Happy Father’s Day to all Fathers and a big “Thank You Dad” to my Father.
I consider myself extremely fortunate and grateful to my Father who was the most qualified to teach me at a very young age, how to handle and dock all types and sizes of boats from 14′ to 60’—power and sail at our family marina. You see, I am 5th generation in the boating business. I grew up at our family marina learning from the best and I’d like to share with all you boaters what my Father taught me.
I realize now how valuable Dad’s lessons were, when I see so many boaters who are unable to dock their boats as easily as they should. Obviously, they didn’t have a “docking expert” for a father. Thank you Dad!
When I was a child, (and even now), none of the boats came with docking instructions. It was left up to the buyer to struggle and try to figure it out. (Today there is so much misinformation on docking boats!) Back in the 1950’s……
when I was still in school, I had opportunities every weekend to rearrange over 50 boats in our sales docks—some port side docking and some starboard. To maximize the use of space, we had them only inches apart, so expert extreme close quarters maneuvering was a must.
Once I became “expert” at this handling and docking task, Dad had me demonstrate the boats to prospective buyers and teach them to handle and dock their new boats. I became known as “the docking expert kid” much to the delight of my Father–Arthur J. Dawson, Dawson’s Marina Limited on Lake Simcoe, in Ontario Canada.
Most of the boats back then were single inboard runabouts or twin inboard daycruisers and cruisers. In the early ’60’s, sterndrives were becoming popular in runabouts and small cruisers.
A lot of the single outboard handling techniques applied to the single sterndrives, so I was able to master these pretty quickly. However, the twin sterndrives were a totally different story. The twin inboard techniques didn’t work at all on them, because of the drive system being so different. So, I spent a lot of my time creating and developing techniques that worked specifically for twin sterndrives.
With this new knowledge I remained the “Docking Expert Kid” teaching all our marina’s new boat buyers, how to dock their new boats.
In short, all drive systems require different handling techniques and, different styles of boats with the same drive system, need different techniques. One instruction doesn’t work for all drive systems.
What My Father Taught Me about Boat Docking
My Dad taught me very valuable boating lessons and gave me excellent advice when I was a young boy. I didn’t realize just how valuable they were until I grew up in the marine industry, and witnessed so many boaters, who would benefit greatly from what my Father taught me.
- Keep your First Mate safe in the cockpit or on the swim platform. Don’t scare her to death by sending her out on the foredeck.
- Control the boat with a stern line rather than a bow line. Don’t expect your First Mate on the bow to use super human powers to lasso or hook the boat to the dock.
- Learn how your boat responds to the wheel. Don’t turn it the wrong direction in reverse expecting the bow to pull away from the dock and have it crash.
- Use the strength of the motor and dock line to bring the boat in, not your First Mates arms.
- Boats drift even without wind. Don’t expect your stopped boat to stay put like a car.
- When it is windy, lean into it. Don’t approach your slip the same way, as you would on calm days.
- Be ready for docking before you approach the dock. Don’t leave your fenders and lines stowed away in a locker until the last minute.
- You are responsible for good or bad dockings. Don’t yell at your First Mate, when you screw up a docking. You are the guy at the helm.
- You must be in control of the boat at all times, including docking. Don’t give up control to a dock helper. They will just mess up your plan.
I combined what my Father taught me with the techniques that I developed, and have since written step-by-step docking instructions for each drive system to simplify docking for boating families.
One day, I got an email from Tony, a boater who purchased my “Docking a Single Sterndrive” Lesson a year ago. We receive stories like his often. He said –
“Last year at this time, before my wife and I had received and studied your book on docking our single stern drive, we were ready to sell our 25 foot Four Winns, just so we would stop yelling at each other while docking!
By practicing the methods in your book, we have turned around our boating experience. This summer was the most enjoyable we have ever had on our boat.
Because your methods enabled us to remove the fear and frustration of launching and docking, we were able to finally relax and enjoy the boat and the satisfaction that comes from working together as Captain and First Mate.
Thank you so very much for what you have done for us.” Tony
Drive Systems are all different
Single Outboard and Single Sterndrive Owners,
expect their boats to handle like any other boat, but it doesn’t. The propeller’s thrust direction is changed when the wheel is turned. So, to stop this type of boat, without wrecking the turn that you’ve already started, the wheel must be turned the opposite direction—before you pull it into reverse.
Twin Outboard and Twin Sterndrive Owners
expect their boats to handle like a Twin Inboard, but it doesn’t. You can’t pivot it on the spot by putting one motor in forward and putting one motor in reverse. On a Twin Sterndrive, this does not work because the propeller’s thrust is located beyond the transom of the boat, the thrust is almost always aimed because the wheel is crooked and the propellers are closer together. All this puts the twin sterndrive propellers at such a disadvantage that it requires totally different instructions than a twin inboard.
Single Inboard owners
soon find out that their single inboard has a mind of its own. I call it “port prop pull stubbornness in reverse”. It won’t go to port, it won’t steer in reverse and won’t dock on the starboard side. As a result, single inboard owners experience many stressful dockings.
All Drive Systems require Different Handling and Docking Techniques
In short, all drive systems require different handling techniques and, different styles of boats with the same drive system, need different techniques. One instruction does not work for all drive systems.
Docking Lessons
As a result, after decades of perfecting my techniques, I wrote docking instruction books of what I learned from Dad and also what I developed for all the different styles of boats available today. Now, boating dads around the world can shorten their learning curves and enjoy boating more.
In my docking lessons, I insist boaters take their boat out into open water on a quiet calm evening to learn and understand how the boat responds to the wheel and shift(s) and throttle(s) following step-by-step instructions. Then, and only then, should you attempt docking. In each lesson for each drive system, there are step-by-step detailed instructions with pictures and diagrams over approximately 130 pages for the Introductory and 230 pages for the Advanced.
All my lessons teach you how to dock confidently and safely, bringing your boat into your slip or alongside your dock AND securing it to the dock in any conditions without the need for yelling, swearing, jumping, boat hooks, bionics, dock helpers, guesswork or embarrassment.
Docking is a learned skill that is duplicatable with the correct instructions.
Knowing how important it was as a kid to get the right instruction to dock boats, my advice for all the boating fathers, is to get the proper instruction before teaching your kids. Your kids will thank you forever. They will then enjoy boating and be qualified to teach your grandchildren just like my father taught me and my grandfather taught him. I thank my Father and Grandfather every time I dock a boat.
Give a Father’s Day gift to the man in your life—your Father, Grandfather, Son or Grandson. Our docking lessons keep on giving enjoyment and satisfaction for generations of Dads. The best Father’s Day gift ever for only $39.
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