Boat control

[Salty Sealine]

I had posted awhile ago about bow thrusters and was told this should be treated as a luxury!

Got the keys to my Sealine F33 last night, but decided against taking it out as it seemed a bit windy. So went down after work this evening. Just as I was about to leave the marina the heavens opened, but I sat on the flybridge as happy as can be.

Pottered up to the weir and played with both engines to get the hang of it and it did not seem too hard.

It was interesting to note that the previous owner when reversing into his birth used the bow thruster and kept turning the wheel madly from side to side. He only used both throttles together. As it was his boat I felt I should keep numb!

When I came back into the marina, I managed to moor the boat without once having to touch the wheel or the bow thruster. Oh and yes I did not hit any other boats or the pontoon.

Looking forward to the weekend and a few locks.

 

[byron]

Wheel spinners ... when I used to teach boat handing to twin screw boaters I would make them ignore their wheel completely. You are wise to have a little quiet practice on your own and obviously have mastered your new boat.

P.S.

I trust you meant 'BERTH'

 

[Salty Sealine]

now that would have been a sight!!

 

[Chris_d]

Well done you did well, an F33 is renouned as being a bit tricky it has a light bow and outdrives positioned well aft so they have very little leverage. I'm not going to contradict Byron as he is correct, but on an outdrive boat especialy the likes of an F33 twirling the wheel is essential to direct the thrust where you want to, e.g when coming alongside in a lock turn into the wall and reverse the outside engine to tuck the stern in. If you don't turn the wheel you will find that the boat won't turn tight enough and react very slowly, the bow thruster is very useful on such a boat becuase the wind can easily catch the bow and you have no way of stopping it, a shaft drive boat is much better in this respect as the weight is distibution and centre of rotation is further forward.

 

[byron]

Outdrives are a different ball game. I was talking about shaft driven craft. I 100% agree that outdrives/outboards have to be twirled to provide forces in the appropriate direction. Sorry, I should have been clearer when I jumped in with my response.

P>S> Get your bum in gear, you should have been at my house by now Chris.

 

[John100156]

Yep, wheel before power with outdrives!

I just don't understand why people are reluctant to use a bow thruster (BT), do they think it makes them a better helmsman, very shallow. Its like having a car with a handbrake and instead of using it, getting out and placing a brick under the back wheel as it gently rolls away!

If you have one installed, use it, it provides good control especially when your bow has little grip in the water, it makes life easy, if anyone thinks this is bad helmsmanship, well less said the better!

But like anything else, its good to practice without a BT from time-to-time! Also try practicing with only one engine, port OR starboard, this helps in case an engine fails - this happened to me once on a trip back from Majorca. It was very windy and quite difficult to berth, I ended up backing on (yes, did not like that), roping a cleat and driving her against the line, she cam in just right without BT on that occasion, good fun, after the event!

 

[Chris_d]

P>S> Get your bum in gear, you should have been at my house by now Chris.

I'm waiting for the Sunshine ! we should be there about lunchtime tommorrow.

I see apollo is up at Abingdon, are we going to get a sailpast?

 

[Dave_Seager]

I think that a lot depends on the way the outdrives are mounted. I have a Princess 32 in which the drives are spaced well apart and can usually manoeuvre on throttles alone. My friend has a Fairline Mirage where the outdrives are very close together and this is far harder to manoeuvre this way.

 

[Ramage]

I'm waiting for the Sunshine ! we should be there about lunchtime tommorrow.

I see apollo is up at Abingdon, are we going to get a sailpast?

If you do, don't expect him to have his fenders up!

 

[apollo]

Not on your nellyB-)
Blazer stays in wardrobe and fenders stay down.
B.t.w. Whats the best pub in Dorchester?

 

[Chris_d]

Not on your nellyB-)
Blazer stays in wardrobe and fenders stay down.
B.t.w. Whats the best pub in Dorchester?

How about a dip of the ensign then ?

All the pubs are ok in Dorchester, just work your way round them all ! well both of them then.

 

[ADLS]

Good luck with your boat handling do try coming mooring from different directions and do get on the river when it's windy. Practise mooring both to port and starboard, getting into slots between boat going both stern in first and bow first. Practise some 'Springing" out and in manovers. Get your crew to use a hand signal system of control so your not screaming your heads off and getting anniod. It's great to watch a well drilled crew come alongside and moor up without hardly a word said.
Also practise getting all your lines on differing pontoon bollards etc., a good crew will also make sure the fenders are at the correct height for pontoons and locks.

I'm just back after a two month cruise of Holland and boy do they like bow thrusters, trouble is most of them scream there heads off with cavitation and to be woken at 6am doing a 360 is not very pleasant. The old timers in their single engined beam kealers can get onto a mooring no trouble using sidewalk. but the bow and stern thrusher brigade seam to make a real song and dance getting in as though they want everybody to watch them glide in sideways.
I made it a rule never to help the BTB moor, but to be the first out to help others.