bow thrusters

[Starscream]

Thanks for the info. I am having a trailer custom built right now and used your photos as a guide for the fabricator. I went without the roller in the front: I leave the boat on the trailer in the winter and felt better about carpeted bunks. They are welding on some rings for a future guide-line.

I have all the standard problems with retrieving onto the standard trailer. No along-side docks for me...exposed ramps only, shallow so no keel or rudders. The few times I used an alongside dock I was in seventh heaven...just walk it on...amazing.

[Wayne nicol]

pleasure starscream, need any extra pics or help. just holla!

Matt, thats a winner idea- been trying to figure this slip thing out, as all my time around boats, never spent any time near slips.
i was trying to scheme up some smart plan for the slip, now you have saved me a heap of trouble and experimenting- thank you.

[mastreb]

Well, it's still going to take some experimenting

There are a number of "spring line" tricks like this that people use, mostly to get away from side-tie slips that are packed. Here's a BoatUS article on it that I read in print a few years ago:

http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/Feb ... -lines.asp

I don't believe it describes the tactic I just described, but it's got a bunch of useful ones that will help you to figure out ways to get just about anything done when leaving.

I've yet to find a useful spring line tactic for returning, however That's where knowing how to direct thrust and use boards comes in handy.

I've always come into slips bow-first with the MacGregor, because there's always plenty of room for a MacGregor in any slip and more than enough engine to solve any problem.

With the new 38', I've always come in backwards and probably wouldn't even attempt a forward entry, because that boat is 13' wide in a 14' wide slip, and it's got half the horsepower moving four times the mass. Not enough precision to go in forward and not enough engine for margin of error. The 38' boat has a built-in bow-thruster channel, and when the dealer asked if I wanted the bow-thrusters put in, I said "Nah, I know how to sail."

I use the spring-line trick just about every time I leave the dock with the big boat, because there's no margin for error.

Another problem with the big boat is that the prop doesn't turn and the rudders aren't behind it, so the "hard reverse, rudders to port" trick to stop the boat's forward momentum and pull the stern to the dock doesn't work. At all. Like, not even a little bit. All you get is momentum stopped, then no steerage whatsoever. You have to get that boat right alongside a side-tie and be close enough to tie off without engine assistance. Still learning how to do that correctly.

[Wayne nicol]

man, it sure sounds like you are having a pile of fun figuring your new boat out, geuss thats half the enjoyment with all these craft- if it was easy and text book, well, it would just be boring.
are you having to do any mods to your new boat, or is it pretty well finished off, i am sure a person of your calibre will find a bunch of things to do though
will print out that link today- and have some good "tub study material" tonight- thanks mate
cheers.

[Russ]

With the new 38', I've always come in backwards and probably wouldn't even attempt a forward entry, because that boat is 13' wide in a 14' wide slip, and it's got half the horsepower moving four times the mass. Not enough precision to go in forward and not enough engine for margin of error. The 38' boat has a built-in bow-thruster channel, and when the dealer asked if I wanted the bow-thrusters put in, I said "Nah, I know how to sail."

Bow thrusters are trendy. Lots of boats offering them.

My Hunter had about 6" on either side of the slip. Squeeked in a couple of times, but I always got it in perfectly head first. I tried backing in a couple of times and it wasn't worth it. The boat also backed to starboard and wasn't conducive to the turn into the slip. Then when the water level dropped and my rudder bottomed out I gave it up.

Then again, I didn't have 2 wheels.

The Mac really needs fins down. I suppose if that's not possible, alternative thrust makes some sense. Our high freeboard really blows us around.

[seahouse]

Yeah, lots of remarkable thruster systems on the market that allow you to use just a joystick to dock, Beneteau has the "Sense". I think they 're here to stay, though.

And yeah, having the second wheel allows you to glance over the side to check exact distance to the dock while still holding onto the wheel. Yeah, kinda like you can do on a Mac!

[RobertB]

At the Florida Seabase (Boy Scouts) they run primarily 45 foot Morgans. I like the way our captain backed in. He had two long docklines rigged to blocks about 2/3 of the way back and then up to the self-tailing winches in the cockpit. When he started backing in, these lines were looped over the outer pilings. He then just left the engine in low power reverse and controlled the angle of the boat and the progression backwards by manipulating the two dockines. Foolproof.

[mastreb]

I've seen people toss a loop over pilings like it's no big deal, but I've never figured out how to do it. Just not a cowboy I guess.

The Hook & Moor boathook looks pretty compelling to me for attaching a dockline to a side-tie cleat, but it seems like it would take a while to loop through and actually get tied off.

Biggest booboo on the big-boat thus far has been hopping off to cleat a dockline while single-handing--and leaving the boat in idle reverse. Took a minute to figure out why the current was so strong