Top 5 reasons to dock bow in (for us)

[syjos]

Not all boats have shore connections in the bow

I like being able to chat with my neighbors. It would seem what you consider a deficit, I consider a benefit.

I installed a shore power inlet on the bow and stern with a selector switch for being able to plug in at either end.

Chatting with dock neighbors can be iffy. Some are pleasant to talk to and others not so. We've been next to boaters that will not let anyone alone. We can't sit in the cockpit without them running out of their boats to yak at us.

We've seen chatty kathys walking up and down the dock looking for someone to talk at. Talk at, not talk with. We usually hide when they head our way.

 

[Caphenning]

There are two things that determine which way I dock if I have an option. In the Med there really isn’t an option. First is the direction the person paying me to dock asks for. Typically stern in for entertaining or bow in for privacy. If I’m in my boat it’s determined by the view from the aft deck.

 

[Pmcsurf1]

If pier is long enough we bow in.

Wife and I like to have sex on the back deck at night. She is so chatty people sometimes stop and talk and I get distracted.

As for peeing, I go to the flying bridge and check the wind speed.

Lol

 

[Pmcsurf1]

Sykes,
"Talk at, not talk with."
Good point. There is a difference.
+1

 

[O C Diver]

I guess it really shouldn't surprise me that people pee off their boats in marinas. I suppose if you're going to pump the holding tank in your slip, leave your trash on the finger pier, and not pick up after your dog when it craps on the dock, what's one more white trash badge of honor.

Ted

 

[Porgy]

Oh boy, another thread where some just have to discuss the details of their bodily functions. What is your obsession with having to talk about it as though it’s something novel. You all sound like six year olds. But as arrested development with the maturity of a six year old appears to be the fashion these days, I suppose it shouldn’t be all that surprising. Seriously, what is wrong with you people.

Bow in. I don’t want to be relaxing in the cockpit and have any of you interrupt me to obsessively regale me with tales of your bodily functions.

 

[Northern Spy]

I'll but one of the boats in the North Harbour are bow in. Mainly because of finger dock gussets take up too much space on the floating concrete docks.

All of the boats in the South Harbour (transient and commercial) are sidetied with bow towards entrance. That's the fire code so it would be easier to evacuate if required. Well, ideally...

 

[AusCan]

Being an introvert, I tie up bow in. Besides the privacy, the boat points into the prevailing wind that way.
I don't pee off the swim step, but I do pee in our private back yard at home. It's good for the garden as long as you don't concentrate in one spot.

btw- nothing wrong with those who talk about natural bodily functions.

 

[Fletcher500]

Funny, with all of the stuff going on in the world today and some people on here getting bent out of a shape about some guy who likes to take a whiz off the back of his boat on occasion. For the record, I also pee in my wetsuit and have been doing it for about 45years. Anybody who surfs, especially in the Winter also does it, and they like it. Ok, around 90% do. I also pee off the boat on occasion.

 

[MurrayM]

1) to annoy inflexible stern firsters
2) to annoy self righteous stern firsters
3) to annoy all knowing stern firsters
4) to annoy my way or the highway stern firsters
5) to annoy condescending stern firsters

 

[Peter B]

1) to annoy inflexible stern firsters
2) to annoy self righteous stern firsters
3) to annoy all knowing stern firsters
4) to annoy my way or the highway stern firsters
5) to annoy condescending stern firsters

Murray, you just gave me the best laugh I've had all day. Always good, after the stress of curating the Covid threads...

 

[DrissZougari]

I do not have any issues backing in my MS390 single engine however, i prefer to bow in to have access to my dinghy hanging on my platform.

 

[BandB]

Funny, with all of the stuff going on in the world today and some people on here getting bent out of a shape about some guy who likes to take a whiz off the back of his boat on occasion. For the record, I also pee in my wetsuit and have been doing it for about 45years. Anybody who surfs, especially in the Winter also does it, and they like it. Ok, around 90% do. I also pee off the boat on occasion.

Wifey B:: I didn't get all bent out of shape. I just personally find it a disgusting practice. Peeing in your wetsuit I understand and have no issue with. I have never heard the reasoning behind peeing off boats. I do know some have lost their lives doing so. I wouldn't suggest doing it at night in frigid water.

Now I've never known anyone arrested for peeing off a boat, but then I've never personally known anyone who peed off one, other than on forums. That's why the practice is just so strange to me.

I have seen a lot of people on shows like Live PD confronted. The person peeing on a building from the outside when it had a public restroom inside deserved a problem. The homeless person at 3 AM I felt sorry for. Then the cars stopped along side the road and someone peeing in open view deserved a problem, but the person shielding themselves with the doors or door and human I felt for.

I guess it's a bit like the forest and tree question. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?

Guess we need a similar question for the guy peeing off the back of his boat.

You clearly haven't read my posts when I was all bent out of shape, posts on some of the real issues (in threads the moderators then stripped or deleted) or you would know this is not me all bent out of shape at all. This is the teasing and playful me. :lol:

 

[Peter B]

My mother's favourite saying regarding this weighty matter was "the pee is silent, as in psea bathing..."

 

[FlyWright]

Number 1 reason to go stern in - getting to meet and chat with everyone as they walk by. Life is full of interesting folk, even more so in a marina.

I bow in and hang out on the foredeck when I want to socialize with the dock crowd. Best of both worlds.

 

[DonW28]

In our home marina we are bow in end of May until end of September and stern in otherwise. If you tried to stay stern in with the setting sun all Summer you would melt. Has absolutely nothing to do with boat handling for us. All about being able to sit on the deck and not sweat like pigs.

 

[Beaverlake]

We’re stern in at home port - dock to short to get to the platform if bow in. Transient - all depends on the length of the dock.

 

[Spinner]

I bow in, starboard tie because:

1. My tender hangs out behind the swim step on a Freedom Lift. Unless I have a lot of extra length in the slip, backing in doesn’t allow me to put the dinghy down or up.

2. Even with a camera for each side, visibility to the back is pretty lousy.

3. The helm is in the center of the pilot house so I can’t steer while looking out the pilot house door.

4. My cockpit side access door is on the starboard side.

5. My shore power outlets are on the starboard side, just forward of the pilot house door.

 

[jgtrucking]

Not getting sucked into the pee or not Pee debate...


I stern-in at my home marina usually, for a laundry list of reasons. When visiting others... more often than not bow in. If I must take a covered slip (would be a serious must to go through the headaches of lowering the mast) Then stern in because the dinghy is on davits on the back. PO had it bow in and a roof will fill it faster than it can drain... not good for the davits.


There are hundreds of reasons to do it either way. IMHO the two worst would be 1) because everyone else docks this way. 2) Because I have a hard time controlling the boat this way.

 

[OldDan1943]

My brother and friend were out late one night near the Detroit River in a small boat, no head. The friend peed over the side. The USCG sent the friend (boat registered to him) a picture of him peeing over the side along with a ticket. LOL

Wet suit warm up? Pour a container of warm water down the back. Instant warm up.

As a retired forester, I have peed in many places but never off a pool high board. SMIRK

 

[BradC]

It always bothers me to see individuals makes snarky responses, passive-aggressively implying the OP is some how less of a boater than they are when posting a contrarian topic; as the purpose of this forum it to find information and people don’t come here to be criticized, right? I guess if it makes you feel better about yourself that justifies it in your mind, but I find kindness goes a long way. IMHO.

That said, I agree peeing off the boat is a bit tmi.

To throw my vote in the informal polling, I go bow in anywhere possible because it’s easier with a single screw and no thrusters. Doesn’t mean I can’t back In, but why make things difficult if I don’t have to. Backing out of my slip uses prop walk to perfectly position my exit.

The option of others regarding my skill level is worth exactly what I pay for it. Nothing. I highly recommend learning to live this way. It’s peaceful.

I like the view sitting on my aft deck better as others stated. I’m only one of two boats at our marina bow in and we still all seem to get along great. I back in when traveling only when required. Now how about we discuss something less controversial like best type of anchor.

 

[Saint Barbara]

Ive never peed off my boat at the marina. That is just disgusting and disrespectful to everyone else in the marina. I hope one day you get caught and fined then thrown out of the marina.

 

[OldDan1943]

Some marinas ask you to go bow in because, stern in has a negative effect on the sea wall.... something about digging the dirt away leading to possible undermining of the sea wall.

Once there was a lengthy boat that at sunset decided to pump sanitary overboard.
Condo neighbors reported him to the dock master, dock master told the captain, next time, the USCG would be informed. Why would he think about pumping sanitary overboard in a marina with a free pump out service? I guess the captain thought, ‘I’m a big boat and I can do what I want.’ He found out differently.

 

[DHeckrotte]

We have always been 'bow first' folks. Both of our sailboats and our trawler.

In no special order: Privacy. View. My nice new Mahogany swim platform. Dinghy. Dinghy davits. Launching the kayak. Power and water connections. Prevailing breeze.

And an important detail: I've never backed any boat into a small place.

 

[adornato]

I alternate bow in or stern in every few months to try to equalize the wear and sun effect on my wax job. otherwise the port side gets the brunt of the long afternoon sun.

 

[OldDan1943]

I ONCE backed a 50 something foot 2 engine boat out of a boat well with sharp corners into a 25 foot fairway. I put an observer on the one corner I was turning into with instructions to keep me informed of any danger. Was a matter of idle RPMs, clutch, coast and rudder. Made it without a back and fill. The instructor, standing at my shoulder, was more than impressed. Only once did I look out to see how close I was to the corner (I thought the observer got bored and move from his assigned duty). Not only was pure magic but also got a a really big atta boy from instructor when the instructor said, “I couldn’t do any better.”
Don’t ever ask me to do it again. LOL

 

[bill.kimbell]

Back In

I normally back in, assuming that conditions will be worse when I'm leaving. Much easier to pull out forward in breeze/current.

 

[OldDan1943]

In my case, the finger pier is too short to accommodate my 34 ft boat with at least 2 feet of tender beyond the 3 ft swim platform. Messes with the placement of the pilot house doors.
Yes I do have a backdown camera but I call it my Coast Guard detection system. (No surprise boarding.)

 

[Lou_tribal]

We go bow in 99% of the time.
Mainly reason are :
1. Easier for me with single engine (yes I know how to back in but still it is easier bow in).
2. Only one side door on starboard and dock on starboard
3. I prefer to watch sunset on the river while having a drink more than the guy eating (or rubbing his balls) on the other side of the dock.
4. Predominant wind push me toward the dock not away from dock, easier to dock.

L

 

[CarlF]

I have noted that the sports fishermen always dock stern in - but I think that's to better show off the 600lb tuna on the aft deck.