HELP! STEERING SINGLE ENGINE MOTOR CRUISER

P4ULTA21

P4ULTA21

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GOOD AFTERNOON ALL,

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HERE AND IM HOPING SOMEONE CAN GIVE ME SOME TIPS. I GOT MY ICC LAST YEAR ONA TWIN ENGINE BOAT, VERY EASY TO STEER AND YOU CAN TURN IT ROUND ONA PENNY ! I HAVE SINCE BOAT A 27 FT MONTEREY, BUT THIS HAS A SINGLE ENGINE, I TOOK IT OUT LAST WEEK AND IT WAS TO SAY THE LEAST A NIGHTMARE, THE BACK END SKIDS OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE , WHICH AFTER SOME TIME I GOT USED TO, BUT GETTING IT BACK IN THE BERTH WAS IMPOSSIBLE, THE WIND WAS BLOWING THE BOW OFF TO PORT AND WITH ONE ENGINE THERE IS NOTHING U CAN DO ABOUT IT ! PLEASE HELP ANY IDEAS ???

THANKS

PAUL
 
there's not a great deal you can do about your berthing problem except practice - over time you will learn different techniques depending on wind strength / direction - same goes for tide.

The best advice I could give you is to seriously consider investing in a bow-thruster - not only will it make berthing a doddle (hence boost you confidence and enjoyment) but you will easliy re-coup the additional outlay when you come to sell.
 
Not sure what sort of berth you have but if it is alongside and the wind is blowing you off you can either come at it straight on, with someone on the bow to lasoo a cleat. You can then motor back against the rope to bring the stern round. Or if single handed you can came straight on stern to, and get the stern line on to a cleat before motoring the bow round. Single outdrive boats will always reverse in to the wind so this would be my choice. Just be careful of the leg and prop if it is a solid wall you are mooring against.
 
Thanks for the help guys looks like pratice pratice pratice, just dont want to bump off the boat nex to me to get it in.

When reversing the boat in, the pontoon is on the starboard side but the wind is blowing the bow to port perhaps i should change berths so im blown onto the pontoon instead of off it ??
 
Ironically, a single engined sportsboat with an outdrive is one of the most challenging craft to handle. The consolation is that, once you've got the hang of it, everything else will be a doddle.

In the circumstances you describe, I'd be angling the bow in towards the pontoon and getting a bow line ashore as quickly as possible (a big, ball-type fender attached up forward will give you some protection). Once the line is secured, you can bring the stern in by turning the helm hard to starboard and using a (small)dollop of reverse. The ball fender will provide a fulcrum to move around. As the stern comes in, lightly step ashore and secure the aft end.

That's the theory; in my experience, when I actually do it, there are scores of people watching, and I cock up, big-style. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Practice, practice, practice.

(Edit: Ah, Neale has snuck in ahead of me - but I'm glad to see that we broadly agree /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif)
 
I have a single engined boat - 90hp outboard - for much of last season I made an arse of myself. My berth is on the port side and I usualy have a headwind on the port quarter, so I would motor into berth, apply a bit of reverse to stop and then rush out of wheel house and try and hook onto something before the bow is blown off.

Usually I was not quck enough and there would be a mad scrabble to get back into wheelhouse and try and stop bouncing off everything.

I had no problems when I was mob handed, as there was always someone else to step off and tie up. As I bought the boat so that I could escape the madhouse occassionally, I had to find a way of doing it single handed.

I decide to spend a day practising various techniquies. First, I would always make sure that I had a line line lighlty tied to the hand rail outside the wheelhouse door, which led to the bow cleat. This is important as it is the bow that is the frisky bit.

By trial and error I worked out that all I had to do was motor into the berth and instead of just applying reverse to stop, I applied reverse with wheel to starboard, so the thing would both stop and swing the bow to the left. I then nipped out of wheelhouse, grabbed boat hook and the line and either jumped onto pontoon, or hooked onto something. Once ashore, I had the bow line in my hand so that I could control the inevitable swing and then tie it off.

I can now berth up in a gale using this technique with a modicum of professional aplomb, and even have hardend boaties saying they wish they could do it with as little fuss.

Of course, sometimes, it all goes pearshaped, but you always hope no one else is looking your way at that moment.

As it has been said on here before, practice and practise and ask for advise. A way of practising is to have someone on the dock ready hold things if the attempt goes wrong - that gives you a bit more confidence to experiment.
 
This is how we do it, though if it's really breezy we drop the bow line over the middle cleat on the finger pontoon, tie it off, engine astern whilst hard to port (in our case) brings the stern in, tie off to end pontoon cleat with midships line. Engines off (lose the crowd). All that remains is to step ashore with the stern line, put someone on the bow line, untie midships line and pull the boat forwards into place, making sure that they have the line round a cleat whilst doing so to take the strain, and tie off.

Not all that elegant but it beats smacking into the 36' yacht next to us, which takes about 3 seconds if a strong gust catches the bow! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif We fender both sides of the boat, just in case......

Practice, practice, practice.
 
Have chat with some of the skippers round the marina and try get a run on 27ft with bow- thruster, or twins using one engine and thruster, the difference will be remarkable, considered over the cost of your purchase the installation of a bow thruster will enhance your boating enjoyment ten fold,and settle the nerves!
 
No easy answer, as there are to many variables.
As previously stated single engined relatively small boats on outdrives are very chalenging and unfortunately only experience will help.
The only advice I can give is take the time to notice the prevailing wind and or tide and try and use it to your advantage.
Good luck and welcome aboard.
Ian
 
I would suggest half a day with an instructor on your own boat, who will show you a few techniques for berthing your boat in different conditions. You will feel more confident about berthing which in turn will increase your enjoyment, so its money well spent
 
I would second that. The missis took a couple of hours refresher lesson last summer.. now shes teaching me ! Big difference is the confidence too. If you are reasonably confident and it goes a bit adrift, well, just try again. If your bit lacking in confidence, panic ensues!!
 
Keep it Simple!

I'm not sure the windage on a 27' Monteray justifies a bow thruster. It should be sufficiently responsive to assertive manouvers to be placed almost anywhere with a bit of practice.

Keep it simple, and get some basic tuition, or read a good book or magazine article and practice the standard techiques.
 
How did all the motor boat owners get on when they had a tiddly little engine driving a shaft and steering via a rudder?

They certainly didn't have the vectored thrust available from an out drive.

Bow thruster?

I ask you!
 
Self help.

Find a bit of flat water protected from the wind and experience for yourself the following:

(When I say nudging into gear, I mean select forward or astern and use tickover revs only).

Helm hard over, nudge into forward, notice the pivot point is well forward.

Helm hard over, nudge into astern, pivot point well aft.

Expose yourself to a bit of a breeze and stop dead in the water. Notice how she lies to the wind, with the deeper stern section and outdrive acting as a sea anchor, the bow being down wind.

Then nudge into forward and steer hard into the wind. Note how much space you need going forward, or how much power you need to feed in to make her head into that strength of wind, and therefore how far the nose is pushed off in the process.

Then try the same in astern. Note how she weather-cocks easily around a point well aft and comes stern to wind.

Back into the shelter. Close to a dock, buoy or post for visual reference, move gently ahead, just a few mph. Select neutral, then throw helm hard over whilst nudging into astern. Select neutral as you come to rest. Note how much the the stern is pulled across in relation to the distance taken to stop, and how much the bow pays off the other way. Practice in both directions. Then practice with a bit of side wind. Then practice holding her or moving her very gently into the wind by nudging in and out of gear, and steering.

Get the fenders out, and drive gently (as above) towards a pontoon or dock, approaching at about 30 degrees. Keep speed down by nudging in and out of gear. When one boat length away, throw helm TOWARDS the dock, whilst nudging into reverse, selecting neutral as you come to a halt. You should find your self parallel to the dock and far too far away to contemplate jumping the gap.

Repeat many times, gradually getting closer before dragging the back end in.

Eventually you will find that you can almost have the bow overhanging the pontoon, before applying the arresting manouver to drag the stern in as the bow pays off, leaving you close enough to step ashore.

If being blown robustly off the pontoon, go in a bit faster, and use extra revs to stop smartly.

Note carefully that the fundamental technique of steering towards the dock whilst selecting astern does not leave a spare hand to operate a bow thruster, and therefore one would be a complete waste of money!
 
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