New boater. Hit Dock. Bad :(

[AbuAyd]

Hello Everyone. Last night we approach the dock and could not steer properly so in panic we increased the throttle to get better steering. We ended up with a sharp turn and swung the back of the boat really hard into the dock The image shows the damage on the starboard side near the back of the boat. Any ideas on how to repair this? I have few other scratches from multiple hits as we are still learning. I am definitely looking at the thrust vectors now if they will help as I am guessing the cost of fixing this damage would much higher. Thanks for any tips.

 

[Bruce]

You will need to remove the rub rail and check inside to make sure it is not structural damage.

Then you could fill the damaged fiberglass with epoxy and rebuild the gel coat with Spectrum Paste. https://jetboaters.net/threads/gel-coat-repair-with-spectrum-color-match.1641/

 

[Rodriguez Darell]

I'm fairly new myself. Do yourself a favor, and get the thrust vectors. It made a big difference for me. It will allow you to maneuver at lower speeds which is imperative when docking.

 

[Bruce]

Adding to my earlier response, I would lightly cover the exposed fiberglass with marine epoxy or JB Water Weld and wait until after the boating season to make repairs.

It would be good to get a professional quote or a few of them to see what the costs would be. The damaged rub rail may make it worthy of an insurance claim.

 

[JetBoatPilot]

Thrust Vectors will help and the new Lateral Thrusters may also be a good fit for you. We will be releasing more data this week hopefully. It is our hope that these two products will save people money on damage repair as well as save your reputation as an expert JetBoat Pilot!!! lol

 

[Julian]

Looks like something you may want to have covered by insurance. In addition to some form of fins, you might want to make a small investment in a boat hook....hooking a dock in wind/current or just to make it easier to dock is MUCH more preferable to this sort of damage.

Also, if you know you will be docking in a windy situation, put the bimini down - if it is open it will act as a sail.

 

[smack]

I put out a bunch of fenders before coming in to dock as well as use a boat hook. As the old saying goes , never approach anything faster than you want to hit it. With a little more time under your belt you'll be a pro in no time. Took me a few trips to get comfortable docking.

 

[islandstyle57]

Ouch, been there done that. Lot's of good advice posted so far. There are a lot of videos on YouTube regarding small boat handling that you might check out. Good luck and don't let it get you down, it is just part of the learning curve. I have owned boats for 40 years and still learn something new from time to time. Just get out on the water and enjoy it!

 

[Floyd]

In addition to adding fins, learn how to use the neutral position and the area slightly ahead of it to slowly approach a dock. On my boat the neutral detent position feels like putting on brakes, which slows me down to a much slower speed when approaching a dock. Then a tiny amount of reverse finishes up any forward movement. These BRP boats take some getting used to since when you are in reverse the bow swings in the direction you turn the wheel. You have to override a lifetime of driving a car and all other boats to drive these boats around a dock, and when conditions are tense your first instinct may be wrong. Having the idle at 1700rpm doesn't help matters, but that is the spec.

 

[Beachbummer]

In the world of crashes, you could have done much worse. just a dock kiss.

The pain here is the damage to the rub rail, since that is a single long piece. It's up to you how much you trouble and expense you want to go to correct this. I would seal temporarily as was suggested by Bruce until the dead of winter. One suggestion I have not heard yet...Put a Sticker on it for now!!! (Only partially kidding, cover the damage cheaply for now and decide later what to do.)...

Last one...You now know where to put the fender.

It's a bummer, but part of the learning experience. Now you know. No big deal, it's only money. Keep enjoying the boat and don't sweat the small stuff!!!!

 

[Bruce]

Guys, @AbuAyd has a Glastron Jet Boat that handles differently than our Yamahas.

 

[Beachbummer]

My old seadoo 1800 had the reverse reversed like the other rotax machines. Even though it was not intuitive, once you figured it out, the behavior was quite simple because you did not need to change wheel direction when switching from forward to reverse. You could almost side walk the boat without turning the wheel, just back and forth between forward and reverse.

The secret is to go so so so slow that when you make the mistakes, the bump is not too bad.

You can alternate with forward and neutral to achieve your desired very slow arrival.

Best of luck. practice makes perfect. Go slow. Fenders help.

 

[AbuAyd]

Thanks a lot guys. Really appreciate all the comments. Thrust Vectors on order now Also found a shop near by that will use to get some estimate for the repair. So my understanding now is to cover it with Water Weld or marine epoxy and wait for the winter to repair but I can still use it in the mean time. Also will check the insurance but I doubt it as these guys never want to pay for anything.

 

[Bennie]

Last night we approach the dock and could not steer properly so in panic we increased the throttle to get better steering.

That's it bud. As said above, take it nice and slow. Using a boat hook and plenty of bumpers help too. Approach ... VERY SLOW and above all, do not panic.

Its a lot better to hit the dock slowly than to get flushed and ram into it (speaking from experience)

 

[Scarabpaul]

Thrust Vectors will help and the new Lateral Thrusters may also be a good fit for you. We will be releasing more data this week hopefully. It is our hope that these two products will save people money on damage repair as well as save your reputation as an expert JetBoat Pilot!!! lol

Will the new lateral thrusters work for the rotax set up?

 

[JetBoatPilot]

No they are designed to enhance the Yamaha style reverse systems.