Side wind and docking
 

Hello
How do you manage with a narrow and long offshore boat to dock,when the wind is blowing from sides?How is the case,if you have surface drives,is there any difference?What about,if you have a dock with shafts on both sides and you must steer backwards with sidewind and the boat is for example 35-40" ?

When approaching a cross wind you should always approach it against the wind. There is a DVD out there for twin screws that may be pretty helpful. It was for me.

no difference between the Arnesons vs the #6 drives. Jeff

Point nose into the wind. Be lucky you dont have a Fountain. They will take some docks down if you arent careful and mine is jst a 27. I cant imangine some of the larger ones.

We were trying to dock in a slip on Sunday with a strong wind port to starboard ...it was a ***** ...there were hands on the dock ....next time I will attach a line on Port Stearn and approach into the wind with a hand on the bow with the port stern line ... hand the line to a hand on the dock and let them hold the stern from blowing down wind ....note ..we didnt do that and like I said ...was a ***** ....m

Fountain 38?
 

Could you explain what you mean ?Just planning of Fountain 38 LTG.

Luckily for me. The winds and river currents here typically go in opposite directions. I usually have to keep the bow upstream as I approach the slip till the last moment. A nice crosswind lets me come straight in.

But in a no current condition, I would keep the bow into the wind then point it into the slip at the last/right moment. Giving enough throttle to get the boat in without it being a ping pong ball.

The way that Fountains sit in the water gives them alot of space for the wind to catch, that coupled with the fact that they are a little lighter then some and boom you are in the dock before you know it. The wind will catch the nose and your gone.

If you have to loop around then loop around, point it into the wind and get the tail in there as fast as possible and let the nose come. Always keep it under power, once you loose that prop then you are along for the ride. Also, with smaller Fountains like mine, it can look like a calm day and it is still tuff to get the nose to come around with a single engine. I also have a blower motor, so when it surges I loose power steering a little so it is really a pain.

I try to always approach from the windward side of the dock where possible. I take my time and use the wind to shove me into the dock. Looks real fancy when I get it right... And when I poodle it, I've been known to hit the dock like I'm landing a higgins boat! :D

Best tip I was ever taught,
When preparing to dock (down to idle speed, and easing in) try to find a stationary flag, and get a look at the direction of the flag, and how heavy the wind is. You'll have to learn the feel of the boat, and how much wind it's going to catch.
Neutral is your friend. Get the boat moving as slowly as possible, bump into gear for a quick push, and then back out.
I was able to back my single screw Baja in between poles 10' wide from a channel now more than 5' wider than the length of my boat in damn near any condition by myself, and it was like parking a car at the mall. By the time I was 1/2 way into the slip, I cut the motor, and let her drift the rest of the way back. By the time the boat was in the slip, I was already up on the bow handling lines.

That is a good tip, but I swear that wind is going to catch the nose of that Fountain more than a Baja. Really this stuff should not scare you, you can deal with it, it can sometimes be a pain in the butt.