Undocking Technique

W

Wayne McCown

New member
Twice, I have found myself in a situation where the wind was blowing our C-Dory up against the dock alongside. How does one get away from the dock in such a situation?

Once, I asked my wife to push off from the cockpit...which was the wrong thing to do! Pushing the stern away from the dock aimed the bow directly into it..and exacerbated our situation greatly (which, by the way, was my fault, not hers!).

I do have twin engines, and have wondered if they could be used (in the right combination) in such a situation?
 
My technic to get away from a leeward dock is to push the boat out midship so that the whole boat is at leat 1ft away. Then I quickly back away before the wind can blow the bow back into the dock.

If the wind is too strong for that my next option is to just hand-line the boat to the end of the dock and push off from there and back away. You probably need 2 people for this.

If it is not possible to move to the end of the dock you might be able to use a spring line. I have NOT TRIED THIS with my C-Dory but have done it with sailboats. With an outboard on the back I would only use a spring line to pivot around the bow.

To do it you take a bow line from the boat to a cleat on the dock toward the stern. You don't tie to the cleat but pass the line around the cleat then back to the bow cleat. You will need someone on the bow or in the hatch to handle this spring line. They hold the line on the bow cleat so it doesn't slip while you power forward. This will rotate the boat around the bow.

You will need to make sure the bow will not get marred by the dock or the anchor catch/hit anything like a power outlet/water facet. When the stern is far enough from the dock have the person on the line release the free end pull the line from around the dock cleat back onboard. At the same time you are backing away from the dock into the wind.

For pictures of how this works you can check Chapmans or Annapolis seamanship books.

Hope this helps,
Steve
 
If you are in a really tight spot and have wind and/or tide against you, the spring line can be a big help. First, decide which end of the boat you want to go out first. Secure a line to a cleat on the other end of the boat, run the line to the dock (through or around a ring or cleat, but NOT tied to the dock), and back to the same cleat. Secure the line to the same boat cleat, and run the engine slowly so that the other end of the boat inches away from the dock. When you create enough clearance, loose one end of the line from the cleat and draw it back for the dock, while continuing away from the dock. Take care that the loose end of the line does not fowl the prop.

This technique works best when you have a deck hand to tend the line, but the truly advencherous can try it alone.

We did this maneuver about a week ago at a crowded public dock at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, into a 20 knot wind in front of a restaurant crowded with tourist onlookers. Although we had other boats less than a foot from both our bow and stern, we got out without a scratch. Whew!
 
Spring line. Just like whats been mentioned. The boat will pivot from the point the line is connected to on the dock(piling etc.). As soon as your clear, let go of the end of the line not tied off to the boat. Pull the line back around whatever you were using for a pivot on the dock, and bring the line back to the boat.
Practice it a few times when you have room.
 
I usually crank the engines so the prop is facing away from the dock and put it in reverse and let the engine pull the back end way from the dock. It might take some rpm's but it works for me.
 
Backing off the dock on a spring line works well. I have done that for years, BUT be very careful to pad or leave lots of space for the bow 'cause it is drawn into the float (dock) pretty heavily. We used to tie a throwable PDF or two to the bow to protect it. John
 
Hi Folks,

With my single engine C-Dory, I do the following to get off a windy dock.

I put out a fender close to the bow on the side of the dock.. Turn the wheel into the dock and run the engine slowly forward. The stern should come off the dock. Straighten wheel and put into reverse, and the boat should come away from the dock. Remember, with an outboard, when in reverse, the boat will follow the engine. Not necessarily true with an inboard with a rudder steering the boat.

With twin engines, do the same thing with the fender. But your inboard engine in reverse and your outboard engine forward. It should come off the dock. Then put both in reverse and your boat should go straight back.

Good Luck.

Fred
 
ffheap":2n3sxypa said:
Hi Folks,

With my single engine C-Dory, I do the following to get off a windy dock.

I put out a fender close to the bow on the side of the dock.. Turn the wheel into the dock and run the engine slowly forward. The stern should come off the dock. Straighten wheel and put into reverse, and the boat should come away from the dock. Remember, with an outboard, when in reverse, the boat will follow the engine. Not necessarily true with an inboard with a rudder steering the boat.

With twin engines, do the same thing with the fender. But your inboard engine in reverse and your outboard engine forward. It should come off the dock. Then put both in reverse and your boat should go straight back.
Fred
Click to expand...

Good Luck.

I know this is an old post but reading this and thinking about the mechanics of it have me guessing. It seems like that use of the twins would be trying to rotate the dock around and away from the bow. Wouldn't it be easier all the way around, to put the inboard engine in forward, the outboard engine in reverse, rotating the bow away from the dock and then, once the bow is out, go to both ahead slow, until fully clear? A stern line on a cleat and a stern fender wouldn't hurt, either.


Harvey
SleepyC

:moon
 
My general rule is that when I'm in doubt, I use lines to the best of my advantage to get in and out of tight spots. If there's other boats on both sides of me that prevent me from easily getting out, I'll fender up the appropriate side of the boat and using lines I'll walk the boat up the side of one of the blocking boats. If the other boat owner is present, I'll either ask for their help walking me forward or I'll ask for permission to walk down the side of their boat to pull mine out. Since this guarantees that I won't damage their boat, most owners are very considerate and willing to help. Also if the boat near me has railing all down the side I need to go down, I can just fender up and move the boat along by hand holding down the railing. Sure some would rather motor their way out and might be embarrassed to use this manual method of clearing the dock. I however would rather swallow a little pride and be 100% certain of a safe departure. There's a lot to be said for the value of careful, controlled movements of the boat by line and by hand in tight spots. Oh - and having both a bow and stern line that are long enough to allow one to walk the length of the boat with both in hand, really helps, especially if you're single handed.
 
hardee":e16t41we said:
[Wouldn't it be easier all the way around, to put the inboard engine in forward, the outboard engine in reverse, rotating the bow away from the dock and then, once the bow is out, go to both ahead slow, until fully clear?
Click to expand...

This seems like it would bring the engines/stern into the dock, which seems undesirable (because they are hard to fender/have props spinning). I've always thought that - with outboard(s) on the transom - it's nicer to get the stern away first.

That said, no direct experience with C-dory (yet!), but just other boats.
 
Hi Folks,

I am deeply honored to be quoted after six years. I guess I should get back to contributing to this great site.

Fred

INN THE WATER
1983 Angler with a Yamaha 70 HP 4 stroke engine.
 
ffheap":3359tqw6 said:
Hi Folks,

I am deeply honored to be quoted after six years. I guess I should get back to contributing to this great site.

Fred

INN THE WATER
1983 Angler with a Yamaha 70 HP 4 stroke engine.
Click to expand...


twice in one day
go buy a lottery ticket :D
 
Hardee, the wind will blow the bow back to the dock. We have used large bow fenders and the spring on both IB & OB engines, single & twins in boats up to 65 feet. Power forward against the spring. Then reverse rudder and back hard astern.

In entremis, lay out a spring or Side anchor to kedge the boat away from the dock, works best with winches or a windless/ capstan and snatch blocks if necessary. Whe have used this trick to get a 62', 35 ton boat off a lee dock against a 50 knot breeze -- charlie's idea of wait for a wind shift makes a lot sense, unless you already waited a week& the kids are flying into Greece. Over 700 miles away!
 
I like to keep the stern away from the dock. If there's room I'll push the stern away by hand and back out. If it is too tight for that I'll use the boat hook to push the stern further out. If I have to back out of a narrow slip I'm with Roger: fender heavily, let people know what I'm doing, GO SLOW, offer free beer for those who save the day :shock:
 
No arguments from here. Just that the boat will pivot around the force points, which in the case of twins will be between them, assuming the RPMs are equal. With a single, the boat turns the direction the OB is pointed by sliding the stern over until you are pointing at what you want and then you straighten up the steering. Leaving the dock stern first, need to turn the aft end of the OB away from the dock and back out, the bow will likely swing towards the dock. The Original question was getting away with twins. My point was that with the inboard engine going into reverse and the outboard engine in forward, the boat is going to want to spin towards the side the engine is reversed on, which is towards the dock.

I use a similar move to stay at a dock for a short term (like dropping or picking up a passenger. Stern tie from the boat cleat to a dock cleat, then the outboard into forward at idle speed. Holds the bow against the bow fender snug until the engine comes out of forward and into neutral.

Then untie, rotate the bow out with the inboard (dockside) engine in forward and the outboard engine into reverse until the desired angle is near, then switch to both in forward and move away.

Can you tell --> I :love my twins.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_055.highlight.jpg
 
ffheap":u74l38dl said:
Hi Folks,

I am deeply honored to be quoted after six years. I guess I should get back to contributing to this great site.

Fred

INN THE WATER
1983 Angler with a Yamaha 70 HP 4 stroke engine.
Click to expand...

Hey Fred,

Good to see you back. Stick around and enjoy.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Besides our 4 "sausage type" fenders, we use a round fender towards the bow. That gives us the protection we need when docking/undocking. Often times, wind and current will pin you against the dock - simply pushing one end of the boat away will result in the other end "dragging" the dock. Since we can't "fender" the engine, using a spring line to rotate the stern out (as previously mentioned: with the line around something on the dock but NOT cleated) gives the opportunity to get the stern out at 45º or more, hold the boat with the line, straighten your steering, then back out with some power on to keep the bow from sliding towards any dock neighbors. The line also works as a "brake" (like holding a small airplane with the brakes while you apply power for take-off) while you get the stern at the angle you want for departing.

We used this technique with sailboats that had low hp motors. The round fender allows the bow to pivot easier with more protection. Also, by backing out with a spring line on the bow, you are not rotating with your engine near the dock, and as you release the line, it will trail off the bow - no danger of getting the line in the prop.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Just as an aside, I like my bow line to be just long enough to reach the stern but not long enough to reach the props. That way if someone tries to be "helpful" and doesn't properly secure the bow line it can't foul the props. The same thing could apply to the method Jim describes. E.g. even if backing out single handed, you can get rotated around, release the bow line, back away from it and (if forward motion is required to get out), motor over the bow line and retrieve it when your into more open water.
 
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