Motor Boating Basics

An early love of boating on the Thames and being afloat in any form led Jon Mendez to take it up professionally over 25 years ago. He is a former RYA instructor and examiner and one of the most highly respected motor boat skippers and trainers in the business.

Essential skills
How to:
Use the right knot
Lasso a cleat
Coil mooring lines
Tie up your boat
Use a lifejacket properly
License and use a vhf radio
Set your anchor
Anchor safely
Retrieve a man overboard
Pick up a mooring buoy
Pick up a mooring buoy solo
Use a lock

Boat maintenance
How to:
Antifoul a boat
Polish a boat
Change anodes on an outdrive
Clean teak
Replace fuel filters

Navigation
How to:
Set up your chartplotter
Create a route on a plotter
Follow a route on your plotter
Use pilotage
Set up a radar

Boat handling
How to:
Hold your boat steady
Turn in a tight space
Turn a single-engined boat in a tight space
Turn a twin-engined boat using only one engine
Berth a twin-engined boat using only one engine
Move a boat sideways
Ferry glide
Use prop walk to your advantage
Drive to windward
Drive downwind
Drive in a beam sea
Throttle and trim your engine
Make fast turns safely
Drive in rough water
Drive an IPS boat better

Berthing
How to:
Leave a dock
Berth in windy conditions
Leave a windy berth
Berth single-handed
Leave a berth solo
Back into a berth in a single-engined boat
Come alongside in a single-engined boat
Back into a berth
Dock a single shaftdrive boat
Use a bow thruster effectively
Leave a berth in a single-engined boat
Berth an IPS boat
Tie up a big boat
Raft up to another boat
Use pile moorings