MacGregorSailors.com

I have to agree that people do a lot of dumb things on the water, and youtube is a testament to that. and there are certainly gadgets that come and go. But a boat hook and dock lines, have both been around for at least my whole life though. at my marina is very rare to see a boat docking without a helper on the bow. You better believe that on my boat, every hand is a working hand. the idea that the best thing that a guest can do is to get out of your way i would think would rob your guests the experience of feeling a part of the crew. Furthermore, in the thread there's been a bit of bragging on who is skilled the most at this or that. it hints of snobbery, and its kinds of funny in this instance. the idea of performing tasks without the normal tools of the trade and bragging about it sounds about as reasonable as jumping out of an airplane without a chute, and referring to others that use one, an amateur. And if you need to gun your engine in reverse so hard that someone on the bow would fall of, when docking, perhaps you are going too fast in the first place.

I was having a difficult time tying up with the wind blowing me off
the dock. Sometimes there's no choice if you don't want to wait around all
afternoon. By myself I'd nose in, bring the stern against the dock and
hop down with dock lines in hand. It was trickly and you only get the
one shot at it. Many times there's only a second or two to get a wrap
around a cleat before the Mac takes off on it's own in 30 knot gusts.

Then I saw a golf ball retriever ($12) about a year ago and the light came on.
I cut a slot in the part that scoops up the ball. Made a noose out of
aircraft cable and tied 20' of dock line to it. You wedge the cable into
the slot. The thing telescopes out something like 15 feet. Get close, Drop the noose
over the cleat, pull the ball retriever back into the boat, cinch it up the noose with the
line and tie it off. Now the boat's attached to the dock before I step off.

I don't use it all that often, but when the wind is against me it's great for peace of mind.

ahh Dutch it is what it is, wheres your sense of humor, I give guests plenty to do if they want, just not critical stuff that takes more than a day to learn, like docking. In boating there are two types of boaters, those that are new and make mistakes and those that are experienced and make mistakes. Even get out of the way is something to do, rail meat is a job too. Experience has told me with the mac, that you dont send people up on the bow for any reason, the only time the mac is safe to go to the bow is under sail where theres a constant, most of us have led our lines aft just so we dont have to get on top of the mac to thread a sail into the slot.

Its not snobbery what I wrote, its experience and telling it like it is, no kid gloves no hold backs so people dont get their feelings hurt. To get serious for a moment, a capt doesnt get extra points because he tried, this isnt grade school, the capt is responsible for the safety of the crew, it doesnt matter what I say, it only matters what people learn, if people dont want to learn thats fine. But it certainly takes away from the experience if we cant poke fun at ourselves or others along the way. The new people that learn the fastest are the ones that can take a little ribbing when they make a mistake, and they happen to be the most fun to sail with too. Those that have total control over their life and rarely make a mistake in anything they do, will be the ones that get into a situation they cant handle some day and fall apart. Those people are the least amount of fun to sail with. Not every one can be a working hand, nor do I make them one, but small jobs important to the crew can be relaxing. A good example is sailing, not everyone is comfortable with a 35 degree heel, so I give the job of main sheet handler to the person least comfortable with heeling, I tell them if they feel panic and scared all they have to do is pop the main sheet and let it out. If they pop the sheet at 10 degrees, they get a little ribbing from me in good taste and within an hour or so they are comfortable sailors.

experience has taught me in the real world that it doesnt take gunning the engine in reverse for someone to lose their footing, just the slightest movement of the boat can send someone crashing down. Having the proper length dock lines and smooth docking procedures, no one needs to be on the bow. Besides with out some sort of device you cant reach a cleat from the bow. But you can stop your boat (in most cases) against the doc long enough to get off and tie her up from the cockpit with a little skill. The only time someone goes on the bow to dock is when picking up a mooring wand, and that person is me. Once I lined the boat up and stop it at the wand. Karen will take the wheel and adjust the position of the boat in baby movements if need be.

The most normal tools of the trade is skill, and the tools to get the job done,boats have been docked for many many years without some sort of pole with a loop on it, and the only people that should go on the bow are the ones that have way bigger boats than us. But again people can do what they want, and the first time someone goes in the drink because they were sent to the bow the capt will learn this and not do that practice anymore. Bragging? I guess what else do you do with 45 years of experience, certainly not keep it to yourself... beside most of this was all in fun
Mike

Since I live in the West (NW actually) I think I should try and learn how to lasso a dock cleat. I remember my brothers and friends and I used to lasso things when we were kids (not very well) You would think if a cowboy could do it from a moving horse it wouldn't be that difficult to throw a big loop over a dock cleat. Now how did that knot go? Yeah, that's the ticket, revive a dying art. Maybe I could start a lasso school for boaters. YEEHAAA Rob

I think the problem for this product in the Pacific Northwest may be that a lot of the marinas and docks do not have standard cleats. They have hinged rings that lay flat on the dock, or in some cases, stacked lengths of 2x4's.

We do have 2 emergency anchors on the stern. A grapnel anchor with 100 feet of rode, and a sea anchor. We have yet to have a situation where we could not get the boat close enough to the dock to just step off and tie up (o.k. maybe a couple of short jumps ), but if we did, I guess we could always throw the grapnel at the dock

when we say that our way is the only way, and other ways are mistakes, that's what makes us a snob. the whole thing about poking fun and others should take our ribbing sounds more like bullying to me, speaking of grade school. this thread is supposed to me about a particular type of docking tool, not how great and skilled you are. and when people talk about their own vast experience and expertise its make me throw up in a mouth a little. if all you have to say about these docking tools is that people should, instead of using them, get more skill at docking like you have, then perhaps you should just move on to a different thread.

I'm here to confirm that Mike (Aya16) ia a good guy, not at all snobbish in person, and a very friendly boater

Rick

PS Unlike ME

Its cool kmc, if I cant handle the heat I need to stay out of the kitchen, I really do think this whole thread is hilarious, I mean lots of good funnies posted, up to his waist in water as the pfd inflates, was classic. I saw it as he wrote it.
dutch the thread grew to more than the device and now took on a life of its own, no intent on my part to put others down, I will admit to a little to much self confidence though, life has a way to humble people like me, no problem there.

My way isnt the only way, never wanted to give that impression, But when I put out such strong advice I need to back that up with some kinda resume, some call it bolster, I dont care its what I am and what I do. Like stating I wouldnt send anyone up to the bow on the mac, comes from how unstable I felt when I went up there many times (resume). Its all ok, many folks that may not have much experience with boats can learn alot from what I write, as well as others. We should make up a name for new people, in fun of course, how about "macteen" "macnew" or macabie, you new guys put some names up you would like to be referred too, till you learn and be confident to dock the mac correctly.....
Macpro

MacPro, isn't that the TOOL guy How about MacFresh or is that infringing on McDonalds copyright For myself I like MacDaddy or maybe more appropriately MacaDoodleDo. Rob

my comments are half tongue in cheek as are yours i'm sure. when i say we are snobbish when we talk about our ways of doing things being better than others i do mean WE. when given a chance to lasso a bollard my money is on the table and i get as proud as a peacock, and that's part of the fun sometimes. i think that in hobbies or rather lifestyles like being a boater, there are definitely skills that develop over time and that's all well and good.

i think though that if we sneer at new ideas and different ways of doing things that we will become stagnated in our growth, and who wants to be the old man on his porch telling the kids to get off his lawn? id like to at least give an ear to new or different ideas without being too close minded. after all what works for some, might not work for others. like with being on the bow, i don't find it at all unstable or slippery, but maybe im just more spry than others. as far as a resume granting privilege of advice, I must admit that I am new to sailing, but have been boating since i was knee high to a grasshopper, and have worked professionally on both commercial boats,recreational boats, in both Europe and the Caribbean. i may be a MACnoob, and i may feel the need to have tools like a boat hook, and other such devices, but then again if you have been sailing for 45 years, im sure you also were around before cars had things like seat belts and airbags and crumple zones and abs brakes. from what i can gather, boating seems to be taking an equally aggressive bump in technology. some of the ideas coming out have killed traditional boating skills. who can navigate from the stars? it wasn't long ago that to be a sailor meant you had to know how to use a plethora of methods and techniques that are now quaint. Some of the ideas that are coming out will prove to be a but cumbersome and over thought, sure. but that's how ingenuity goes. dont get me wrong Mike, I'm not calling you a snob. What I am saying is that when WE get set in our ways and disreguard others ideas, that its snobbish.
I dont take myself too seriously or fall apart under pressure, and I too have made mistakes, the chipped gelcoat on Serendipity is a testament to that. I came in too fast to dock, and forgot to take down my lifeline for my docking jump off the boat. BOOM! thank god all it did was chip.

macnoob, love it. almost before seatbelts, cars had em, but no one wore them.
Mike macsnob

aya16 wrote:Again did this done that, I once saw my boat floating away with no one on board as I came back to the dock after parking the truck (not the mac) closer inspection revealed a pair of hands hanging off the bow rail, yep karen, as she acted like a dock bumper to protect the boat from the rocks, as I never showed her how to push the throttle lever in to engage the gears, after I started, then launched the boat I left the handle in warm up mode. Poor karen didnt know what to do as she had no control of the boat. So she jumped over and held onto to the bow rail. All though I thought it was funny, she didnt, not for many years.
Mike

That is funny. I can just see your poor wife hanging off the side. It reminds me of when my 10 year old son jumped off onto the dock to hold the boat. A wind caught it and pulled the boat away from the dock. I watched in slow motion as his arms and legs stretched until finally his feet were dragged off the dock and he was hanging from the rail into the water. What a trooper to hold on that hard.

Some funny stories above.

As for this device, I suppose it has some uses, but for me I leave my dock lines on the dock with a loop that goes around the cleats attaching to the boat. A boat hook or helpful neighbor hands the lines over as we come in. The docks near the ramp use eyebolts instead of cleats so it wouldn't really work there. I'm guessing they do that so you can loop your lines through and unhook from your boat when leaving.

--Russ

Need to dry my eyes after rereading this thread Thought it well worth reviving, not for discussion but for the laugh factor.Rob 8)Makes perfect sense (to me) if you start at beginning posts.

Well if you Guy's all new what you were doing you'd not need a dock or dock lines Professional beach landings are not just for mac's is that a hunter don't think he has water ballast !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag3jZoTm ... re=related
the no dock line method
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGbapn-K ... re=related
J
or you could always try this method
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjmQohPTgAA&NR=1

or if your really good, I did this once with a 17ft siren sail boat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqvPKjvM ... re=related