Reguest from a "Raggie"

[davel]

Reguest from a \"Raggie\"

No, not another bleat to please keep at least 3 miles away from me when passing, and then do so at no more than 5 knots (although.....).

I have a friend who, for some inexplicable reason, seems to want to take up sailing in a power boat and wants to learn how to do this. There are lots and lots of establishments that I could point him to if he wanted to undertake a course under sail, but I've never seen much relating to handling power craft. Can you offer any pointers?

Oh, one complication - he lives in Dublin and would really like a local school !

 

[Geoffs]

Re: Reguest from a \"Raggie\"

Probably difficult to find some one to train for sailing in a power boat, even in Ireland.

Anyway, I may be off to Dublin this weekend (see post form ArchieCourage), so I'll ask around if I get the chance.

 

[Guest]

Re: learning powerboating

A starter is the rya, and there should be someone who will do ICC and so on.

But. IMHO, the close quarter manoevering is the Tough Bit in a powerboat - so he needs training in that specific boat - not just any boat - cos the thing doesn't go where it's pointed, there are different types of drives which behave differently and so on, all enabling massive collateral damage and much merriment in the marina.

Whereas once someone knows sailing, they'd be okay to take most saily boats out - ok they mighht not be super speedy, but they could get the thing out of a berth, sail around, and come back.

So...powerboat courses are ok, but the Main Part of power boat training, specially for a beginner, is on the Chosen Boat. He should get an old seadog type along for at least a week, full-time, on the boat he wants to use. Also needs to leave any pride art the quayside - most useful lesson from salty seadiog was that we should always tellem we are novive crew - then you get the easy berths. Point is, tellim don't simply go on a few days or week of a courses, and then, phew that's the trng done, get powerboat.

All this quite inteeresting re "qualified drivers " for powerboats eh? I reckon it wd be nearly useless to enforce "experience" or a general "qualification" before allowed to buy a motorboat. But, I reckon a good idea to enforce that no commercial sales outlet or broker sells without verfifying competence in practice on seatrial (Ownertrial) and being obliged to notify some authority (insurance gang?) of those needing training, cancelled by an okay from the trainer chap who writes in after said novice is deemed ok.

Point noted about the wash!

 

[KevL]

Re: Reguest from a \"Raggie\"

"I have a friend who" Hummm sounds a bit suspect to me, it's not you in the closet is it? ;-)

But seriously, try the local sailing school, the one at my marina hires out power boat instructors at about £90/day assuming you provide the boat. IMHO this is excelent value for money, we get a full eight hours and because you hire the instructor you can cover exactly what you need to know. Better still the wife, who initially said that she didn't want to know know anything about piloting a boat ended up asking more questions than me!

All the best

Kev

 

[hlb]

Re: Reguest from a \"Raggie\"

Tell him to ring Howth marina.
Or the HM in Dunleary.
Also theres the power boat club in Dunleary.
One of them should know.

Personaly when I'd just bought my first twin engined boat.
Well it looked enormous in the little marina berth,
but never mind.
Err well it must be a bit like driving a bulldozer. So off we go.
There you are all sorted. Two hands on throttles and forget steering wheel. Pivots in the middle or there abouts so dont go cutting corners. But turns in its own length.
Much easier to get into ASDA car park than your average mini!!
Out at sea just the same as a yacht only faster and there fore more bumps, so learn to stear round the big ones.

Send 50 quid via matts transport co To HLB boat school corespondence course.

Haydn