I've been reading the Boat Docking by Charles Low. Good stuff.

He suggesting practicing manuvers and getting a feel for how the boat
responds. We have a calm lake nearby and I'd like to practice there.

I'm thinking that setting up some marker buoys as the "dock"
or as points of reference would be good. But I'm worried that
if I tie something that floats to a weight the rope might get
caught in the prop if I end up going over buoy.

Any suggestions??

-gw

Gary Warner wrote:

I've been reading the Boat Docking by Charles Low. Good stuff.

He suggesting practicing manuvers and getting a feel for how the boat
responds. We have a calm lake nearby and I'd like to practice there.

I'm thinking that setting up some marker buoys as the "dock"
or as points of reference would be good. But I'm worried that
if I tie something that floats to a weight the rope might get
caught in the prop if I end up going over buoy.

Any suggestions??

-gw




Don't go over the buoy.

Just carry a long, sharp knife on board. Chesapeake Bay is littered with
crab pots, and many of them are placed nowhere near areas set aside for
them. If I catch one and it prop-wraps me, I just cut it loose.



--
"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in
Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me -
you can't get fooled again." -George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Sept.
17, 2002

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...


Don't go over the buoy.

If he could be sure of that, he wouldn't be practicing......


If I catch one and it prop-wraps me, I just cut it loose.


You sure make that sound easy!

You better include a mask and make sure you have a knife with a good
serrated edge. When you wrap a rope to the point that it stalls the engine
it can get really hot and actually fuse the nylon together, making it
impossible to unwrap. You might be able to cut the ball loose and leave the
wad wrapped around the shaft until you can haul the boat, but it would be
far better to cut it all free before attempting to make way again.

If you are not good at holding your breath and working under water then you
should be extra careful to avoid wrapping a line. It would also be a good
idea to avoid such practice in the winter time, unless you live in Florida
or a similar place that has warm water.

Rod

Rod McInnis wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...


Don't go over the buoy.

If he could be sure of that, he wouldn't be practicing......


If I catch one and it prop-wraps me, I just cut it loose.


You sure make that sound easy!

You better include a mask and make sure you have a knife with a good
serrated edge.


A mask? Nah, on our Parker I just hop onto the outboard bracket and
slice off the offending line. I've done it twice this year. On our
inboard, the shaft is equipped with spurs, and as far as I can tell,
they work just fine.


When you wrap a rope to the point that it stalls the engine
it can get really hot and actually fuse the nylon together, making it
impossible to unwrap. You might be able to cut the ball loose and leave the
wad wrapped around the shaft until you can haul the boat, but it would be
far better to cut it all free before attempting to make way again.

If you are not good at holding your breath and working under water then you
should be extra careful to avoid wrapping a line.


Kinda hard to do at night, Rod, since you usually cannot see the floats,
they don't show up on radar, and in Chesapeake Bay, they're all over
the place, and typically where you don't expect them. Perhaps we
shouldn't boat at night...


--
"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in
Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me -
you can't get fooled again." -George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Sept.
17, 2002

"Rod McInnis" wrote in message
...
If you are not good at holding your breath and working under water then
you
should be extra careful to avoid wrapping a line. It would also be a good
idea to avoid such practice in the winter time, unless you live in Florida
or a similar place that has warm water.

Rod

I've never needed to hold my breath, or used a mask when working on an
outboard, or I/O. I've changed many props and cut away my share of line/rope
very easily without ever "going under". I've even did a few from a ski tube.

Now the inboard ski boat...that's a different story...

--
-Netsock

"It's just about going fast...that's all..."
http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/

1. Don't use floating line

2. Put a kellet weight five or six feet down the line from the buoy. Not
enough weight to sink the buoy, just enough to keep the line hanging vetically

On 05 Aug 2004 15:26:27 GMT, (Gould 0738) wrote:

2. Put a kellet weight five or six feet down the line from the buoy. Not
enough weight to sink the buoy, just enough to keep the line hanging vetically

========================================

That works, Another solution is to use 6 ft of chain attached to the
buoy, then line below that.

It's much more exciting to practice docking next to real boats
however.

:-)

Helps to keep you focused when you see that bow pulpit with the big
anchor coming at you.

Gary Warner wrote:
I'm thinking that setting up some marker buoys as the "dock"
or as points of reference would be good. But I'm worried that
if I tie something that floats to a weight the rope might get
caught in the prop if I end up going over buoy.

Any suggestions??

Get some PVC pipe, longer than the boat's length, and run the anchor
line thru it, and tie it to the float. Alternatively, just get a long
piece of PVC pipe and ballast it like a spar bouy.

It also helps to use line that doesn't float, or add some weights to it.

Racing sailoats have this problem a lot, catching the bouy anchor line
on your keel or centerboard is a common flub (unlike catching it in a
prop, it rarely damages the boat though). Some racing clubs that i know
put a pulley on the bottom of the marker, with a sash weight looped to
the anchor line, so that it stays as taut and straight down as possible.

Fair Skies
Doug King

Just carry a long, sharp knife on board. Chesapeake Bay is littered with
crab pots, and many of them are placed nowhere near areas set aside for
them. If I catch one and it prop-wraps me, I just cut it loose.

Ditto here, in of all places, the ICW..... Sometimes I feel like the captain
of
a mine sweeper.....




Hey,

I have no problem with "deep sixing" a crab or lobster trap where it shouldnt
be....screw the "owner" for being a prick.....

BUTTTTTTTTT.....

please dont just cut the line off a such a trap and leave.....

that trap will CONTINUE to trap and kill (for no good reason) marine life until
it falls apart.....for YEARS perhaps.....

If your ****ed that you got fouled in a trap and want to "show the owner a
lesson".....at least pull the trap up and tear the SOB thing apart before you
throw it back in the water.....no use making the innocent marine life suffer
for no good reason as well!

take care

Blll

Hey,

I have no problem with "deep sixing" a crab or lobster trap where it
shouldnt
be....screw the "owner" for being a prick.....

BUTTTTTTTTT.....

please dont just cut the line off a such a trap and leave.....

that trap will CONTINUE to trap and kill (for no good reason) marine life
until
it falls apart.....for YEARS perhaps.....

If your ****ed that you got fouled in a trap and want to "show the owner a
lesson".....at least pull the trap up and tear the SOB thing apart before
you
throw it back in the water.....no use making the innocent marine life
suffer
for no good reason as well!

take care

Blll

Get caught pulling a trap you don't own in Florida and FWC will rip you a
new one. A local jetski operator was fined for disturbing a trap, when he
pulled one up to show it to his daughter.