I started off with a small fish and ski boat and over the years the size of
the boats keep getting bigger and bigger. It is amazing how different the
boats will handle. I would always practice on calm days, once I felt
comfortable I would go out on a windy day and practice more. It is amazing
what wind and current can do to a boat.



wrote in message
...
On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 08:01:39 -0700, "ed"
wrote:

Is there any boating courses out there that a person can take to teach you
how to manuever a boat ? Kinda like a car driving school but one for boats
?
Just curious.

Thanks
Ed


Ed there are several tapes and lots of books about piloting and
manuevering boats but nothing can replace practice. Read and watch
tapes at home, then find yourself a quiet place away from anything
expensive to hit and practice the various skills. Understand how the
prop (and rudder if you are iinboard) affect the movement of the boat.
Learn how "prop walk" changes the way your particular boat backs up
and turns. Get a feel for how wind and current affects what you are
doing. Remember that flashy Cypress Gardens stuff looks cool but when
you watch a pro dock it is a slow steady thing using small inputs of
power and careful rudder angle selection.
If you can get to the point that you can approach a moored float from
any angle and lay along side at the orientation you want in different
wind and current conditions you are ready to tackle that resturant
dock on a saturday afternoon. ;-)

"*JimH*" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Chuck you are a do-gooder through and through.

Have a nice day. Go ruin another thread.


************

followed on with "the dock PERSON likely knows more about
boats and boat handling than many of the people he or she is fueling
up."


Where did I say that Chuck? Making up lies again?



Well, where did I say that Chuck? If you are man enough you can apologize
for your mistake.

On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 08:01:39 -0700, "ed"
wrote:

Is there any boating courses out there that a person can take to teach you
how to manuever a boat ? Kinda like a car driving school but one for boats ?
Just curious.

You can hire a professional or a hobby Captain like me - I know guys
and gals who do this for about $110 for a two hour session. Some
Captains charge by the foot with a baseline dollar figure. Others
like me just do it for fun and gas money.

If you have your boat at a marina, you can usually get the yard
manager, service manager or sales person to help you out for a nice
tip - sometimes not.

It would be to your benefit to check out a book like Chapman's to get
an idea of what's what. Take a Power Squadron or USCG Aux course -
sometimes for a small donation, they will take you out and show you
some tips and tricks.

Like everything, it all depends on how much money you want to spend.

Later,

Tom

On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 14:05:06 -0400, "*JimH*" wrote:


"*JimH*" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Chuck you are a do-gooder through and through.

Have a nice day. Go ruin another thread.


************

followed on with "the dock PERSON likely knows more about
boats and boat handling than many of the people he or she is fueling
up."


Where did I say that Chuck? Making up lies again?



Well, where did I say that Chuck? If you are man enough you can apologize
for your mistake.


Sounds very basskisserish, JimH.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

"John H" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 14:05:06 -0400, "*JimH*" wrote:


"*JimH*" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Chuck you are a do-gooder through and through.

Have a nice day. Go ruin another thread.


************

followed on with "the dock PERSON likely knows more about
boats and boat handling than many of the people he or she is fueling
up."


Where did I say that Chuck? Making up lies again?



Well, where did I say that Chuck? If you are man enough you can apologize
for your mistake.


Sounds very basskisserish, JimH.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

I thought the same thing after I wrote it. I guess I am tired of Chuck
twisting around what I actually wrote so he can make *his* case. He
actually had the gall to use quotes to make it appear that is actually what
I wrote.

Just for the record, I wrote "And in some cases the dock person (why do you
call him *boy*?) may have more experience in boating than the operators of
the boats he/she is refueling or
pumping out."

Take a look at what Chuck claimed I said: "the dock PERSON likely knows
more about
boats and boat handling than many of the people he or she is fueling up."

Bull****....and he knows it.

I know I will not get any sort of apology or recognition from Chuck that he
made a mistake. After all, that sort of thing requires you to be a real
man.

wrote in message
oups.com...
There is no substantive difference between what you said and what I
said you said.


Bull****. There is a big difference between the words "may have more
experience" and "likely knows more". And to top it off you used quotes to
make it appear like that is exactly what I said.

Not man enough to offer an apology Chuck? I figured as much.

Bert Robbins wrote:


You can read it in a book, you can be taught it in a class but, you won't
really understand it until you are at the controls of a boat on the water
being exposed to wind, waves, current and a screaming wife.



If she's married to you....no wonder she screams!

Bull****. There is a big difference between the words "may have more
experience" and "likely knows more". And to top it off you used quotes
to
make it appear like that is exactly what I said.

Not man enough to offer an apology Chuck? I figured as much.

*********

I hereby announce that I regret not quoting JimH's assertion that the
dockperson might have more experience than the boaters he or she fueled
up and/or pumped out by using his *exact* words. It would have made him
look just as clueless, also served to defuse his feigned outrage that
anybody would even think he might have suggested hiring a dock person
to teach boat handling, and saved his pointless, Bill Clinton defense
centered around the meaning of "is" or "sex". (i.e "more experienced"
vs. "likely knows more")

I additionally regret spending time exchanging comments with a guy who
does not take responsibilty for the ideas his statements convey, and
instead retreats into splitting hairs when his goofy recommendations
are challenged.

There you go, Jimmy. Manly enough for ya?

On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 16:01:46 -0400, "*JimH*" wrote:


"John H" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 18 Jun 2005 14:05:06 -0400, "*JimH*" wrote:


"*JimH*" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Chuck you are a do-gooder through and through.

Have a nice day. Go ruin another thread.


************

followed on with "the dock PERSON likely knows more about
boats and boat handling than many of the people he or she is fueling
up."


Where did I say that Chuck? Making up lies again?



Well, where did I say that Chuck? If you are man enough you can apologize
for your mistake.


Sounds very basskisserish, JimH.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

I thought the same thing after I wrote it. I guess I am tired of Chuck
twisting around what I actually wrote so he can make *his* case. He
actually had the gall to use quotes to make it appear that is actually what
I wrote.

Just for the record, I wrote "And in some cases the dock person (why do you
call him *boy*?) may have more experience in boating than the operators of
the boats he/she is refueling or
pumping out."

Take a look at what Chuck claimed I said: "the dock PERSON likely knows
more about
boats and boat handling than many of the people he or she is fueling up."

Bull****....and he knows it.

I know I will not get any sort of apology or recognition from Chuck that he
made a mistake. After all, that sort of thing requires you to be a real
man.


I believe Chuck changed the word to 'person' (in caps to show the difference)
because you questioned his use of the word 'boy'. (Although I've never seen a
dock 'girl'!)



--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

All the books can do is teach you the fundamentals and some possible
areas to watch for problems.
Once you have an understanding of that, your best bet is self practice,
but if you can find someone with good experience (watch THEM for awhile
to see how good they are) be they licensed or not, don't be afraid to
ask if they would be willing to give you some pointers.
G Personally, I'd do it for a sincere "thank you" ...... course, if
you want to through in a nice bottle of Chardonnay......

otn