Docking

**WakeSlayer** · 08-25-2009, 12:29 PM

RE: Docking

This discussion just came up on CCFan also. I drive towards the dock at idle, when I am perhaps 15 feet away, steer the boat left, drop in neutral, steer right, and reverse into position. A couple small forward/reverse adjustments depending on your aim and any wind and you are fluffing up against the dock.
I have never owned a LH boat and they drive me crazy to try and dock them when I do drive them.

**oldslalomskier** · 08-25-2009, 12:44 PM

RE: Docking

LH boats are MUCH easier to dock. Simply glide into the dock at about a 20 degree angle and when the nose is where you want it to be, just give a short burst of reverse and the stern slides to the right. My 9 year old can do it. OTOH, the RH is nice on the water.

**G-man** · 08-26-2009, 08:41 AM

RE: Docking

Taking you time is most important, if it takes a few trys it is better than beating up your boat.

**bkhallpass** · 08-26-2009, 08:52 AM

Re: RE: Docking

Originally posted by oldslalomskier

LH boats are MUCH easier to dock. .

This statement makes no sense. A boat is a boat. One pulls left, one pulls right. Neither is easier than the other to dock.

BKH

**causewayskiier** · 08-26-2009, 09:02 AM

Docking

Sure, it makes sense. If you are trying to dock on the drivers side, when you back toward the dock the stern will either be pulled toward the dock or away from the dock depending on the rotation of your prop. A CC will be easier to dock on the port side while most other ski boats will be easier to dock on the starboard side. Unfortunately most boat drivers prefer to dock on the drivers side (starboard).

**SkiTower** · 08-26-2009, 09:04 AM

Re: Docking

Originally posted by causewayskiier

A CC will be easier to dock on the port side while most other ski boats will be easier to dock on the starboard side.

Depends on the model. My 211 pulls to starboard, and is great to dock.

**DanielC** · 08-26-2009, 09:22 AM

RE: Re: Docking

The key to docking either boat is practice.

pj · 08-26-2009, 09:45 AM

RE: Re: Docking

Dock. What dock?

**bkhallpass** · 08-26-2009, 10:03 AM

Re: Docking

Originally posted by causewayskiier

Sure, it makes sense. If you are trying to dock on the drivers side, when you back toward the dock the stern will either be pulled toward the dock or away from the dock depending on the rotation of your prop. A CC will be easier to dock on the port side while most other ski boats will be easier to dock on the starboard side. Unfortunately most boat drivers prefer to dock on the drivers side (starboard).

Different statement. Yes, on a boat which pulls starboard and has a starboard helm, there is a mechanical and physics advantage in docking to the staboard side as opposed to a boat with a port pull and a starboard helm.

However, if you believe that it is more difficult to dock on the starboard side when the boat pulls port, I would point out that at least the driver has better visibilility when doing so. On the other hand, if you are trying to dock a starboard pull on the port side of the boat, you have neither a mechanical/physics advantage, nor do you have visibility.

In any case, it's really not that difficult to dock either boat on either side. Just takes a little practice, and a little thought. Wind and current tend to make the task more difficult than the pull of the engine. On calm water, it's pretty simple no matter which way the boat pulls.

BKH

**WakeSlayer** · 08-26-2009, 11:20 AM

RE: Re: Docking

I think if you are going to come in contact with any object; dock, boat, piling, sheriff, my belief is that you should do it on the drivers side, as you are in control, and should be able to back out of trouble. Not into it.
The other thing about reversing to port is that you should ALWAYS pick up your rider on the drivers side, and this allows you to back away from the skier. Not over the top of them, if conditions push you towards them.
This is part of the reason Correct Craft made the boats this way in the first place, in addition to counter balancing the drivers weight. The old LH rotation boats had the drivers seat on the port side. They have only recently switched vdrive boats to LH rotation, and as Tim B. reminded me the other day, the DD boats still turn RH props.

Safety first.

**BigBald** · 08-26-2009, 03:17 PM

RE: Re: Docking

I typically have the boom on the driver's side....so, I have never learned how to dock on the driver's (starboard) side. I come in at about a 30 to 45 degree angle.....slowly......then reverse it and it brings the rear of the boat around clockwise and perfectly into position. Just takes some practice is all.

**LT206** · 08-26-2009, 04:12 PM

As I pull into my slough my dock is on the left hand side. All I do is approach the dock (with the dock on the left) and leave myself enough room to spin the boat to the left and drop the throttle back to neutral (bump in forward a bit if I've left myself too much room between me and the dock - do this when the boat is pointing directly at the dock) and the forward momentum will spin the rear end around perfectly parallel to the dock on the driver's side. All of this is done very slowly so if I do miss I can stop forward motion with reverse. I rarely miss though.

**oldslalomskier** · 08-26-2009, 07:02 PM

Re: RE: Re: Docking

Originally posted by WakeSlayer

..
This is part of the reason Correct Craft made the boats this way in the first place, in addition to counter balancing the drivers weight. The old LH rotation boats had the drivers seat on the port side. They have only recently switched vdrive boats to LH rotation, and as Tim B. reminded me the other day, the DD boats still turn RH props.

Safety first.

Or economics.

The reason they switched to LH and the other guys started with and still use LH is that reverse rotation motors (RH) cost more.

**DanielC** · 08-27-2009, 04:01 PM

RE: Re: RE: Re: Docking

It's not economics. Correct Craft made boats with right hand propellers, and starboard drive because it balances the boat. It cost then more to get the engine rotating the proper way to work with a direct drive transmission. (engine rotation counterclockwise, standing at the end of the engine opposite the flywheel) Early in the 1990's, Correct Craft started using a gear reduction transmission, that also reversed the shaft rotation to get a right hand prop rotation with a clockwise rotation engine. (viewed from the front of the engine)
Neither getting a reverse rotation engine, or a gear reduction transmission is the cheap way to go.

Here is how to approach a dock on the starboard side of the boat. Be turning hard left as you approach the dock. leave enough room for the boat not to hit the dock. This gives the boat a counterclockwise rotation, viewed from above the boat. As you get to the dock, before you make contact, shift into reverse. This stops both the forward motion of the boat, and the counterclockwise rotation, viewed from above.
With practice, you can make the boat stop motionless, parallel to the dock, a few inches from the dock.

Practice helps a lot. Throw one of your dock bumpers out of the boat, and practice "docking" next to it in the middle of the river.

Docking

Docking

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