"Nigel Featherston" wrote in message news:_dwjb.782403$YN5.773993@sccrnsc01...
I would recommend that you never use people as a bumper. It is much easier
to repair a scratch than a broken bone.

No kidding. One of the scariest incidents I have recently seen was a
friend of mine getting his right arm caught between a roller on a the
dock and a 40' aft cab criuser. He was on the dock "helping" another
friend of ours dock the 40 footer. I was at the other end of the dock
and could not figure out why he was pushing the boat off the roller -
the roller was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. His arm got
caught and it was like he getting sucked through a clothes wringer.

Amazingly, and luckily, he suffered on a slight scrap on the arm.

People get fingers and hand pinched or broken trying to fend off a
dock. Don't worry about scuffing rub rails - thats what they are for.
If you want a human to fend off, uses a boat hook or something
similar. But even then you should be careful.

I normally tell guests on my boat to just sit and watch when docking.
My wife and I have a good system. I sometimes find myself telling
well-intended people and even marina employees on the dock not to
"help" either if it looks like they are not in a good spot.

Fenders out and lines prepared early. Take your time and think ahead
of your boat.