I let the groupie chicks who always line the dock when I come in help....:evilb:

Buy a JetDock :D Otherwise It's all experience. YOU MUST be prepared when docking alone, wherever you're docking. Get everything ready, inch your way and let it just kinda sit and drift using steering and shifter. Just got to listen to how the boat is carrying you and guide it in smoothly.

(quote) >>> "Just got to listen to how the babe is carrying you and guide it in smoothly."

Hmmmmm .. good advice. I have to try that one. :evilb:

How to dock a Gladiator by yourself with no rubrail? Very carefully!!


P.S. Like Philly told me. "You have to be like a boy scout and be prepared."

I put a pop up cleat next to the helm. Allows me to throw a loop around something on the dock. Takes all the stress out of docking with or without a crew.

Used to do it all the time in my 30' Spectre...just hang all the fenders and lines, come in slowly, and practice on off days if you're not used to your boat. People that come in hot and then do the panic throw the boat in reverse, forward, and then jump on the dock to get things under control just blow me away.

Last Summer I put my buddy's 38' Donzi ZX on the dock in Newport Harbor with one engine and no power steering. Rolled up on one, put it on the dock, shut the engine off, and casually stepped up onto the dock and tied it up. This was in Back Bay, where there is a cafe full of people overlooking the water, and lots of boats getting in and out of the water. I was cracking up after tying the boat up, to look and see 4 guys struggling with some pulley and line contraption to get the boat off the trailer and onto the dock....

It's really not rocket science. The best advice is to practice, practice, practice, preferably on an off day where you boat. Don't always take the easy side if there is a wind or current, because chances are there will be a time that you're going to be unable to get the spot you want at the dock.

Like you said Dreamer, I am just hoping he did not misspell the title to the thread, was it an "I" or an "O". LOL J/K Like everyone said here, even with people in the boat with you, I always laugh when people come into the docks unprepared, hanging fenders after they bang their boat off the sides of the dock. Always have fenders out, ropes tied and ready to toss to someone or jump and cleat off. Hammer

Good idea to have all the lines on the cleats already, but that's a no brainer. It might help if you have a long enough line to tie to your bow cleat and run all the way back you the cockpit. This way you can get out on the dock with a line tied to the bow and the stern (it also helps if someone comes you your aid, you can throw the bow line to them).

Also, if there is any sort of tide moving in and out, always come in against the flow of water, never with it!!

I Have 3 Daugthers And My Wife. So Basicly I Am Alone When Docking :D

You can dock it yourself perfectly with an
incredible amount of grace. But that will only
happen when no one is around to see you do it.

I guarantee that if even one person is watching,
you will botch it big time.

I know, this is the story of my life.

Pesky Varmint
35 Nordic