Navigation: Backing a JetBoat out of a slip

[Delawarejim]

The slip I use for my boat is one where I call and the boat is put into one of their open slips. I have a 2014 Scarab 195. The marina is tight, on the left are boats that are either rented or owned and kept at the slip, on the right are boats docked that are for sale, there is a middle lane to go from the marina to the bay. The boats for sale to the right, are new and expensive. There is maybe 25 feet between the two sides. The boat is always docked bow in towards the dock. I struggle backing the boat out of the slip due to the tight confines. The bay is on the starboard side, the port side is a parking lot.

I try to practice in the open water to improve my backing up skill - I know speed kills. Forward is no issue, and the open water does not have the physical confinements I deal with at the dock (new boats behind me, pillions on port and starboard, etc)? I welcome any input and suggestion.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

 

[steelhorse454]

The slip I use for my boat is one where I call and the boat is put into one of their open slips. I have a 2014 Scarab 195. The marina is tight, on the left are boats that are either rented or owned and kept at the slip, on the right are boats docked that are for sale, there is a middle lane to go from the marina to the bay. The boats for sale to the right, are new and expensive. There is maybe 25 feet between the two sides. The boat is always docked bow in towards the dock. I struggle backing the boat out of the slip due to the tight confines. The bay is on the starboard side, the port side is a parking lot.

I try to practice in the open water to improve my backing up skill - I know speed kills. Forward is no issue, and the open water does not have the physical confinements I deal with at the dock (new boats behind me, pillions on port and starboard, etc)? I welcome any input and suggestion.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

Do you have the option to ask them to turn your boat around before splashing it ?

 

[Delawarejim]

Do you have the option to ask them to turn your boat around before splashing it ?

Unfortunately not - because of the logistics of the marina, they avoid it.
Jim

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I'd just use a paddle or two. Maneuver until you can spin the boat forward. But it's hard to visualize this....

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

The best bet is to have your crew just push/walk you off from the other boats. If solo just bumper on up I'd probably do the same in neutral reverse (if the Scarabs have that)

 

[CastawayRK]

When teaching someone to drive cones are used instead of actual cars. Maybe get a couple fishing marker buoys to drop when you practice?

 

[CastawayRK]

Oh and sit for half hour and watch how others navigate it

 

[Tylenator]

I'm not super experienced by any means but the best piece of advice I've been given is, "Don't go any faster than you're willing to hit something". The areas that we frequent have a lot of tight/tricky situations (crowded/narrow slips at restaurants and sometimes in current, crowded boat ramps that are parallel to the bay's current, etc.). Being forced to navigate these situations as a new boater helped me slowly become more confident.

I've only been doing it for a year but I still take it slow. Friends/family have made comments while I'm docking about how slow I'm going but I don't care - they're not the ones paying for repairs if I hit something. Also what's worse, someone creeping into a slip extremely slowly, potentially holding people up behind them, but successfully docking first attempt?... or someone flying in all cool but having to reverse, forward, reverse, forward, start over, forward, reverse, start over again, etc... Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Back on the topic of actual advise... if your boat has twin motors like mine and a lot of the Yamahas, use those throttles separately (like driving a bobcat or zero turn mower). When in very tight/slow areas I normally don't touch the helm at all.

Also having a long pole or two, onboard, for either you or your crew, to aid in pushing off of objects if/when needed. We have a 5' foot pole that extends to ~10' and it has a hook on the end. In sticky situations there's no shame in hooking that around a dock cleat to pull the boat the rest of the up to the dock.

 

[drewkaree]

The hard part is to stick the landing so you can throw your hands in the air like the gymnasts do.

 

[qwikkotatx]

I have zero shame using the pole to pull me towards the dock after trading paint with one in Destin.

 

[Julian]

I have zero shame using the pole to pull me towards the dock after trading paint with one in Destin.

Agree...better to use a boat hook and not hit something that don't and do hit something. It can also sometimes help to keep a line attached to the dock to help rotate off it, but without a diagram of the layout its hard to tell what your options are.