Probably the number one fear for many new watercraft owners is docking, especially on drive-up lifts.
Docking is simple, but it does demand patience and practice. Don’t let docks intimidate you—it’s easier than it looks.
In this post, I’ll share steps for docking your watercraft, best method for driving onto lifts, and tips I’ve picked up from helping many new owners learn docking skills.
Number One Rule for docking
Rule number one for docking on your watercraft is moving slow.
When I say slow, I mean painfully slow at the dock. Almost like it feels wrong and others are judging your pace—that kind of slow.
The biggest mistake during docking is moving fast or playing with throttle.
When uncertain at the dock, shut the engine off. Hit START/STOP if you get stuck or feel unsure. Avoid removing the safety lanyard, just in case a quick restart becomes necessary.
Keep in mind About Jet Skis
- Jet skis are direct drive, this means if the engine is on the impeller is spinning, and it’s always doing something.
- They don’t have a “true” neutral. Neutral is just a spot between forward and reverse. This means you have more control over the jet ski, you can even steer it in neutral.
- The nose of the jet ski will go the direction you turn the handlebars, no matter if you’re in forward or reverse. This can be confusing for some, as boats are not like this.
- When the jet ski is at the dock, and you’re holding onto the dock, shut the engine off. There is no true neutral, and letting it sit in neutral at the dock is not safe.
- Follow NO-WAKE ZONE laws!!! The white floating buoy or being within 100 feet of land is no-wake zone. This means no throttle and going slow at the dock. Some no-wake zones are long, but you still need idle speed. I know it’s annoying, but it’s for your safety and everyone around you when at the dock.
Point one is an important one, jetdrives are always processing water. When doing jetboat test drives, I’ve had several “boat guys” tell me that shutting the engine off while at the dock is stupid. Their logic is true for normal boats with true neutral, but not with jetboats that lack true neutral. The only time you can rest with jetdrives are when the engine is off. This is the trade-off with jetdrives, you have far more control when docking because you’re always processing water, but you also must kill the engine when docked.
How To Dock Your Jet Ski
- Before getting to the dock, put the jet ski in neutral and see where the wind is blowing and what other people are doing.
- When it’s safe, and you understand the direction of the wind, head towards the dock. Try to use the wind to your advantage, go at an angle to the dock.
- Tap the forward and reverse/brake levers of the jet ski back and forth to control the slow movement towards the dock. Do not give the jet ski gas, only tap back and forth between forward and neutral. See the video below to understand the levers and their controls.
- You want to go slow, painfully slow. If you feel you’re going too fast, pull on the reverse lever to slow you down. It should feel like you’re docking a space shuttle in outer space, that is the slowness you want.
- Shut the jet ski off if you can reach the dock or in a tight spot, but still close enough at the dock that you can reach.
If you’re ever in doubt, shut the engine off. Jet skis don’t have a true neutral, and the only way to stop everything is to kill the engine.
A video showing you the steps to drive a jet ski and what I mean about going back and forth on the levers:
Docking without reverse
Docking without reverse is harder, but still possible.
The trick when docking with no reverse is avoiding throttle at the dock or no-wake zone. About 20 feet before the dock, spin the watercraft in small circles.
Check surroundings first, then spin in circles with zero throttle.
Spinning will kill momentum, then point the watercraft where you want movement. As momentum builds again, you should already be close enough for shutting the engine off. Once again, avoid throttle during this—idle speed works best near docks.
Instructional Videos
Tips For Docking!
Getting better with docking requires practice!
One of the best ways is finding buoys out in the water and working on getting as close as possible without touching it with your watercraft. I like using the no-wake buoy, since several sit near docks, and it’s probably the safest spot, with everyone moving slowly there anyway.
By tapping the throttle and reverse levers, experiment with different approaches until docking feels natural. Always move slowly—idle speed only—when close by docks. Repeat this many times, and soon docking your watercraft will feel effortless.
Docking Jet Skis On A drive-Up Lift
Putting a jet ski on a floating drive up lift is nearly the same as docking on any boat dock.
- Before getting to the lift, put it in neutral and see where the wind is blowing and what other people are doing.
- When it’s safe, and you understand the direction of the wind, head towards the dock and lift. Try to use the wind to your advantage.
- Lightly hit the center of the floating drive up dock lift.
- Try to center jet ski with the lift if you’re not already.
- Give the jet ski some gas to drive up.
- Wait a second to make sure you don’t roll backwards. If you do roll backwards, try again, it’s no big deal.
- If you don’t roll backwards, turn the jet ski off and tie up. Tie at the dock itself and not the jet ski lift.
Video Steps:
Many new watercraft owners worry about overshooting the lift, ending up on the dock, and causing damage.
As long as speed stays slow, lightly touch the lift, keep everything straight, and overshooting should not happen even with some little throttle.
It may take several attempts before finding the right amount of throttle, but eventually it feels natural. This is why waiting before shutting the engine off matters—so the craft does not roll back off the dock and force another try.
