How easy is it to handle a big single engined boat?

[PaulGooch]

How do you plan to get from Boroughbridge to the sea ?

On an inland river a 6hp outboard would be more than ample as an aux for your boat.

For mooring purposes, either fit a bow thruster and/or practice manoeuvring the boat. With a single screw and rudder, she's not the easiest thing to moor, but with practice you can thread her into some tight spots. Have a read of this thread : http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236506

 

[moonraker 36]

Moonraker,

I am getting the impression that my last post may have come across as a bit stand offish. Many apologies if that is the case.
Just spotted your location and google mapped Staniland. I can see why with me being in Yorkshire it would be reasonable to think I may be at Staniland. I am at Boroughbridge.
I know all my musings and ideas for the boat may sound daft and I really ought to find another but I have got quite attached to her and reckon that with a bit of attention and modification she will be smack on for everything we need. Mainly river and estuary but with the occasional foray out to sea in fair weather.
I have always wanted to build my own (or at least fit out/restore) and I am wanting to see if I expend my energies on this one or get another when we feel brave enough to venture out into the salty stuff. By that time I will have lots of river and estuary under my belt and have done the relevant RYA courses for coastal.
I have asked a surveyor to come down and do a consult before I do anything.
As a matter of interest, what boat do you have? Have you gone "salty" in it?

regards

not at all arthor. just i like say somesome else was talking to me about the same thing with a simular boat to yours.just miss took you for him.
the boat i have now is a moonraker 36(350)twin diesel's,so manouvering is real easy +over 20yrs experience.i have also had an old 40ft single screw ex-broads crusier again was a dream to handle. but i would imagine the big rudder and a decent size keel helped.
sometimes when you are struggling to get back into your berth it is just easier to drop someone on the jetty and rope the boat in that way no damage done and you wont get in a fluster.some boats are just pig's to handle a slow speeds you just have to live with it or change the boat or try to modifly it.
have you tried to add alittle balist in the bilge's. something like bags of sand that is easy to remove(well sealed of course).
as to have i been salty not much recentley as the boat i now have,i have been restoring for 2 1/2yrs.just trips down the humber to run the engines in.
hope you get your boat sorted to how you want and have agreat season!

 

[arthor]

Thanks for that. Have had a look at that other thread. Some useful stuff. Fitting a bow thruster seems to be a major expense although fitting a stern thruster less so. I just felt that if a stern thruster is at 90 degrees then we can call its directional efficiency 100%. A 9.9 outboard (much more powerful) will give thrust of eg 45 degrees. Much less efficiency but it should still get the stern round and be able to take the boat in without the main running.
As already pointed out, a little outboard will be more than adequate on the river so there may be occasions when I will go out just on the outboard to give it a run. I am now getting to the point where I feel I am going to have to investigate this further even if only as an experiment to prove (or more likely disprove) my theory. The maximum weight on the brackets I can find are 50Kg which limits me to 9.9.
I like the look of the brackets in the US which have flotation and can take a couple of hundred HP. Armstrong is an example. Obviously I don't need that kind of beef but the principle is sound.