The Resourceful Sailor Warps a Boat Around at the Dock

Article by Joshua Wheeler

According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the third entry under the verb defines warp as: to move (something, such as a ship) by hauling on a line attached to a fixed object.

I have warped Sampaguita, a 1985 Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20, often. I sometimes found it easiest and safest to move the boat around in tight spaces with guiding lines while remaining on the dock. Sampaguita is full-keeled. Under power, she makes wide turns and can be temperamental about going backward. The outboard motor is mounted off-center on the transom, so no propeller wash flows over the rudder. The prop can be angled side-to-side to aid maneuvering (power steering?), but prop walk effects are atypical, and the traditional ‘back and fill’ technique does not apply. (What are those, you say? Subjects of a different article.)