Boat tie up etiquette
 

I grew up with ski boats and boats not as nice as the ones you guys have nor the one i have now. I know about the fenders with boots on them etc. If you have to cross over others boats to get to dock walk on top? Across seats? With bare feet? Flip flops shoes etc? Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but better to ask and know than get into an altercation on the water!!!!

I myself go barefoot all the time, and always step on the swim platform, never on seats in the cockpit area and never over the bow. If I have to step on the engine hatch and there is someone on board I'll give them the respect of asking permission first. Most people who raft off know that people are going to step on there boats, as long as you are barefoot and on the swim platforms then your good in my book.

Every boat's different, so there's no catch-all answer, but generally the swim platform is your best bet. If one is not available, you should use any intended step pads or non-skid areas for walking across. Avoid walking across interiors, with the only exception being perhaps the engine hatch. Never ever have your shoes on, doesn't matter what kind they are. Bare feet or socks only. And always ask permission if the owner is around.

I'll +1 both of those posts, pretty much covers it.

Soooo, do you pass the ones sitting on the hatch with your front side or back side facing them?

Depends on the size of stern your looking at!! lol

Actually its customary to grab a beer out of the cooler as you pass by and even feel free to use the head if you want, most people dont mind at all. You can even change the radio to a station you like and poke around in the bilge checking out the motors and rigging even if no one is on board. Go right ahead an make yourself at home :D


lol, just kidding. the first two post pretty much sum it up. Just treat everything with respect and if someone is on board just a quick "do you mind if I . . . " is usually all thats necessary. Be sure you have good fenders and its also important to have covers on them. If there is a towel out across the bow or sun pad use it but i think it is best to use swim platforms first.

i usually drop my family off at the end of the nearest pier to lessen the number of people doing said walking barefoot across the swimstep while not looking at the ones sitting on the hatch.

lol

Bare feet. :)

bare feet, fiberglass is better then vynal.... ask if somone is there.

Thank you Gentlemen. Had an idea of what would be proper. I appreciate all the responses.

+1 on everything that was said. I cannot stand someone that just walks across my bow and not say a word. Ive seen this a million times. I guess its just me. Cannot stand to have my bow perfectly scratch free and clean and here we go some drunk jack a** does it. You hate to say anything but it happens I guess. The other part, dont get me wrong, I love women, but they have ZERO respect for anything you own. Sorry, rant is over.

And don't ever go on someones swim platform with a lit cigarette without asking first. My wife plays a little game called (BIMBO TIPPING) if a girl walks on our platform with a lit smoke, she will politely tell them, please don't do that. If they do it again she will push them off the platform into the water. Thats what we call bimbo tipping.

i was up at PIB a couple of years ago and it just finished raining, I was in my 232 Capitva with a extended swim platform (so the boat technically had 2 platforms) and every time someone walked over the platform barefoot they left dirty foot prints, which was to be expected, so I laid towels down for people to walk on, can you believe I had a couple people walk on my engine hatch because they thought I was drying out my towels:angry-smiley-038:

Best advice, when in doubt, ask.

Everything mentioned + be courtious. When passing, a quick nod, hi, hello to the boats occupants. Not a big deal, don't desturb a conversation and so on. Just don't be that wierd tight-up stranger scared of other ppl. Boating is social and fun, usually ppl are friendly:).

Track spikes and baseball cleats are generally considered bad taste - unless of course you kick the mud off on the rub rail (or windshield frame) first.

Dont be a douchebag

Always error on the safe side....bare feet. Shows respect for the other guys boat cause it's not your call whether it's a nice boat or not...it's his call. And never tie up off another boat unless you have permission. BTW it's easier getting permission with a set of big cans asking to tie off than it is with one of the 6 drunken slobs with camo wifebeaters on

Ive got these cool snow shoes with metal spikes. Bare feet is the best option always in my opinion. And the hatch sometimes not the best area too cross. You cant see them but if you step in the middle of my buddies hatch he has cutouts for his aircleaners so he always lifts his hatch up about a foot so nobody aacidentally steps in one of those areas

Socks and waxed glass usually ends up with a trip into the water. Bare feet is best.

+1

we do alot of poker runs and walking the decks barefoot is preferred. the backs of boats are all different some have no where to walk and then you might have water and exhaust soot then you track it to the next guys clean boat. I have never met a boater who would rather you walk on his interior than fiberglass.

Plus 1

X-Formula rep Vic Spellburg, jumped on about 7-8 Formula customer boats while rafted up at the docks in Milwaukee 2005 Windy Run, with his deck shoes probably full of stone grit from the concrete + gravel dock wall.

He slowly trotted across everyone's nice shiny bows - What a MORON :mad:

Deck shoes are for the dock bare feet are for the boat.

+1. Not all, but a lot of women have no clue about boating etiquette. Most of it is just ignorance on their part cuz they don't know any better, but you need to watch out for them. Generally they'll be the ones to get all sloshed and spill their foo-foo grape, strawberry, orange, or whatever color drinks they're consuming all over your boat. Noticed no one else has touched on this, but as a boat owner you do need to keep your eye on them....plus if they catch you staring at them you can just say you're looking out for your boat ;)

+1 to this also

Ladies....removing ones top before crossing the boat is considered good form. My 2 cents

Barefeets only please and if your smokin on my boat , you better be on fire!!!I hope to see you slingen large bumpers over the side , NOOO tampons !!!Do these things for me and i'll give you a cold one or two.....:evilb:

watch out for those damn toe rings! they will do lots fo damage.. i seen it myself.

Great Thread:

Barefeet is the only way to go....as stated earlier socks will get you hurt on a waxed surface. Recently had a kid almost do the splits trying to cross over with socks on deck of our boat...ouch!

It is always a pleasure when a real boater asks to side tie up.... has real fenders out says hello....dock lines are already in place takes it easy coming in and generally knows the facking drill.

Those boaters are awesome and more common where we boat than not.

Now on the flip side I had a hoochie walk across my rear seats with flipping platform hooker cork shoes... with 110 degree heat she popped every seam in my upholstery before I could even say a word. Then you get a boat load of weekenders who want to side tie with no fenders or dock lines...telling you to hang fenders and throw them a line...uhhh I don't f'n think so dude.

Oh and the holding lit cigarette while crossing boats...or cranberry, red bull, vodka drink with staining ability better than a sharpie...I mean really. I'll let my kid come to your boat with Flaming Hot Cheetohs and Red Gatorade see how that goes over:).

Great thread experienced most of the items discussed except the toe rings never thought of that.

Ohhhh! watch out for those f'king REEF sandals with the bottle openers on the bottom they will do some major damage.

KAP

I also like the guy that steps on the scoop on the hatch, crushes it, then just dives in the water like nothing happened. :angry-smiley-038:

If i do cross on the bow i crass as close to the cockpit as possible too. In case you get that dew in the morning its easy to reach over and wipe it than trying to wipe te whole bow. I can honestly say the only place ive been tied up to where i need to cross over the boat is at the casino and pib and 95% of the time everybody gets it if your tied next to a bunch of go fasts. But you always get the wizard who knows best.

I agree, and with all the diff boats sometimes the swim platforms are just too far apart. There are a couple bars on the water here where you have to raft off, some people just don't get it. if I dont want to gunnel up, i find a place to dock.

One thing not mentioned much is coming in. Asking if they mind rafting up is always good and normally will get you a helping hand or 2. Like mentioned earlier a cute girl doing the asking helps, so does having lines and bumpers. If you are new, do your best to go in against the wind and better to have a second try than to hit a boat.

It happened today. Just as I was complaining about. Some jackwagon just crosses all the boats with shoes on. We all yelled at once. Some non boater with his buddies on a houseboat. Its like this thread ginxed me or something lol.

This thread is a hoot.
We need to al start sporting "No shoes, No Bras permitted" on our rides.
Even if we batted 500 we'd be better off and for those day hit a 1000.....

Bones, I love it, you correct me on my spelling and grammar on here and i cant even make sense of your post. Perhaps you should use your spell check....

I've got a bunch of plush bath matts with grippy rubber bottoms that match the paint on the boat. If I'm ever tied up I'll put a few across where ever I think people might be prone to walk, either the bow or the engine hatch. No swim platform so no where to walk but across the boat.

By far, my biggest annoyance is people stepping on my back seat. 95% of the time it is my passengers, but sometimes it is somebody at a tie-up who wants to come into the boat to check it out. Every time someone boards the boat I ask them politely, please don't step on the back seat or walk on the sunpad. Then I show them the steps and say look, if you want to step up out of the cockpit step HERE, not on the seat. It doesn't matter, without fail they always step on the seat.

I have no idea how to solve this problem, other than boating by myself. Which, believe me, I have considered because scrubbing dirt out of the seams on white vinyl gets old.

The difference is I wasn't attacking anyone like you were and really wasn't worried about making sure I was factually or grammatically correct. Clearly you need another hug. In other words...piss off.