I panicked just looking at this. It's like driving in New Jersey, if you go left you end you right.

Having a boat hook handy and a buddy with a boat hook, helps alleviate stress 😊

I watched this and had this very issue pop up a couple days later. Perfect timing! I felt like a total boss getting myself out of that!

I'm dirt poor and enjoy pretend boating in a 10ft kayak. I don't forsee ever owning a real boat, but I still enjoy your videos. When the wind gets ugly, it seems all the same rules and solutions still apply, but have to be performed more quickly and with a little more push...

when i used to go out with my grandparents on their catamaran we had this hook thing on a pole with a rubber stopper on the end they used to push away from other boats in the marina, treasured memories man i hope to have a boat of my own someday

I have a very tight covered slip. 43' boat. And can have wind and strong currents at times. So I try to time coming in at slack, but no matter what I always go slow no throttles and take my time. If I miss it then I regroup and try again. No ego!

As soon as you panick your done, it’s easy once you understand how the boats moves when your travelling slow

been there - and panicked! You nailed this 100%

I thought you were gonna hit the black motor I'm glad you didn't though be safe

Great description my friend.

My anxiety was through the roof and I'm just sitting on my couch 😅

I do like your lessons and I have been on boats for most of my life. Driving boats is like driving a fork lift they steer from the rear and people do not know how to do that at all. But I do agree when you are around other objects people do freak out and yes I do agree with others when you are close to docks and boats you need to keep your speeds down. It is not a road it is water. Water is very unforgiving and you have to be a few seconds ahead of what you are doing. Putting the hammer down is never a good idea.

Imagine what happens to the boats in the slip. It’s like leaving your car in the front spot of a grocery store for a week and then going to get it.

Just remember you are steering the back of the boat and pushing the front. Not like a car where you are steering the front and pulling the rest along

That's such great information. It's simple things like that on boating I'm trying to learn but it's not easily found.

I was told that new boaters should go to Black Point Marina if they want to practice for the first time.

We had a slip one time that had so much current that it was closer to a river. You had to come in 90 degrees to the current, up current, then rotate in, with the wind pushing you off the dock as well. The slip was about a foot wider than the boat so there was no room for error. It took me so many tries the first time I attempted to get in, but once I figured out that letting the current push you down and inching forward slowly worked, it was easy. Plus that boat drove like a Winnebago, 2 outboards too close to each other and no thrusters or joystick made for some exciting docking scenarios.

Whilst I'm no expert sea captain I found boating really easy after just one afternoon in a quiet marina just low power maneuvering around the place and getting used to the physics of the vessel on the water. It worked really well for me so I recommend that people have patience when it comes to boat operating for the first time. Your throttle is also your brake, you won't always go where you point it, Slight movements with the throttle when youre in tight areas and if you have fenders, use them!! Be considerate of other vessel owners around you and they should be considerate back.

thank you for this! New to boating and definitely have ran into this problem lol!

Great video. Taught my wife this same technique at our Marina. Thanks for sharing

Australia here! Just jump out "gods got the wheel mow" 😂

These are good refreshers for seasonal boaters

You’re awesome for this vid brother, thank you.

Try doing this with an airboat in the wind. They sit very shallow in the water and they drift very fast. You also have no rudder in the water or reverse. It's really fun lol

Nice job ty for the advice 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Great instruction! Driving a boat in situations like this takes a good amount of touch and feel. The only way to develop that is practice with your vessel. This center console will handle much differently than an inboard, for example.

Try it with a 52 foot wooden hull dead-rise with a fixed prop and rudder with no bow thrusters, with a diesel with a 1:1 reverse gear. That's how all those commercial fisherman in the Chesapeake bay do it. If you can drive one of those boats. You can drive anything. ;)

Awesome tutorial

Awesome content dude, looking forward to more. I've been wanting to get into boating, but I don't know how to boat.

New captains need to use resources like this. Have you done a vid on docking with strong current? I see so many on the river struggling to maneuver in tight

I had a sailing instructor say speed is not your friend around the docks. We just putted along very slowly approaching the docks. I just bought a sailboat so hopefully no cringe moments but there are some for even boater with a lot of experience.

Like doc Hudson said, turn right to go left

Good Lesson

Thanks for the tip

I need to practice this stuff.

Thank you

I experience this all the time in Valheim

Thank You Sir.

Great advice

That's counterintuitive as can be to us who are accustomed to driving on land where the front of the vehicle controls where we go. Boats' direction is controlled by the direction the rear of the boat is pushed.

For surf boats more throttle does help though, those boats get very sideways at slow speeds with wind. Using the throttle helps straighten them out and helps the boat respond better to steering wheel inputs.

I guess that it's for beginners, because I was thinking what's the big deal! 👍

Like driving on ice.

Sometimes though when in the marina and the boats drifting, maybe because the wind is strong, ill need to rev it and accelerate because at low speed if im making the turn it wont counter my drift. After 3 years I am still anxious about it and like others have commented, i always prefer to have someone with a hook on deck. The best is having 1 person on the hook and another with some crash buoys ready to throw over board if the boats about to hit some sharp metal props. First time parking in a narrow spot, had on both sides of me the boats were parked nose first so their engines are out and props are glistening wet in the sun, just begging to f*** up my day, AND my boat at the time had to be put in a55 first or I couldnt climb out on the dock, and there were some close shaves! A few scratches even :/ but those scratches were won out of learning i suppose

With no prior experience i adopted a 30foot bayliner and put it in a slip. I was given the slip closest to main dock in between all these very expensive boats. This is on the housatonic river which has a very strong current. Oh and my transom pin came out giving me no reverse. (Reverse just lifted the outdrive out of the water) I still navigated that boat into my slip everyday with no issues. Point is if you dont know how to navigate against current than you shouldnt be driving a boat

Captain is cool

Thats me for sure. Im a new boater. Still dont have the fundamentals down yet.

What’s funny is using a trolling motor on a vehicle 14 foot canoe for five years has taught me so fucking much lol

Awwhhhh! Similar to Reversing the LONG NECK Trailers...

When driving a boat you have to stop thinking about left and right. People think the bow is what you have control over yet that’s just plain wrong. Instead, next time you’re boating just think about the stern, the absolute most control of any part of the boat you have Is the stern. Once you understand how the bow moves based on your stern movements that’s when you’ll understand how to drive a boat properly.

I had a slip last summer for the first time and it was a struggle the first couple times lol

Right on

Lol he was still turning away when he first said I have to turn towards it. He’s giving had timing.

Put boat in neutral, reverse and turn full right, neutral, forward and turn full left using idle engine speed only.

My hero

Simple rule to remember turn towards trouble if you're drifting around.

A bit more throtle also often helps

This is why there should be a minimum practice manoeuvring test before getting you license

Very useful, thank you brother

Its all about the pivot point of your boat.

Legend says he's still trying to get out of the marina.

I just remember the bow is the dumb end, it goes wherever the stern tells it.

capt.tip - it is exactly opposite of a car how in a car you throw it in gear.. then steer ...in a boat steer ....then throw it in gear... You'll see folks frantically spinning the wheel to adjust what they've done If not

Great tip,thanks.

Throttle is where it’s at if you know how to use it!

don't go faster than you are willing to accidentally bump something

I have alot of trouble especially with tbe current ,I have gotten better but its worrying

People need to think of it similar to driving a forklift. Unlike a car the steering is at the back of a boat.

That guy Swiss chap Bernoulli was correct. 😂

Try it in a full keel sailboat..motorboats are easy in comparison

At that speed, if you bumped your stern on something there, would it cause a decent amount of damage? 😮

The biggest mistake is thinking the wheel steers a boat like a car. It doesn't work quite the same. Turn right with a car and the steering (wheels on front) pull or point the car to the right and the rear follows. On a boat turning the wheel to the right pushes the stern to the left which points the boat to the right, but the steering (rudder) pushes. It has to push left to go right.

I drive a jet boat that won't work also putting boat in slow reverse with the wheel to right probably would be a better option to straighten it out

❤❤

This is exactly why I sold my boat. It was too stressful to even take it out of the marina. And btw if you steer toward the danger for too long, won’t you still end up hitting the danger?

The marina I'm at is very similar. Jet boat didnt help my stress level.

Key word "drifting" think of it like a car but on water, at that point it becomes easier

Id definitely be in trouble

It would help if we could see your engine positioning

If you use your throttle you can turn faster and get out of danger

Driving a wake boat is on a whole different level from driving a normal outboard boat

The credit card captain's need to watch this.

Yeah especially when the wind isn't in your favor

Maybe show the wheel next time?

Stern thruster time?

What about a boat with a rudder

I’m Ngl I just let them get close and push off, wouldn’t recommend sprained wrist a couple of times

Paddle drive, ski and wake board boats are way worse. Seen so many qualified Capt noobs crash. Just go in reverse, you'll be ok. 😅

Slow is pro.

It’s like driving on snow or ice

You should have turned in to start with.

Weird observation, why is everyone’s engines in the water?

I definitely tried to speed up in Cozumel Mexico and damaged a boat thank god for insurance lol

I got bow and stern thrusters.

My boats insured heavily , momma won't let me buy a bigger boat were on our third boat a 26 ft aquasport osprey , where's this at ? I'm gonna let her drive out of the marina , if she hits one I gotta buy it ??😂😂😂

Floor it u b fine

We are a sailboat. Heard that. It can be stressful

Listen to this guy.

let's be real everyone bumps into everything

You steer the stern of the boat and you guide the bow of the boat no matter where you steer your stern will move first before the bow moves