Do you carry a drogue?

Nick_H

Nick_H

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 Apr 2004
Messages
7,660
www.ybw-boatsforsale.com
A couple of times during our recent trip I had to put the boat in neutral, mid passage, to move from upper helm to lower ('cos it kept bloody raining), and in the time it took me to walk downstairs the boat had swung beam on and was rolling heavily, even in moderate sea conditions.

It struck me that if we lost drive mid channel, which is a real possibility if both props picked up some rope, we would have to wait maybe 2 or 3 hrs for help, and in that time it could get really uncomfortable, potentially even dangerous if we got sea sick and disorientated.

The answer I think is to use a drogue to keep the boat bow into wind, but I've never thought about carrying one, does anyone else?
 
Funnily enough I was looking at one in PBO last night and thinking that when drift fishing I wouldn't have to put up with the sea sick inducing roll.
 
i always carry a drogue i think they are brilliant piece of kit
like you say anything can happen at sea
and where we are in the wash when you get in the boston deeps your anshor would never touch the bottom
all the best
cjrvernon
 
Suppose you could say "Looks like an underwater parachute"

Come in all shapes and sizes.
On one 22ft fishing boat I had Use to use a big bucket , attached to sturdy rope slung out over the transom to keep the vessel pointing towards the rollers and wavy bits.

Also used as a spare baler and to bung the fish in (on the odd occasion!)on the way home.
 
not a great fan of a drogue on the bows cause it can put enormous strain on your rudders. Drogues are really designed for use from the stern.

A parachute is designed to stop the boat and thus eliminate the problem of strain on the rudders, but that would be a bit overkil just to change helm positions! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
not a great fan of a drogue on the bows cause it can put enormous strain on your rudders.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't even a have a rudder, let alone rudders.

How does it strain a rudder?
 
I can't help but think that I'm going to look a bit silly, but I've been sitting here puzzling over why using a drogue from the bow to keep the boat facing into wind (presumably when drifting) would put a strain on the rudders? Please enlighten me or I won't sleep tonight wondering about it.
 
Me too - cant see how it affects the rudders.
I think it comes from "rigging for very heavy weather".
Although I would never intend being there, I believe you are supposed to put the arse into the wind/sea to avoud broaching.

Any advice on the size of the drogue?
Boat weight / length etc.
 
It allows the boat to move astern and (dependent on drogue size and wind strength, this can cause the rudder to go hard over, and this can be done at such a rate that it can break the rudder (I believe there are several case histories in drag device database)
 
There's a danger here that we may be talking about 2 different things - namely a sea anchor and a drogue.
I think I'm right in saying that a sea anchor is for throwing off the bow snd the drogue is tied to the stern. The former is to slow the drift of the boat and will hopefully keep the nose pointing into the wind and sea. The latter is to improve steerability when going slowly so preventing broaching and to slow down further than is normally possible even on tickover. Allegedly a decent sized bucket with a strong handle will successfully act as one of these for small boats.

I wouldn't have thought that you would need to deploy a drogue in order to change steering positions. By the time you had got it overboard and working, you could be at the inside helm position.
Have you considered:-
a) Going to the gym and doing exercises to speed up your movement.
b) Buying a decent set of waterproofs.
c) Letting someone else do the helming whilst you struggle downstairs.
d) Buying a more practical boat.

This obviously is not directed at you Talbot as I'm sure that you are both very nimble and do not possess a fly-bridge /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Forgive my ignorance, but what is a drogue?

[/ QUOTE ]

Think inverted Noddy Hat with a metal ring at the wide end, with some lines attached round the circumference to a bridle then a rope to the boats bow.... backward drift fills it and its also called a sea anchor.... just keep bow to wind,,,, lots of pitch but little roll.
Lecture over.
Drew
 
wrong

A sea anchor is designed to hold the bows into the wind and minimise movement through the water. Most sea anchors these days are parachutes.

A drogue is designed to slow the boat to a manageable speed and/or to improve manoeuvrability. Thus a drogue can be deployed and used to steer the boat if the rudder fails, it is used to reduce the speed when running before the wind to avoid an uncontrolled surf and then pitchpole due to the bow sinking into the back of the next wave. I am aware of one guy who used his seagull outboard as a drogue for several days, returned it for a service, and was then using it on his tender again.
 
Ever thought about getting a boat with a mast, sails and a keel..........???
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
If you read the post carefully, in fact if you glance at it fleetingly, you'll see that moving between helms only highlighted a potential problem, the time I would use it is if I'd lost drive and was likely to de drifting for several hours. I did use the wrong term though, it is a sea anchor that I had in mind, not a drogue
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top