For more information visit us online at: http://www.ladysislandmarina.com/

1. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT DOCKING YOUR
BOAT
WWW.LADYSISLANDMARINA.COM

2. INTRODUCTION
DRIVING A BOAT IS A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE THAT MANY PEOPLE TAKE ON AS AN
ENJOYABLE HOBBY. HOWEVER, ANYBODY THAT HAS DRIVEN A BOAT COULD TELL YOU
THAT THEY DIDN’T JUST LEARN TO SUCCESSFULLY DRIVE OVERNIGHT. IN FACT, IT
PROBABLY TOOK SEVERAL YEARS TO LEARN TO DRIVE THE VESSEL SAFELY AND
EFFECTIVELY. IT IS NO DIFFERENT WHEN IT COMES TO THE ART OF DOCKING YOUR
BOAT. IF DRIVING A VESSEL MADE FOR WATER IS A CHALLENGE TO BE MASTERED
OVER TIME, THAN SO IS DOCKING IT! SOME ARGUE THAT DOCKING IS EVEN MORE
DIFFICULT THAN DRIVING. THIS MAKES SENSE CONSIDERING THE MANY VARIABLES
THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED DURING THE DOCKING PROCESS. SO, BEFORE YOU
HEAD OUT ON THE WATER AND NEED TO DOCK YOUR BOAT, HERE ARE SOME THINGS
THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW.

3. SLOW & STEADY
THERE IS AN OLD RULE OF THUMB WHICH INSINUATES THE FACT THAT YOU
SHOULD ONLY APPROACH YOUR DOCK AS FAST AS YOU’D LIKE TO HIT
IT. THOUGH A BIT TONGUE-IN-CHEEK, THE POINT OF THIS ADAGE IS TO REMIND
BOAT DRIVERS TO APPROACH THEIR DOCKS OR PIERS SLOWLY. THERE IS NO NEED
FOR SPEED WHEN GETTING READY TO DOCK. COMING IN AT A SLOW AND STEADY
PACE WILL BENEFIT ALL INVOLVED.

4. BALANCE POWER & SPEED
USE ENOUGH POWER TO DOCK SUCCESSFULLY. KEEPING THE ADAGE ABOVE IN
MIND, BE SURE TO BALANCE THE NEED FOR A SLOW AND STEADY PACE WITH THE
ADDITIONAL NEED OF USING ENOUGH POWER TO STEER YOUR VESSEL. WIND AND
CURRENTS CAN WRECK HAVOC ON YOUR DOCKING SUCCESS, BUT THE USE OF
SUFFICIENT POWER CAN HELP OVERCOME THOSE FACTORS.

5. TURN BEFORE YOU ACCELERATE
TURN YOUR WHEEL BEFORE YOU “HIT THE GAS.” KEEP THIS AT THE FOREFRONT
OF YOUR MIND DURING YOUR DOCKING EXPERIENCE. YOU NEVER WANT TO
SPEED UP AND THEN TURN, BUT ALTERNATIVELY, YOU MUST TURN YOUR WHEEL
AND THEN INCREASE POWER. THIS RULE OF THUMB WILL PROTECT YOU AND
YOUR PASSENGERS FROM GETTING BOLTED IN A DIRECTION YOU DON'T WISH TO
GO.

6. DON’T FORCE IT
YOU CAN ALWAYS TRY, TRY AGAIN! DON'T TRY TO MAKE A DOCKING MISSION
HAPPEN IF IT JUST ISN'T WORKING. IN ALL REALITY, IT IS MUCH BETTER TO BE
SAFE THAN SORRY. IF YOUR DOCKING ATTEMPTS ARE NOT PANNING OUT, BACK
UP AND TRY AGAIN. SOMETIMES A SECOND, OR EVEN THIRD TRY WILL DO THE
TRICK. DON'T FORCE IT! PRACTICE!

7. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
THIS POINT IS EXTRA IMPORTANT, AS PRACTICE WILL HELP YOU BECOME BETTER
ABLE TO MANEUVER AND HANDLE YOUR VESSEL. YOU MIGHT CONSIDER
PRACTICING IN SMOOTH CONDITIONS, AND BUILD UP TO PRACTICING IN MORE
DIFFICULT AND WAVY CONDITIONS. ANY AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL PRACTICE
YOU CAN GET IN DOCKING YOUR BOAT WILL BE A HUGE ADVANTAGE TO YOU
AND TO YOUR FUTURE DOCKING ATTEMPTS.

8. IN CONCLUSION…
THOUGH THERE ARE MANY MORE IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
BEFORE YOU DOCK YOUR BOAT, THE ABOVE LIST HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE MOST
BENEFICIAL TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED. KEEP IN MIND THAT DOCKING A BOAT
TAKES TIME AND EXPERIENCE TO DO WELL. DON'T GET DISCOURAGED IF YOU
AREN'T EXCELLENT AT IT OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER, WITH A BIT OF PRACTICE
UNDER YOUR BELT, YOU MIGHT JUST SURPRISE YOURSELF WITH YOUR DOCKING
ABILITIES! KEEP THE ABOVE RULES OF THUMB IN MIND BEFORE YOU GO OUT ON
THE WATER AND YOU WILL BE GUARANTEED DOCKING SUCCESS IN NO TIME!

9. (843)522-0430
Visit us online at:
http://ladysislandmarina.com