you been going boating?
If you are an amateur boater, you are probably too excited to take your catamaran out for a ride. If you go online, you will find plenty of blogs detailing tips and tricks for docking your boat. However, one thing that you need to practice and learn rather than read is approaching the dock.
In their haste, boat owners often make the mistake of coming in hot. They want to dock and get off the boat.
This is why experienced boat owners came up with the following phrase:
“Never approach a dock faster than you are willing to hit it.”
What usually happens is that most boaters shut down the engine as they near the dock. As a result, the boat has no power, and the speed keeps decreasing, resulting in the vessel hitting the dock. Though bumpers offer protection, sometimes they are useless when slipping between two boats.
Always apply short power bursts to maneuver your boat through current and wind. Most marinas have flags telling boaters which direction the wind is blowing to help them choose the right side, where the wind is blowing too. The weather works in your favor and pushes the boat toward the dock rather than away from it.
Next up is the angle at which you approach the dock. This should be 45 degrees so the boat’s stern points to a specific spot. Always dock your boat with the bow pointing towards the water to avoid reversing.
Once you are 100 feet away from the dock and the coast is clear, sail away at your desired speed.
When approaching the dock after a sail, you might feel rushed to dock your boat if there’s a line behind you. Here, boaters make mistakes. Afraid they will look like amateurs, they rush into it and damage their boat. You might find a good Samaritan standing on the dock and doing hand signals to assist you. Pay attention to them but use your senses too.
No one will think less of you if you reverse your boat and approach the dock again from a different angle. The more cautious you are, the more others will appreciate you for being considerate. After all, they, too, are boaters and had gone through the same ordeal when they docked for the first time.
So, there you have it – the docking secret to help ensure your boat isn’t scratched when parking into a slip.
Get your personal boat dock in Ontario from Nor Col EZ Dock. The company offers different styles of high-quality docks made from wood, plastic, aluminum, etc. Fill out this form with your requirements to custom-build your dock. For more information, call (800) 654-8168.
