MacGregorSailors.com

I think once I can do this from the cockpit, I'll be in biz!


https://youtu.be/vWYgcgkreoI

for a Mid-Ship Cleat, I saw this Sliding Track Cleat on the BWY site.

I'm not sure if it'll interfere with my Jib Cars though. I'll shoot a question off to Cheryl!


http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/4206-1v4.htm

MaritimeMenace wrote:The second time docking yesterday was A LOT better. This time I had a friend on the bow with a docking pole slow me down that last 'little bit'.

Just don't get too dependent on crew to slow the boat to a stop; best to stop it dead with the engine, as you're the only person you can trust to do his job. That's why I sail and dock single-handed, no matter how much crew I have.

MaritimeMenace wrote:From the cockpit I 'lassoed' the end-finger cleat while my friend tied off the front of the boat.

You might want to think of ways to have permanent dock lines, already on the cleat. Many folks, me included with a different boat, have some sort of stanchion to hold the dock line at the ready so you can just grab it and put the eye splice right onto a winch drum or cleat. On a keel boat I used to have, I had a spring line dedicated to that one job - flop it onto the winch drum and motor against it gently (if needed) while I put the bow and stern lines on, also with eye splices that could be flopped over their respective cleats, to be augmented and/or cleaned up one at a time once the boat is secure.

MaritimeMenace wrote:I'm docking bow first, mostly because I want to have a nice lake view while I sit in the cockpit.

Believe me, I understand that. But if the finger pier is that short, you might seriously want to reconsider. Everything is everything when the weather is nice and the water is calm, but try coming in when the wind pipes up and you're getting knocked around by chop and the wind is blowing you away from your dock. And you're alone. Been there many times, and that's when dock lines at the ready, perhaps hanging on pvc pipe 'hooks' for easy grabbing (but won't hurt your boat if your rigging grabs them), are heaven-sent. There's nothing like the feeling of getting two lines on the boat when you're barely able to get the boat into it's slip.

MaritimeMenace wrote:Lassoing the first cleat with the spring line is difficult, because my particular dock fingers are so damn short. They barely make it to the cockpit when the boat is in bow first.

See above - no need to lasso if it's already on the cleat or piling, at the ready. At one marina long ago, I actually had a two-piece spring line, with a big ring spliced to the end of one half (cleated at the dock, and hanging on a hook), and the other end with a big heavy SS carabiner on the mid-ship cleat, so I could just snap it onto the ring, then motor forward against it. I eventually found that it was just as effective to use a short stern line, already on the piling and hanging on a hook within reach (wooden piling), and just flop it over the stern cleat, and that's pretty much what I do now with the .

MaritimeMenace wrote:for a Mid-Ship Cleat, I saw this Sliding Track Cleat on the BWY site.

I'm not sure if it'll interfere with my Jib Cars though. I'll shoot a question off to Cheryl!


http://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/4206-1v4.htm

This devise (not necessarily from BWY) has been discussed before. I don’t remember exactly what the overall consensus was, but my concerns are how it will be used. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link” may apply here.

If used in conjunction with other cleats, such as a spingline after the bow and stern lines are secured, then fine. If used as a midship cleat, as some suggested, to be THE cleat to pull the boat in when strong winds are blowing you away from the dock, then I’m not sure. I’d rather see a cleat that is securely attached, and braced on the underside with a wide metal plate backing it up. This is just my opinion.

Ray

I have the mid-cleats on my rails. Although they are not as large or as strong as the fore and aft cleats, I would not hesitate to use them to bring the boat in against the wind and/or current. I think using the winch is an interesting option, however.

Maybe a little like this with some practice:

https://youtu.be/huFdBaD5FU8

With the Chris Craft I can pop into any slip with ease, but thats with twin screws helping out... The hopefully hits the water this weekend. We'll see how that goes...

Interesting. I'm wondering if I can set up some sort of temporary stand that can hold the dock secured line, that I can grab from the cockpit, and then throw around the the winch. Then afterwards, secure the bow and stern lines.

Tomfoolery wrote:You might want to think of ways to have permanent dock lines, already on the cleat.

Many folks, me included with a different boat, have some sort of stanchion to hold the dock line at the ready so you can just grab it and put the eye splice right onto a winch drum or cleat.

On a keel boat I used to have, I had a spring line dedicated to that one job - flop it onto the winch drum and motor against it gently (if needed) while I put the bow and stern lines on, also with eye splices that could be flopped over their respective cleats, to be augmented and/or cleaned up one at a time once the boat is secure.

One trick I learned from Ray at Blue Water Yachts was to attach a line from the bow to the stern and run it along the outside of the boat.
I used this trick my first year learning the ins/outs of the Mac in tight docking.

What this does is allow you to jump off the boat and have a "handle" to grab to pull the boat into the dock. You can grab it anywhere and pull the boat in.

I didn't read the thread, but I assume most have said full ballast and full fins down with engine connected to steering. Don't go too slow and lose water friction over windage.


--Russ

Everyone I suppose does this different but in essence practice will be what you learn from the most.....when I know I'm going to dock I use my anchor rode and tie it to the bow and run the line (out side of stays) back to the cock pit and tie it there (anywhere just so I can grab it) I come into the dock at approx a 30 degree angle ....i personally bring all boards up so I don't hit anything under the water and break any...i idle up to the dock slowly even less than idle speed by putting it in idle then neutral then idle etc etc to make my speed about half of idle speed and when I'm approx 3 feet from the dock coming in at approx 30 degrees I hit reverse and cut hard towards the dock and give it a decent amount of gas this will slow / stop the boat plus bring the stern around to be beside the dock ....with practice you will stop the boat on a dime and be parallel to the dock hop out with line in hand ...with one hand on the life line and one on the anchor rode you tied to the bow you can muscle the boat back in if the wind pushes either bow or stern back out .... I also always look at wind and let the wind push me into the dock I never try to dock and let the wind drag the boat back out

when I know I'm going to dock I use my anchor rode and tie it to the bow and run the line (out side of stays) back to the cock pit and tie it there (anywhere just so I can grab it)

Just wondering; do you have any chain on the anchor? I have thirty feet of chain before the rode.

Ray

Whgoffrn,
The reason I ask, is I would have to go through 30’ of chain before I get to the rode. How much chain would you have to bypass?

NiceAft wrote:

when I know I'm going to dock I use my anchor rode and tie it to the bow and run the line (out side of stays) back to the cock pit and tie it there (anywhere just so I can grab it)

Just wondering; do you have any chain on the anchor? I have thirty feet of chain before the rode.

Ray

A anchor without chain is just a not overly heavy weight really, I run 12 feet of 5/16" and 12 feet of 1/4" chain, after dragging last time out in the middle of the night I added the 5/16" chain to get a better pull angle.

sailboatmike wrote:

NiceAft wrote:

when I know I'm going to dock I use my anchor rode and tie it to the bow and run the line (out side of stays) back to the cock pit and tie it there (anywhere just so I can grab it)

Just wondering; do you have any chain on the anchor? I have thirty feet of chain before the rode.

Ray

A anchor without chain is just a not overly heavy weight really, I run 12 feet of 5/16" and 12 feet of 1/4" chain, after dragging last time out in the middle of the night I added the 5/16" chain to get a better pull angle.

I agree, but there is a reason for my inquiry.

Ray

Yes I do have chain but I leave the chain in the locker and tie the rope to the cleat up front (past the chain) then run the rope back to the cock pit (outside of the stays)

And lately I've been deploying the anchor from the cockpit cause it's heavy 35lbs and hard to get out of the pvc pipe anchor holder I have on the bow ...now with the anchor (anf chain) in the cock pit just it off to stern cleat and do same up front