Boating How-To’s - Docking with twin inboards with wind

Guys,

i recently moved up to a boat with twin inboards vs. the twin I/O that I was used to piloting. So far I've been confident while docking in calm waters, especially having the bow thruster. My question is though when docking with wind, should I increase the RPM's to say 900-1000 rpms and continue the bump technique or should I leave the motors at Idle and apply power as needed. My only concern about that is getting confused on which motor to apply throttle to

I know this is a newb question but I have no one else to ask

I don't see you ever touching the throttle/moving it above idle...Especially with the bow thruster...Unless maybe it's blowing 25+

I have no bow thruster, nor have I ever operated one, but on my twin IB boat, there are occasions that I have to really crank the throttle on one side or the other to make the boat do what I want it to do.

Your question is fairly broad ranging and probably only can be answered on the water with practice or with the help of someone familiar.

One thing I can offer that is not too complicated to understand (no offense but reading techniques can be daunting and hard to practice) is that the prop moving in reverse has less thrust compared to the prop moving forward. if you idle both engines and just crank one forward and one in reverse, the forward motor will produce more effect, therefor the reversed engine will require more power to compensate.

The toughest part about docking with winds are understanding the winds, not understanding your boat. Approach your destination in neutral, see what the wind is doing to your boat and plan accordingly. This is totally oversimplifying things, but maybe a start.

Practice will achieve mediocrity, LOTS of practice will achieve better than mediocrity, nothing achieves perfection when it comes to docking in the wind.

Last year I took a chunk out of my swim platform because I neglected to put one of my transmissions in neutral after backing into my slip..dumbass..Had no idea what happened until my wife told me after I tied up. Yeah, boating is humbling.

Thanks for the input guys...yes it's a broad question. I guess I was really wondering if having the throttle up a bit and not touching it at all would help while trying to correct for wind, but from what I'm reading it's more about feeling what I need thrust wise to get the boat to do what i need it to do. I guess I'm a little nervous because the 4 times I've taken her out it has been less than 5kts they are calling for some pop up storms this weekend and I don't want to be smacking off anyone's boat trying to get out of the storm...lol

To answer your question, it is OK to throttle up to ~900rpm certainnly not more than 1000. Be very carefull doing so as not all transmissions can handle the sudden torque changes.
I have twin inboards with deep prop pockets and I routinely throttle to ~850-900 when the conditions mandate. As mentioned above, keep in mind the forward engine will pull alot more!
Practice without the bow thruster and master docking, as one day the thruster may not work and you may be placed in an awkward position.
I have a bow thruster and can tell you, I use it only to adjust the boat at a bulkhead or in extreme situations.
Best advise = Practice Practice and then more practice

To answer your question, it is OK to throttle up to ~900rpm certainnly not more than 1000. Be very carefull doing so as not all transmissions can handle the sudden torque changes.
I have twin inboards with deep prop pockets and I routinely throttle to ~850-900 when the conditions mandate. As mentioned above, keep in mind the forward engine will pull alot more!
Practice without the bow thruster and master docking, as one day the thruster may not work and you may be placed in an awkward position.
I have a bow thruster and can tell you, I use it only to adjust the boat at a bulkhead or in extreme situations.
Best advise = Practice Practice and then more practice

Good Catch! I forgot to mention don't shift while up on the RPM's.

I won't change gears in anything other then neutral. the sound of the clunk is too much for me to handle, even if my Transmissions could, although I doubt they could.

Both gears to idle, make your gear changes then add some power to the appropriate engine.

HANDS OFF THE WHEEL

Do you have a rudder reference? Auto Pilot? If so, put the rudders in the center no matter what for now.

Forget the rudder and use the props..sometimes just slight bumps work best. The props do alot less in reverse than forward. I'm spoiled though..my twin engine Blackfin, the props are sooo far apart I can spin it in it's own length...

I can dock my 21 sea cat with outboards pretty well working each throttle bumping in and out of reverse because they're so far apart. If I can recall correctly, backing into the slip..kicking the port motor in reverse kicks the ass end to starboard, vis versa

Forget the rudder and use the props..sometimes just slight bumps work best. The props do alot less in reverse than forward. I'm spoiled though..my twin engine Blackfin, the props are sooo far apart I can spin it in it's own length...

Bill, I respect almost everything you say around here, but if your rudders are not neutral, your in for a world of hurt trying to dock twins as a newb.

Maybe we are preaching the same thing, rudders centered, all the steering is done with the transmissions.

Actually, I take it a step further, when I get near the docks, I shift my body to the center of the boat to resist the temptation of grabbing the wheel. Two hands on the transmission levers.

Upgrade to single lever controls. You'll never go back

Bill, I respect almost everything you say around here, but if your rudders are not neutral, your in for a world of hurt trying to dock twins as a newb.

Maybe we are preaching the same thing, rudders centered, all the steering is done with the transmissions.

Actually, I take it a step further, when I get near the docks, I shift my body to the center of the boat to resist the temptation of grabbing the wheel. Two hands on the transmission levers.

I agree, Mike..leave the rudders centered..and leave them there. Good point!

Upgrade to single lever controls. You'll never go back

see I feel like after I get the hang of it i'll appreciate not having the throttle on the same controls as the gears...on my I/O twins I would get annoyed with the accidental power inputs

learning just use the gears
later add a little wheel
advanced use everything. A twin inboard will go sideways.

as a general rule of thumb what wind speeds would you guys not go out in? They're calling for 5-15 knots today and 10 with gusts to 20 tomorrow

where are you fishing where are you docked at what kind of boat is it

Lake Erie in Erie pa. Boat is a carver 38SS

http://marinesource.com/graphics/658/100549929.jpg


IDK that area so I can shed no light on whether or not to go out, but get out and practice!

remember that the boat will pivot at the stern. Try to head into the wind, if possible and watch for any current that is moving. Wind and current in the same direction is harder. Practice out in an open area and use a channel marker as a reference point. Do you have a launch ramp nearby. Try and use that to dock at when it is not busy. Good luck

Friend of mine has a 40 ft Sea Ray bridge with 450 Cummings and a bow thruster. He does better docking when not using the thruster and pays attention to the gearshifts and throttles. Another guy at our club has a 41 ft Sea Ray express with diesels and spins the boat around in a 50 ft wide fairway and backs it into a parallel slip single handed, fun to watch. Saw him do it in a thunderstorm a few years ago with blinding wind and rain, amazing. He laughs when people ask him if his boat has a bow thruster. My 39 ft Sea Ray express with gassers will do almost anything I tell it with the right application a gear shift and throttle.

You've got a lot of windage there - your boat will be affected a good deal by wind, especially in gusts. in terms of what's safe, 15 knots can be no problem if the water is protected or generate big waves if it coming from across the ocean.

The best advice I ever had was "you can't go too slow when docking".

Second best you've already heard - practice.

Thanks for the input guys...yes it's a broad question. I guess I was really wondering if having the throttle up a bit and not touching it at all would help while trying to correct for wind, but from what I'm reading it's more about feeling what I need thrust wise to get the boat to do what i need it to do. I guess I'm a little nervous because the 4 times I've taken her out it has been less than 5kts they are calling for some pop up storms this weekend and I don't want to be smacking off anyone's boat trying to get out of the storm...lol

I used to have a boat with twin inboards, and now have one of comparable size (30'). In my experience, the twin inboards are more maneuverable that the I/O's, since the screws are under the hull rather than behind.
If you were able to maneuver with the I/O's, you should find it easier to do with the inboards.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Forget the rudder and use the props..sometimes just slight bumps work best. The props do alot less in reverse than forward. I'm spoiled though..my twin engine Blackfin, the props are sooo far apart I can spin it in it's own length...

I agree!! ran many twins and all ya gotta do is drive nose up to the slip or close to it, put your wheel center, kick one motor forward one in reverse.. bump one of the throttles if you bump both you SHOULD spin on a dime. With the bow thruster I don't even know if I would touch it.
Once you are stern to the slip pop the motor that is in forward in reverse as well and keep it slow. You can walk a boat in with twins.. I have lost steering and brought a boat in with twins no problem. Even with the rudder kicked you adjust your approach. It is really simple stupid easy. If the wind is blowing line up a few feet away from your actual slip into the wind. So the wind is pushing you toward your slip. Get turned around, once your port or stbd corner is at the first piling both motors reverse and bump the throttle up a bit just for a second to get your backward motion flowing. Easy up and dont go past the slip.. If you do throw one of the motors that will spin you out of trouble and go..

I could be more clear if I saw your docking situation, I had a very very tight slip with a T dock next to me.. I still do but I am on the other side of the T dock and closer to it and I run a single detroit. Now talk about a pain in the ass. I have more wheel than rudder so my boat walks to port like you would not believe. Wheel hard over to stbd and my port corner is still walking away from me. I gotta keep her hard stbd and back up right to my slip and kick it over.. Then back on the wheel to keep it on course bumping it in and out of gear.

May throw ya over too much. Maybe use it for slight corrections once in the slip and both motors are net.

I used to have a boat with twin inboards, and now have one of comparable size (30'). In my experience, the twin inboards are more maneuverable that the I/O's, since the screws are under the hull rather than behind.
If you were able to maneuver with the I/O's, you should find it easier to do with the inboards.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Exactly right. My Grady has twin OBs with a bow thruster. I almost always use a little bow thrust when docking her with a cross wind. Not so on the boat that I Captain with twin IBs (and bow thruster). Can't remember last time I used the bow thruster on that one. Just one more variable that I find a distraction. Twin IB's much easier to dock...

I have a slip on a river, and if the wind and current are going the same way it can move me pretty quick (41 Viking twin DD671s). In those conditions I go a little past my slip and back into the wind, then put the corner of the stern on the piling and pivot the boat using the motors. If I try to line it up with the slip and back in the wind will blow me into the piling a pretty hard. If I back into the wind and put the corner of the boat on the piling it's a much softer impact, and I'm in better control. Just what works for me.

As an update this weekend went very well. The winds were far less than expected...maybe 10kts tops and I feel pretty confident getting in and around my own slip and marina. Unlike my Sea Ray 300 I really didn't use my crew for anything but untying the boat and letting me know when my stern was clear. they made it easier but I think I'd be fine without them (similar conditions). I always had to use my wheel with the I/O and the current of the river didn't help matters. I ended up getting that down pretty good so I think this will come with time and practice as well.

Guys,

i recently moved up to a boat with twin inboards vs. the twin I/O that I was used to piloting. So far I've been confident while docking in calm waters, especially having the bow thruster. My question is though when docking with wind, should I increase the RPM's to say 900-1000 rpms and continue the bump technique or should I leave the motors at Idle and apply power as needed. My only concern about that is getting confused on which motor to apply throttle to

I know this is a newb question but I have no one else to ask

Once you get used to the straight shaft inboards you will wonder how you ever docked I/O drives.

Try this.

Put the rudders amidship. Use the engines and gears to move the boat. You do need to use the throttles to make the boat move where you want it to go.

You have probably learned the boat will spin in a circle if you put one gear in forward the the other in reverse. You can also put one in forward and leave the other in neutral to steer the boat.

Starboard in forward. The boat steers to port. Port in forward. The boat steers to starboard.

It works the same when you put the gears in reverse but the direction is the opposite.

When coming to a dock and you want to tie up parallel to the dock, come in slowly at an angle. Put the gear closest to the dock in reverse to pull the stern to the dock. Go slowly especially if the wind is blowing hard. You can always put both in reverse to stop the boat before hitting the dock.

Enjoy the new boat. You will really like the benefits of the twin inboard.