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Use a Seatruck Dock when you want to bring in the cabin with its attached module train, repair and recharge the vehicle, or customize modules from the dock terminal. A Moonpool accepts the cabin too, but automatically separates attached modules as the cabin enters. To transport a Prawn Suit, put the Seatruck Docking Module at the very end of the train, keep the cabin connected so the module is powered, and approach the clamps slowly with the Prawn’s thrusters.

The exact control buttons vary by platform and by your bindings. The available documentation does not establish one current control map for PC, console, and other editions, so use the Controls screen in your own game rather than relying on a universal key list.

Choose the right structure before you drive in

“Docking the Seatruck” can mean two different operations in Subnautica: Below Zero: bringing the cabin into a normal Moonpool, or using the dedicated Seatruck Dock for the complete vehicle. The structures look similar in purpose but do not handle the module train the same way.

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Structure What can enter What happens to attached modules Servicing described by the available documentation
Moonpool Seatruck cabin Modules automatically detach as the cabin enters The cabin can recharge inside
Seatruck Dock Seatruck and attached modules The train remains together in the dedicated dock When the base is powered, the dock repairs and recharges the Seatruck and provides a vehicle/module customization terminal

Choose the Moonpool when you only need the cabin inside or do not mind reconnecting and repositioning the modules. Choose the Seatruck Dock when preserving the train is the priority, particularly if you have utility, storage, or transport modules arranged in a specific order.

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The documentation does not fully specify every service difference for every module. The table therefore lists only the functions explicitly described: cabin recharging in either structure, and repair, recharge, and customization at a powered Seatruck Dock.

Dock the full Seatruck at a Seatruck Dock

A Seatruck Dock is the purpose-built base structure for servicing the Seatruck with its attached modules. Its repair and recharge functions depend on the base having power.

Before entering

  • Confirm that the dock is connected to a powered base.
  • Leave enough approach space for the cabin and the entire module train. A dock that is easy to reach with the cabin can still be awkward if the train has to turn sharply behind it.
  • Decide whether you are docking for service or for customization. The dock includes a terminal for vehicle and module customization, so you can use the same stop for both tasks.
  • Check your control bindings in the game before making a close approach, especially if you have changed the default vehicle controls.

Entry procedure

  1. Align the Seatruck cabin with the dock entrance while keeping the vehicle level and centered.
  2. Move forward at a controlled speed. Avoid a last-second correction that swings the cabin or causes the attached modules to cut across the structure.
  3. Continue until the dock captures the Seatruck. Because this structure is described as housing the Seatruck and attached modules, the train should remain connected rather than being stripped off as it would be in a Moonpool.
  4. Once docked, allow the powered structure to perform its described repair and recharge functions.
  5. Use the dock terminal when you need to customize the vehicle or modules.
  6. When leaving, reverse or pull forward only after confirming that the cabin and the last module have cleared the dock. Make the first turn outside the structure, where the train has room to follow.

If the dock does not service the vehicle, check the base power state first. The documented repair and recharge behavior is conditional on the dock’s base being powered; an unpowered structure should not be treated as a functioning service bay.

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What changes when you use a Moonpool

A Moonpool can accept a Seatruck cabin, and the cabin can recharge there. It is not a way to preserve a connected Seatruck train, however. As the cabin enters, the attached modules automatically detach so the cabin can fit into the Moonpool.

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Use a Moonpool when separation is acceptable

  1. Approach the Moonpool with the cabin centered on the opening.
  2. Enter slowly enough to keep the cabin aligned with the vehicle bay.
  3. Expect the modules to separate automatically during entry rather than waiting for a manual detach prompt.
  4. After the cabin has recharged, leave the Moonpool and reconnect or reposition the modules outside as needed.

Plan the maneuver around the separation, not around an assumed intact train. If your next trip depends on a particular module order or on having all modules immediately behind the cabin, the Seatruck Dock is the more suitable structure.

Carry a Prawn Suit with the Seatruck Docking Module

The Docking Module is a transport attachment for one Prawn Suit. It must be the final module in the Seatruck train—the module at the rear end, with no other Seatruck module behind it. The cabin must remain connected because the Docking Module is powered by the main cabin during capture.

The module does not recharge the Prawn Suit’s Power Cells. Treat it as a carrier, not as a charging station, and charge or replace the Prawn’s cells by another method before a long excursion.

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Build the train in the required order

  1. Start with the Seatruck cabin.
  2. Attach any ordinary Seatruck modules you want to bring.
  3. Attach the Docking Module after those modules so it occupies the last position.
  4. Keep the cabin connected to the whole train. Disconnecting the cabin removes the power source the Docking Module uses for capture.

If the Docking Module is in the middle of the train, move it to the rear before attempting to load the Prawn. The requirement is positional, not merely a matter of having the module somewhere in the chain.

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Approach with the Prawn Suit

Community guidance reproduced for the module recommends using the Prawn’s thrusters to rise to the Docking Module’s level while still at a distance, then moving forward onto the clamps. The same guidance warns that a collision can seriously damage the module. This is a community recommendation rather than an independently tested control tutorial, so use it as a cautious maneuvering pattern and adapt it to your own bindings.

  1. Bring the Prawn near the rear of the Seatruck while leaving a clear approach line.
  2. Use the thrusters to rise until the Prawn is level with the Docking Module. Make this height adjustment before closing the remaining distance.
  3. Face the module squarely. Avoid approaching diagonally, from above, or from below.
  4. Advance gently onto the clamps. Do not ram the module to force a capture.
  5. Wait for the mechanical arms to secure the Prawn before making another movement.
  6. Once captured, verify that the Seatruck cabin is still connected and that the Docking Module remains the final module.

The in-game databank wording reproduced by the community wiki describes the mechanism this way: “Mechanical arms extend to automatically secure the Prawn Suit to the vehicle on approach.” That text explains the intended automatic capture, but it does not turn the process into a high-speed collision maneuver.

How the module train affects maneuvering

A Seatruck with several modules behaves as a long articulated vehicle. The cabin may appear aligned with a dock while the rear modules are still offset. Make broad, early steering corrections and allow the train time to follow the cabin’s path.

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  • For a Seatruck Dock: line up the cabin first, then enter steadily so the attached modules follow the same axis.
  • For a Moonpool: do not spend time trying to preserve the train; the modules are expected to detach during entry.
  • For a Docking Module capture: treat the rear module as a protected target. Establish height and alignment before moving forward.
  • For departure: clear the structure before turning sharply. A tight turn at the mouth can leave the cabin clear while a rear module catches the frame.

These are operating practices derived from the documented docking behavior and the collision warning for the Docking Module. The sources do not provide numerical turning radii, speed limits, or damage thresholds, so no performance figure should be assumed.

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Troubleshoot the most common docking problems

The modules disappeared from the train in the Moonpool

This is expected behavior, not necessarily a failure. Moonpool entry automatically detaches the attached modules so the cabin can enter. Leave the Moonpool, locate the modules, and reconnect or reposition them outside.

The Seatruck is not repairing or recharging

Verify that you are using a Seatruck Dock rather than a Moonpool for the full-train service behavior, and check that the base supplying the dock has power. The documented repair and recharge function for the Seatruck Dock is conditional on a powered base.

The customization terminal is unavailable

The customization terminal is part of the Seatruck Dock’s documented equipment. Confirm that you have entered the dedicated dock and that the structure is operating as part of a powered base. The available material does not establish additional terminal requirements.

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The Prawn will not attach

  • Check that the Docking Module is the last module in the train.
  • Check that the Seatruck cabin is still connected, because the cabin powers the module.
  • Move the Prawn to the module’s level before closing the horizontal gap.
  • Center the Prawn on the clamps and approach slowly.
  • Inspect the module for collision damage if the approach was forceful.

The documentation does not provide a separate manual override or a button sequence for failed capture. If careful alignment and the required train order do not work, back away, re-establish the approach line, and confirm the control bindings shown by your game.

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The Prawn’s Power Cells are still low after transport

The Docking Module carries one Prawn Suit but does not recharge its Power Cells. Charge the cells separately before relying on the Prawn for a long operation.

Controls and platform differences

Do not copy a control list from another platform without checking it. The available documentation does not establish a reliable, current button map across PC, console, or other editions, and it does not document version-specific differences.

  1. Open the game’s Settings or Options menu.
  2. Open the Controls or key-binding screen for your platform.
  3. Identify vehicle movement, ascent/descent or thruster controls, and any interaction command used to enter or exit vehicles.
  4. Test those bindings in open water before approaching a structure or a Docking Module.
  5. If a control appears not to work, check whether the game has switched focus between the Prawn, Seatruck, and an external interaction point.

This approach avoids presenting a universal button instruction that may be wrong for your edition or custom layout.

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A practical pre-docking checklist

  • Is the intended destination a Moonpool or a Seatruck Dock?
  • If you need the train intact, have you chosen the Seatruck Dock?
  • Is the base powering the Seatruck Dock?
  • Is there enough open water for the complete train to align?
  • If carrying a Prawn, is the Docking Module at the rear end?
  • Is the cabin still connected, so the Docking Module has power?
  • Are the Prawn’s Power Cells charged separately?
  • Have you checked the current control bindings for your platform?
  • Are you approaching the Docking Module level and head-on rather than colliding with it?

What the available documentation does—and does not—establish

The documented mechanics support a clear choice: use the Seatruck Dock for a powered service stop with the attached train, use a Moonpool when cabin entry and automatic module separation are acceptable, and use a rear-positioned, cabin-powered Docking Module to carry one Prawn Suit.

There are no named numerical docking statistics or published performance figures in the available material. It also does not establish a versioned control map, platform-specific behavior, exact clearance measurements, or a recharge method for the Prawn’s Power Cells through the Docking Module. Those details should not be inferred from the general docking rules.

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