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ok, so I'm a really REALLY new boater but need advice

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mrfixitct

mrfixitct

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got a sportster 155 last week, taken out twice so far, silly/strange as it may sound we've found the hardest part of the trip is pulling up to the dock to tie off to go get the trailer.

Love the boat but what am I missing? Sales rep said to approach slow, kill the engine just short of the dock to lose the minimal forward thrust in neutral.. proving harder than it looks, either hit the dock or short then have to really quick restart then.....

of course currents make it worse..


any advice would be appreciated, I'm sure experience will win out but hoping there is some method someone likes, that they may share to make the learning curve shorter..

Thanks!
 
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Congrats on being a new boater.

I'm extremely new as well. Maybe 18'odd hours this season, that's it. In all my life :).

It's all experience., & a reliable helper. My s/o jumped about 4' the first time I got back in LOL. I was amazed.

I've hit the dock leaving & coming in a time or two :(...so sad, cuz the boat was MINT before. Now there's dings here and there...oh well.

Just take it slow., be patient.

We get the buoys out as we approach-a good 5mins away., so there's no fussing at the last minute. I take it nice and slow. The Speedster has a nice feature where in Neutral., you can toggle the throttle just by steering Lt / Rt.

No currents really where we dock so that hasn't been an issue for me.
 
Bring it in slow like you are doing , but use the Forward-Neutral-Reverse lever to guide your speed and keep the throttle at minimum/idle. Once in close keep it in neutral and toggle barely into forward to speed up, and toggle barely into reverse to slow down. Need to stop fast? All the way into reverse! You'll get it...
 
A little secrete for ya - you will still move forwards slowly whilst in neutral - this could be enough speed for you to safely dock depending on the current. Don't be too quick to kill the engine as you then have no steering / control at all.

As you may know, the jet unit impeller only spins in one direction, so to slow down or reverse, a cable lowers down what's called the reverse bucket which just deflects the water backwards. Why am I telling you all this? Because true neutral is not actually in the neutral setting, it's typically a pinch in between neutral and reverse (try it out on your boat).

Once you have complete control over forwards and reverse at low speed, then you don't need to kill the engine and hope for the best on approach to the dock. You can simply knock it into neutral when you're close, then idle into position in either "fake" neutral or real neutral using the technique above.

Lastly, resist the urge to spin the steering wheel left and right to the maximum when at low speed. Steering is very unresponsive when idling and the boat takes time to actually turn. Nice easy turns with throttle control and you'll be the envy of all non-jet boaters!
 
The biggest help for me was realizing that putting the lever mid way between neutral and reverse was the setting to make it sit still. Also remembering that when in reverse the front of the boat goes the same direction the wheel is turned is tough to get used to.
 
Dont learn on a dock that is going to belt the crap outta the boat.Tie a big float on a tight line and put an anchor on it.Toss it in the drink away from anything and learn off it.Come in at it from all angles and you wont hurt the boat.And I did say a tight line so you cant suck it up.
 
Take your time and lots of practice. It takes some getting use to, but once you figure it out, its no big deal. Like the others have said, use the FNR lever to maneuver while leaving it at idle.
 
you can somewhat get the idea from my avatar picture but my dock sits where a 30' channel meets a 100' channel that runs out to the main lake. water is 4' at the end of my dock, 6' to the right of my dock only 1' to the far left of the channel and about 2' when the water is low right down the middle. So to dock my boat I have to come down the right side of the channel get to 10' of my dock, make almost a 90 degree right turn and then an immediate 90 degree left turn to pull along the dock. That certainly took more than a few tries to master getting the right turning point and speed and I still miss it 30% of the time. But like everyone else says it just takes practice and learning how/when to adjust the speed. Hang in there, you'll get it pretty soon.
 
bigJake said:
here is a video on the proper docking technique
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNxLjCBJc
Click to expand...

jake...Capn Ron, probably the BEST boating movie, ever made (at least the funniest)..."always stand clear of the ladder, boss"

mrfixit..I would can the guy who advised cutting the engine and drifting to the dock,...take an hour and practice, idle speed, short shifts between F N R...you will look like a pro in no time and be able to walk your boat softly against the dock..."tie er off, and kick back some cold ones" ;-)
 
Yep exactly what every one is telling you. I ease it in using f/n/r , constantly going up /down and around. I usually cut in at a slight angle and never really kill the jets until I'm ready to jump off and tie it off. You lose all control at that point and it's usually your rub rail doing all the work at that point.

One of the big issues I learned to deal with and not sure if it applies to you is if the launch busy. My point is I would spend a whole day out of the lake fishing, relaxing whatever and until I got used to it I would get all wound up because it DOES take a little extra time to get jet boats in an out of the water. If the launch was busy I felt the pressure to get it in and all of that. Then I took the approach...slow it down , take my time and if someone gets all wound up at least it won't be me. Made a huge difference to change my mindset. Kinda the same approach backing the boat in until I got that down pat. All it takes is time.

Enjoy!
 
I bought and drove my first boat ever last year, a 180SE. Didn't get the orientation on the water offered by my dealer as ice was still on the lakes in Alberta when I put it in the water in BC May 1. Banged it up on the dock a bit first time out. The instructions saying you need throttle to steer misled me somewhat, and it has a tendency to spin like crazy. So when headed towards the dock right off the trailer, gave it some throttle to steer and spun it into the dock. A minor gelcoat repair, chalked up to experience. The guy at the Marina said I picked a tough boat to learn on! Slow is the key. Just toggle between foreward and neutral as approaching the dock. As someone said it actually creeps forward in neutral so I leave it in neutral as getting close and angle about 45 degrees to the dock. Yes bumpers out first. Of course if you have passengers, it helps a lot, however I am often alone.

Backing, I still find is an adventure if near a dock. It spins so easy. I have found when alone in the boat that I need to turn the wheel a little bit counter-clockwise for the straight direction either forward or reverse. I now have 49 hours on it and am quite comfortable docking now. Slow is key - even if it does not go where you want, it won't hurt the boat when you hit the dock.
 
Just remember, you have as much right to ramp time as anyone else does. Some are faster than others but that's ok. Take you time and soon you will be a PRO!!! Teaching the SO to back the trailer seems to be WAY harder than driving the boat! ROFLMAO!!!! Linky
 
Ditto what everyone is telling you. I'd never docked a jetboat until this year when we bought ours. First time docking it I was so scared and and came in so slow that I got it perfect. Wife is astounded, I'm grinning like mad and think I'm a pro.... The next 5 times the tide was running hard either in or out and I felt like a complete moron. Now after almost a full season I've got it down. Mostly. It can still be a challenge when the tides falling fast but like everything, practice makes it better. Glad to see another SC boater!
 
Ok glad to see that I'm not alone on this. Everything that you guys have said is spot on. I have 29 hours on mine (29 hours is my total boating experience as far as driving one myself) and I am finally xpng it very well. I look like a pro now. Don't worry hang in there use your bumpers everytime and you will be fine. Be sure to use your forward nuetral and reverse and find that perfect combination that woke for you. You will get it in no time
 
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