Glossary Term
Docking Plan
A docking plan is the drawing or technical instruction set used to show how a yacht is to be supported in dry dock or on a slip. In yacht and superyacht use, it typically identifies keel block positions, side support limits, appendage clearances, restricted support areas, sonar or transducer precautions, bottom plug locations, and any special assumptions that the yard and dockmaster need before the lift.
Class guidance describes the docking plan as the place to state the arrangement of docking blocks, the maximum permissible loading during docking, and the corresponding load at each block. The same guidance notes that the docking plan is recommended and does not require class approval as a condition of classification. That distinction matters on yachts: the plan is a technical basis for safe support, but the actual docking setup still has to reflect the yacht’s current condition, weight state, trim, appendages, and yard method.
For refit teams, the docking plan becomes especially valuable when the yacht has stabilizer fins, propeller pockets, domes, vulnerable fairings, unusual shell openings, or changed underwater geometry after prior repairs or modifications. A current engineering and drawing package helps the yard support the hull where it was intended to be supported and avoid loading shell areas that were never meant to take dock reaction. On large yachts, getting the plan wrong can damage coatings, distort plating, overload appendage regions, or make key underwater work inaccessible once the yacht is already blocked.