Handling with twin outdrives......

[dog]

Having become very used to handling a single outdrive boat- and now moving to twins, I was wondering when berthing- how many of you use steering and engines or rely on forward/reverse on the engines alone. I have only had the new boat in the water a couple of weeks and spent several hours last weekend in and around the marina manouvering on just the engines. It am having to re-train myself on marina approaches at present. On looking through the RYA powerboating manual it suggests the use of steering as well when berthing to push the stern around. I can see that engines alone work in perfect no wind or tide scenarios, but am slightly unsure when there is wind/tide in a tight marina berth. Is there any right or wrong way to manouvre with twin outdrives? My boat is still quite light and is effected by wind and tide more than some heavier boats.

 

[hlb]

Every one seems to differ on this one. It's a long time since I had out drives, but using steering as well as engines, gets quite complicated. So as much as posible, I'd use engines alone and consentrate on what your doing.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Depending on the boat and I think you have found this out already, just using the engines without the steering may not be enough to manouver the boat in any wind or tide. The accepted way is to use the steering as well as the throttles which takes a bit of practice especially going astern. A sufficiently powerful bow thruster is handy

 

[msimms]

Although still a novice myself (about 50 hours), I've hardly ever used steering, just relied on small burst in and out of gear forward and/or reverse on the appropriate engine. Before reversing in to the berth, if there is any wind, I wait to see what effect it's going to have. Sometimes get it spot on first time, always when theres no one about. Anybody walking along the pontoon will guarantee I have to take two or three attempts!

 

[dog]

Couldnt agree more- alone it all goes to plan, with an audience c**k it up every time!

 

[timgriffin]

Steer then gear if you have duo props as they may cancel out the effect of just using forward and reverse . Use opposite engine to the way you turn the wheel ie left wheel right engine .The exception to this is when leaving astern use the outside engine with wheel turned away from pontoon /wall this will lift you away or better still get a nice bow thruster fitted .
Tim
www.griffmarineservices.co.uk

 

[davedpc]

Dont forget to have steering in the mid. position when steering on the engines alone.

 

[powerskipper]

the trick is to play with your boat and find out how much you need to use the wheel to make her turn,
the wheel will sharpen the turn and to turn on the spot, try using wheel hard over the way you are turning, out side engine into forward and put the inside engine into reverse, practise in open water,
the trick with berthing is not to use full lock turns, just nudge the stern or bow around using the wheel and engines, and alway centralise the wheel after each turn. then if things go wrong you know you will go back or forward with out swinging.

play with her , best way to learn. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ari]

If there is much wind blowing then anything over 30ft on outdrives will need steering to handle in close quarters, not just engines, as the props are too far aft and too close together to have enough leverage over a bow being blown down by the wind. (Unless you have a bow thruster, but thats a messy way to do it).

However you can still use the differing engines to your advantage, for example full lock and using the outer engine ahead only will give you a tighter turn, a bit of lock and using the inner engine will push the whole boat sideways as it turns (as it is pushing the bow off), useful for coming into a berth with the wind blowing off.

Twin outdrive boats and using the steernig can sometimes be more useful than twin shafts as you can direct the thrust. Shafts easier though.

 

[gcwhite]

centre the outdrives and use engines only, then they handle like shafts.

 

[hlb]

So to sumerise. Use the engines, it was always enough for my old P33. If it still wont go, use the wheel, but in tight situations afraid you will drive yerself bonkers and hardly have time to see where your going. Better still flog it and get shafts, then it's like being on railway lines and dont need to fanny about with wheel or bumflusters../forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Mike21]

Would use steering and engines.
There's no prop walk with duoprops,and the sterndrives are much closer together than with shafts, so manouvering on engines alone in any tide or wind is not very effective without appling large dollops of power.
If you steer the boat when manouvering you can use normally just nudge the engines in and out of gear

 

[hlb]

Why are engines closer together??

 

[whisper]

I don't know but quite a few books on boat-handling suggest that this is usually the case. Can't see the reason for it unless boats with twin outdrives are usually narrower than those with shafts - which I don't think is true /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[hlb]

You mean. They write books on the subject!! What ever next!!

 

[powerskipper]

Have a wonder around a yard and have a look at the prop positions on the different types of boats, out drives do tend to be a bit closer together and to not have the prop wash of shafts to help with turning.

 

[hlb]

Why!!

 

[Mike21]

Maybe it's depends on the make of boat, but engines on sterndrives do seem to be fitted
closer to the centreline of the boat as there seems to be more space between the engines and the hull than shaftdrives.

Duoprops have twin contra-rotating props, which cancels out any prop walk

 

[hlb]

I fink it's cos. Arse end of boat is not as wide as middle. Anyway going on about this new IPS or whatever system, I dont see the gain, My last boat had engines in it's bum leaving the middle bit for storage, acres of space but totally wrong. Now my new!!! boat has engines in the middle holding it down, the celler or boot is at the back. Like you would expect.

Why dont boats have universal joints like cars and trucks have, then point props can go most anyway. Car engines seem to be able to point the thrust anywhere, at little cost. Front wheel drive, back wheels or both. Theres no rocket science here. If props work best infront, quite normal cheap engineering can sort it out.

 

[ari]

[ QUOTE ]
centre the outdrives and use engines only, then they handle like shafts.

[/ QUOTE ]

No they don't. Nothing like.