Carver Owners Forum

Please help me
Does anyone else have issues with handling their 405 /406 Carver around a dock.
I have boated for years and never had any issue with docking a boat.
For some reason this boat has gotten the best of me.
Just can not control it when there is a bit of current and wind.
I think I need to go back to boat handling school.

Time and practice. I am going through the same things you are with my 3007. It's a different animal. My last 5 boats were I/O's with my last one having twin I/O's. I got really good at handling that one and hope to reach the same levels of expertise with my 3007 and inboards.

I have a 405 and it's a big sail boat in the wind but keep on practicing hopefully you'll get to know the feel of her.

I have the same problem. It seems the slightest breeze pushes the boat around. I have yet to pull into my slip straight.
..Aaron

Yesterday (Saturday) I had to take my boat out to get fuel for an upcoming trip. We have had a very windy spring and summer here where I live. Yesterday was no exception. It was windy but I had to go. I used the wind to assist me in leaving my dock and upon returning.

I am getting better but still have room to improve. I hate to admit but I have let many windy nice days keep me at the dock. I guess when you have to go out you find a way to go and gain experience in less than ideal conditions. The biggest problem is the 3007 is a very light boat IMO coming in at 10,500 lbs dry.

I found with the 4207, backing in, with all the side curtains open, made it easy.

So I always backed in.

When you're fighting wind and/or current.. use the momentum of the boat to your advantage.

Let's say you're headed down the fairway and your slip in on the stbd side. Instead of stopping at the end of your slip and doing a pivot, go slightly PAST your slip and then put BOTH engines in reverse so you're backing into the wind (now having a bit of momentum that the WIND has to fight!) .... then as you approach you slip again (you didn't really go THAT far past it..maybe 10'), then do your pivot leaving with the stbd engine in reverse and port in forward to make the pivot.

Depending on how strong the wind is, right after you put the port engine in fwd, I might give some throttle to stbd to help swing the stern around quickly, but also pull into the wind.

It's much better docking INTO the wind or current though. I tell new folks that too and tell them to go past and spin the boat around and come at it from the other side so your bow is into the wind.

I also have a 405 and find it challenging in the wind. My best advice is practice. I found a racing buoy with nobody around helped me get familiar with the boats handling and controls. The buoy gives you a fixed point to use . Start with pointing the bow about ten yards from the buoy. Pick a day with wind and learn how the wind affects the boat. Start going into the wind and keeping the boat in one place. The buoy shuod be directly in front of you and the bow directly into the wind. This is the easiest position to maintain. See how shifting allows you to maintain your position. If the wind's strength over comes the boat at idle,Zins learn how to add troddle to keep your position. Next bring the boat 90 degrees and the wind board side to the boat. You will get pushed around. Leard how troddle and shifting between engines can maintain the bow and stern position. Everything is controlled by shifting. Troddle is applied depending on the force of the wind. The key is learning to keep the boat in one position.

I also use the gas dock for practice. Learn to come in perpendicular to the dock and swinging the boat's stern into the dock. If you can put the bow into a pillon and shift the opposite engine to the dock side in reverse it will bring the stern in and parallel the boat with the dock.

Practice