Parking

[GTO]

I have noticed that when some people are parking their boats, they come in towards the dock forward and then throw it into reverse to swing the back end in. Is this bad for the gears or any other mechanical part of the boat?

[ishoot308]

I have noticed that when some people are parking their boats, they come in towards the dock forward and then throw it into reverse to swing the back end in. Is this bad for the gears or any other mechanical part of the boat?

Well I'm not so sure about "throwing" it into reverse but yes, standard operating procedure in most V-Hull style boats especially when parking between two boats is to use reverse by turning your front end into the dock and using reverse to bring your stern in. Reverse can also be used as a gradual brake to slow you down. No harm should come to your motors transmission from doing this. Obviously this should only be done at very slow docking speeds.

Dan

[4Fun]

Although you do need a little speed to dock this way, one good rule to follow is never approach a dock faster than you want to hit it. If your boat stalls when "throwing" it in to reverse you have no brakes....

[sa meredith]

I have noticed that when some people are parking their boats, they come in towards the dock forward and then throw it into reverse to swing the back end in. Is this bad for the gears or any other mechanical part of the boat?

Don't really know of another way to do it...

[jrc]

There may be other ways, but GTO you describe the most basic docking technique.

As 308 said you don't throw it in reverse, stop for a second in neutral. So basically you drive slowly towards the dock at about 45 degrees. When your bow is as close as you dare, shift to neutral, turn the wheel all the way towards the dock, then shift to reverse giving a little gas if needed to stop the boat. This should stop you and pull the stern in to the dock.

This is safe for your boat transmission because water is not like a road. The prop just slips a little until it grabs. The gears are not under undue stress.

[BroadHopper]

I do know that Alpha drives are not as forgiven as Bravo drives. Your Mercury manual will state that you need to put it in neutral for a few seconds before engaging an Alpha drive. You can reverse gears on a Bravo drive quickly but my mechanic says it is not recommended.

[ishoot308]

Just to be clear, my above post only holds true for V-hull type boats, flat bottom boats react totally differently. I have both so I know the difference first hand.

Dan

[Seeker]

If you have a boat with a right hand prop as most have then when you put it in reverse the torque will pull the stern towards the dock assuming you are docking port side to. Works best with straight inboards so with an outdrive or outboard it helps more to turn the drive towards the dock.