Capt. Mooron wrote:
It depends entirely on the conditions at hand..... but you've seen the
specs on Overproof and it is most certainly in the Crab Crusher quadrant.
With a constant firm push ( or sustained shove as you put it) ..... I can
back it to the end of a finger pier and maneuver it to point in the general
direction required prior to stepping aboard and engaging the engine.

The boat can be pivoted easier by hand (or line) than by engine &
rudder... you don't even have to apply torque, although I've seen people
trying to twist the tops off pilings as though they were screw-top
bottles... just push at either end, or for that matter along any axis
not through the boat's CLR.

Another thing to bear in mind, even in calm conditions don't tempt fate
by putting a part of your body between the boat & any solid object.


... This is
what I routinly do when departing a slip. I rarely use tha auxilliary to
back out of a slip since the vessel is relucant to heed the tiller... even
with manipulation of the throttle/gear.


"Reluctant to heed the tiller" is not a good characteristic for a
cruising boat IMHO.


Another good point you mentioned earlier was warping. Not rocket science,
in fact to me it seems quite obvious... although some precautions are in
order. And people get awfully funny about stringing lines across fairways
inside the marina.


Capt. Mooron wrote:
I can't see a circumstance that would require spanning a fairway to warp a
vessel out of a slip and setting the bow to the wind.

I can. Easily. It's happened to us a couple of times. When space is too
tight to get the bow into the wind, and there is no way to safely let
the bow go downwind & back out, your options are to either set up a warp
or wait until conditions change.



People who have difficulty docking and departing from a slip should
seriously consider the alternative of a mooring and use of the community
dock to load and unload quests and supplies as these locations are often
much easier to approach and depart.


Or practice until they can do it well.

Nobody was born knowing how to maneuver a heavy boat. We all have to
learn. In fact, I'd go so far as to say we all have more to learn...
some more than others, of course

DSK