Excellent advice. every boat, prob configuration will react a little different.. Good luck :drink:


John jr

you can also use trim tabs mostly when backing.. to move the nose around (one down one up) helps on staggar set up.. put them both down while back and it seems to settle things down and gives you more control... learned this helps backing big time.

The thing I always teach new twin engine owners at the marina I work at goes like this. Stand (or sit) square to the helm facing forward. Grasp the starboard shifter with your right hand and the port shifter with your left. Now for the big thing to remember: The boat goes where your shoulders go.

Think about it and try it. Works every time. Taught to me by a great guy many, many years ago.

Kinda surprised I did'nt see anyone here on this thread talk to much about dock lines, fenders and their importance in docking a boat. The two biggest problems generally in docking a boat, inboard, I/O, or otherwise are wind blowing off or onto the dock, across a slip and currents doing the same things. Always have adequate length dock lines at hand during docking manuvers as well as fenders for preventing knocks agains docks, piles, other boats etc. Make a nice light line monkeys paw throwing line to quickly attach to the end of a dock line for getting the dock line safely to someone on the dock without sometimes getting to close to objects in strong winds or currents and to avoid having bodies standing on the slippery beautiful front decks where usually a strong throwing heave sometimes ends up with the tosser on their butt or worse over in the water in trouble or injured.
Learn how to use your docklines with fenders as pivots and spring lines to aid in docking with wind on the dock or trying to move off the dock against winds and currents or in tight end to end side ties where theres little room to manuver out of a tight spot.

There is nothing sometimes more dangerous as docking a boat in not so favorable conditions as one usually sees when the weather was suppossed to be perfect with light or no winds.

There is nothing more impressive around boats as watching an expierenced boater using all the tools of docking calmly, slowly and safely.

As others have said here also,

PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE! SLOW,SLOW,SLOW!

If you get in trouble during docking, just remember where neutral is on the helm, as you can always fend off to abort a failed manuver and prevent damage and injury. Trying to use power and rpms in those situations just makes it worse and leads to major damage and injuries!

Just some extra thoughts and advice.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

pick a wide slip,,practice getting in and out of the slip forward and backing in ,stay in the center of the well at first,,,as you get more comfortable start moving closer and closer to the docks

here is a guide i found that talks about the basics of twin engine controls. The hardest thing is keeping your hands of the wheel!
http://www.texasstarz.com/twin-throttles.html

Well said Raylar. An I would like to add. Props turning in compared to turing out on v bottoms. Hard to dock an less lift in turns. Think obout it. Not worth it. Do You really like laying on the side of Your boat or the flat in a turn for 1 to 2 mph on top end ??? Artie

Bravo 3
 

Never had or operated a Twin with Bravo 3's but always wondered if they operated or had the same manners around the dock as Bravo 1's. Can someone shed some experience?

Going from a single you will love it no gas just foward&reverse until boat is strait then let current or wind do the rest!

There are times where you will use the throttle as well, especially in current and/or wind.

Buddy of mine has a Formula 350 SS with Bravo III's. It has Axius so 99.9% of the time you are using the joystick to dock it. A couple of years ago just for shats and giggles I backed it using the shifters up to the outside of a friend's dock. I really didn't notice much difference in how it reacted compared to Bravo I's. You would really need to manuver two identical boats, other than the drives, to know for sure.

Great thread...thanks to all who have shared their knowledge!

Has anyone ever docked a v hull with twin i/o in a tight spot like this guy ? Post your videos. http://youtu.be/W36rDKl4T5s @1:10.

This has got to be one of the dumbest bits of docking advice that I have ever heard.

just watch out for these guys


http://youtu.be/3pmQn3lBhIY

+100.....

We were presented with a similar situation when we visited my brother-in-law. Never had twins before, but his advice was basically get it to open water on the lake with no other traffic and get a feel for slowly turning in place, side docking, forward docking, etc. Just practice going slowly driving a bulldozer/tank, and you'll be fine. Worked for us.

Several of my dock buddies have cruisers with twins B3's. Night and day difference handling/ docking from us with twin B1's or Alphas. So much better.

Good to hear, looking at a formula 28ss and it has B3's. Have experience with single and twin Bravos but wondered if the B3's pivoted better, and tracked straighter or worse. Sounds like better which is great news. Thanks

Someone once told me to "drive it like a BobCat" Problem is.....I never drove a Bob Cat!

But that did help me to understand what the boat will do when shifting back and forth with port and starboard motors/drives.

I still find most of the time best just to use both motors/drives and the wheel. If in tight quarters I do know how to spin a 360.

Very true just make sure they don't stick or idle high:readinghelp:

I was thinking the sammmme thing......

And as far as docking it takes practice practice practice, i learned on a 41 foot flybrige CristCraft, it was like a kit on a windy day, and the most important thing i learned is that NEURTAL IS YOUR FRIEND... go slow slow slow and dont worry about the spectators, the know it all's, and how long it's taking you to get in the hole, it's your boat and your the capt. and one thats going to pay to have things fixed if something goes wrong......

Thought I'd bring this thread up to the top again as we just got our first twin, 93 32' Fountain. First trip out last night with it and I've got to say, I NEED PRACTICE!!! Totally different animal than a single engine boat. I could put the old boat anywhere and not even think about it, this one, oh boy.... Thank god for my ability to stay calm and my amazing girlfriend running all over the boat just in case we got too close. It'll take some time but I'm sure I'll get it.

I like the one piece of advise (don't remember who said it now but thanks) saying to think of yourself standing in the cross points of an X, seems easy to think about in the heat of the "battle", going to give that one a shot next time out.