[mikeyt]

Originally Posted by jdecoudres

Any advice on how to drive in and out of boat slip with out hitting the sides. I just got a slip this year and caint seem to drive in and out straight. I sit around and watch other ppl and they make i look so easy.

Sometimes its just damm near impossible to slide into a slip without a little bumping. The Mariah's seem prone to wandering at slow speeds> One of the things that seemed to help that issue was the installation of the Smart Tabs.

[Firth's Impression]

Over the years I've managed to learn the art of docking through nothing more than repetition and good advice from others. One of the best pieces of advice I could pass on is to never keep the boat in gear. A quick in/out of gear in the desired direction will make your boat react enough to get you closer to your target (the slip). The slower you enter/exit your slip the better. First of all, going slow gives you more time to react, requires less time to stop and causes less damange if/when you do hit something. Head down to your slip some time during an evening through the week (when there is no crowd of onlookers. Practice in and out of your slip...slowly. Keep in mind some key aspects of maneauvering your boat. 1). Sit in neutral before making your move into your slip. 2). Determine if there are any other factors that are going to alter your desired course (wind/current). 3). Remember that you don't have brakes must use opposing gear to stop. 4). Remember that you are steering from the rear and not from the front like we've all become accustom to with our vehicles and finally 5). Keep it slow. Into gear and right back out immediately. The slower the better.
Hope this helps.

[Dredd]

Slow like a pro, not fast like an ass.