Must improve my berth control techniques!

P

Pecheur Anglais

New Member
Joined
17 Apr 2018
Messages
3
Visit site
Nothing like a cheesy title for my first post then :)
But seriously, being fairly new to boating and have a problem getting alongside my finger pontoon berth. I am hoping that some of you experienced guys can offer some advice.
Before buying a boat I did the RYA powerboat level 2 in a RIB. Boy, did that RIB handle easily! But it would not suit my requirements to get my "scared of boats and it doesn't have a toilet" other half, on the water with me.
So, my ST Boats 780 is 7.14 m long and similar to a Merry Fisher in shape. She is fitted with a 150hp Volvo Penta inboard diesel with a straight shaft drive and RH prop. I have to berth with the pontoon to starboard*. Other than the challenges below, she is a great little boat and suits the need perfectly.

The challenges:
*Pretty well no steerage when going astern, so I can only go forwards onto the berth.
Due to boats opposite my berth I have to take a tight starboard turn to align with the pontoon, making it difficult to approach accurately, particularly when its windy.
The boat will not go slower than 4 knots unless, maybe, if I just keep kicking her in and out of gear (assuming that will do no mechanical damage)
Strong prop walk kicking the stern to port when I go astern to stop the boat from hitting the wall at the end of the pontoon. This moves the stern away from the pontoon and towards the adjacent boat.
Most importantly, I have to be able to do this single handed.

I have tried various practice manoeuvres outside of the marina, but without something to go alongside against I am not achieving anything.

Any suggestions?
 
Last edited:
For starters 4 knts is way to fast. Slow right down and give yourself plenty of time. If you are inching along and have sufficient fenders out you cant really do any damage other than to your pride, but you will give yourself plenty of time to see what a small input does and so learn from that. As for berthing it's the pain barrier every single one of us here has had to go though. Everybody may be looking but nobody is going to really criticize UNLESS you hit their boat at 4 knts. Just take it really slowly and relax. Stressing just makes you over correct and fluff it.
 
Pecheur Anglais said:
Nothing like a cheesy title for my first post then :)
But seriously, being fairly new to boating and have a problem getting alongside my finger pontoon berth. I am hoping that some of you experienced guys can offer some advice.
Before buying a boat I did the RYA powerboat level 2 in a RIB. Boy, did that RIB handle easily! But it would not suit my requirements to get my "scared of boats and it doesn't have a toilet" other half, on the water with me.
So, my ST Boats 780 is 7.14 m long and similar to a Merry Fisher in shape. She is fitted with a 150hp Volvo Penta inboard diesel with a straight shaft drive and RH prop. I have to berth with the pontoon to starboard*. Other than the challenges below, she is a great little boat and suits the need perfectly.

The challenges:
*Pretty well no steerage when going astern, so I can only go forwards onto the berth.
Due to boats opposite my berth I have to take a tight starboard turn to align with the pontoon, making it difficult to approach accurately, particularly when its windy.
The boat will not go slower than 4 knots unless, maybe, if I just keep kicking her in and out of gear (assuming that will do no mechanical damage)
Strong prop walk kicking the stern to port when I go astern to stop the boat from hitting the wall at the end of the pontoon. This moves the stern away from the pontoon and towards the adjacent boat.
Most importantly, I have to be able to do this single handed.

I have tried various practice manoeuvres outside of the marina, but without something to go alongside against I am not achieving anything.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Go back to PB2 teacher & get half a day pontoon bashing tuition, its what we did & it made life bearable.
Have since upgraded to IPS & thrusters :o
 
Firstly I would find somewhere quiet to practice and as BruceK says, take it slowly and you'll do no damage. Also it's worth considering which direction the wind is blowing and change your approach accordingly ... you may have to travel past your moorings, turn around and approach from that direction to ensure the wind is helping rather than hindering you.

The other thing I would learn is using ropes as springs to assist your mooring. For example, if you're being blown off your mooring, get a bow line on and tie it off on the boat, then you can put the boat in gear astern with wheel turned towards the mooring and the boat will slowly pull you in sideways, giving you a chance to get a rope on the stern. Lessons could be useful, or just practice and get some tips
 
Neutral is a good gear to use ... (in/out of gear is OK) ... slow down and see what wind/tide is doing to our boat ..

It may make sense to go past your berth, turn around and come back the other way, which may allow for taking more benefit of that prop-walk ... If stern kick to port when going fwd, then it is bound to pull to SB when going astern ...

If you have a centre cleat, make sure you have a rope ready as if you can get that hooked onto your pontoon first, then the boat won't get far once on and pulled tightly in ... (same applies when you are leaving berth)...

Practice, practice and practice ... and 1:1 tuition on our boat for half a day may be worth it ...

good luck !!
 
Putting the engine in and out of gear briefly is exactly what you need to be doing. It will do it no harm at all. All you normally need is the prop to be engaged for a second to keep some way on. The exception might be if the wind is blowing you off, in which case a more "positive" approach could be necessary.

Keep looking sideways (not just ahead) to judge your speed. You need to keep moving, but not be moving with any real intent (save as above if being blown off).

I'm not entirely sure from your description, but it sounds like you are approaching a berth whihc is "closed" to the direction you are coming from (i.e. you pass the finger before you get to the space, not the other way around). Is that right? If so, have you considered reversing down the alley and then motoring forwards into your space? You don't then have to "dodge" the finger and the momentum of the boat that you are currently experiencing (taking you towards your neighbour, not the pontoon) as you turn to starboard, will be reversed.

Final thought - try getting a short line ashore amidships as soon as you can, even if it is on the end of the pontoon. You can then gently motor forwards against it (with a suitably soft fender up by your bow) whilst you gain control. If its kept short, you can't go far.
 
Last edited:
Fit a bowthruster - it will make your life so much easier. An outboard powered version would make more sense at this size to be honest.
 
I sympathise, I have the same problem. It’s being solved by a light application of a bow thruster off eBay. I did lob a cheap “trolling” motor on the aux engine bracket which worked wonders set at 90 degrees. I connected the power cables direct to a battery via a winch type solenoid.

The problem with this kind of boat is that the rudder is tiny, the props are highly pitched for speed, there’s no centreboard/keel, and there’s a lot of windage. All added makes slow speed control v difficult.
 
rubberduck said:
Go back to PB2 teacher & get half a day pontoon bashing tuition, its what we did & it made life bearable.
Have since upgraded to IPS & thrusters :o
Click to expand...
:encouragement::encouragement::encouragement

This is what you need to do.
My merry fisher 645 has very little steerage below 3kts so I feel your pain.
Also, practice going round a buoy in different winds and tides to get a feel how your boat behaves, Oh and have lots of fenders out :)
 
Last edited:
As others have said: get some expert tuition on your boat. It wont cost a lot and you'll get the hang of it much quicker than by trial and error.

It sounds like you know what you're doing and good at theory, so I expect half a day with an old salt to give you pointers will have you set for life.
 
No matter what advice you get on here, own boat tuition is the only way. Your PB Level 2 course on a RIB is no good for handling a single screw shaft boat. It was hard enough for me in a single screw outdrive and took a lot of practice.

Get a days / half days tuition on your own boat. You will never look back.

Incidentally, I met a couple last season with a boat similar to yours. They had approached me when I swung into my berth like a pro. My simply advice was - get a bow thruster! I did, and I never looked back. The purists will say its not necessary, but I like stress free boating, and it really helped due to windage on the bow, which you will suffer from to. You're much better off worrying about getting your stern in order and being able to pop the bow where you need it to with a thruster!!!


Good luck.
 
Single engine on a shaft requires learning how to prop walk. It’s a simple trick that when repeated often becomes second nature.
The goal is to control the stern. You can point the nose in towards the pontoon but if you get the back in also then you will end up along side.
The theory on how a boat turns is that it starts by the stern moving out (unlike a car which the back follows the front wheels). So when you turn left the stern moves to the right first. You utilize this.
When you want to move the stern towards a pontoon that is on your port side. First remove all speed, better to begin with the boat dead in the water with no wind or tide until you’re expert.
Turn the wheel hard all the way over to starboard give a quick burst forward then instantly back to neutral (if you start moving forward then you’ve given it too much and you need a tiny bit of reverse to stop it). The stern of the boat will swing towards the pontoon.
Best to start with a crewman to grab the pontoon cleats. Also there is no shame in a bow thruster, better still, get a stern thruster as well.
 
Thanks guys, for the value of your experience.
RYA tuition on my own boat sounds ideal, but she is in St Cyprien on the French Med coast.
I appreciate all the useful theory and tips for me to try when I next go down to the boat. One day I may even post my own video like the link from DiscoVolante :cool:

ps, if all the handling strategies fail, investing in a thruster seems my best bet. As an alternative, I have noticed a couple of boats with an auxiliary outboard bracketed onto the swim platform. Any thoughts on that?
 
Last edited:
Bow and or stern thrusters will transform your life and lower the pulse rate. I maneuver mine onto a trailer every week, bow thruster is essential.
Stern auxiliary OB is there to power the boat if the main engine fails. Major thread drift, but those are not often used, you’d be better of maintaining the inboard engine to a good standard.
 
Pecheur Anglais said:
Thanks guys, for the value of your experience.
RYA tuition on my own boat sounds ideal, but she is in St Cyprien on the French Med coast.
I appreciate all the useful theory and tips for me to try when I next go down to the boat. One day I may even post my own video like the link from DiscoVolante :cool:

ps, if all the handling strategies fail, investing in a thruster seems my best bet. As an alternative, I have noticed a couple of boats with an auxiliary outboard bracketed onto the swim platform. Any thoughts on that?
Click to expand...
An auxiliary outboard as a get you home in a emergency or as a trolling motor for fishing is fine. To use it as a stern thruster might require an extra crewman, and he would probably be just as useful with a boat hook
 
I don't think he got it wrong - there was a mechanical failure which meant the boat wouldn't disengage reverse.

Normally someone would be on the bathing platform with a ball fender though...
 
Firstly you have my sympathy. I was amazed when upgrading from a Sealine S24 to a S37 how easy it was to park. Twin engines, bow thruster, less swing with the wind. You have some excellent advice above. All I would add, following spending much of my marina time watching others with similar problems, is get yourself roughly in and then use ropes and poles to do the rest. So many people get the first position spot on then try to back in like a car and screw it all up.
I've also noticed that with a larger boat people come to help. They assume a small boat is easy and leave you to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

W
Training the wife
7 8 9
Replies
179
Views
3K
Wansworth
W
B
Volvo Nibral vs Stainless Props - Corrosion
Replies
4
Views
245
SC35
SC35

Share this page

Top