Sports cruiser handling

[TotOfRumTina]

Hi all
Just took a sports cruiser for a river test OMG now we have had little motorboats on holidays and also a canal boat with no problems.

This sports cruiser (Bayliner 2755) very slowly down the river was ALL over the place as in few feet in each direction constantly having to correct it.
The salesman said it was normal and we would get used to and be able to pre empt where it was going to go but also said that it is how sports cruisers handle at low speed (which is what it is going to be doing every day) all I could think is that we tested it on a WIDE river if it had of been a narrow one passing other boats or in a marina we would have hit something. All I could think is that taking it down the river for a few miles having to concentrate soooo hard we are going to be shattered. This is supposed to be be relaxing
Many thanks in anticipation.

 

[julians]

single engined outdrive/outboard planing boats do tend to do that, some are worse than others. Duo prop drives reduce this tendancy a fair amount.

You'll get better at keeping it in a straight line with practice, but they're not the ideal slow speed river boat.

 

[BruceK]

Yep. It's wild at first because you begin with reactive steering at that will send you off fishtailing like a car on black ice. Very soon though you will be proactively steering and will be able to drive a straight line. Perfectly normal. Sometimes on a twin outdrive it's easier to just forget the steering wheel and drive it like a tank on throttle differentiation.
Dont worry about it. It's you, you will learn. A car it's not. Remember, no rudder and no keel.

 

[James L]

If it's a boat to keep on a river then maybe a sports cruiser isn't the right boat.

But yes, it's a pain at the start, you will get better as you get more practice and more confidence.
It's also natural to back off the power as you feel you're losing control but that reduces the effect of your steering. That's the bit I found hardest to get the hang of, having grown up on boats with rudders, reducing power was 99% of the time the best option to give you time to regain control, but with an outdrive you often have to keep the power on.

 

[Rappey]

If it's a boat to keep on a river then maybe a sports cruiser isn't the right boat.

Same thought as me. Such a large engine for a speed limited area of use seems a complete waste and probably fuel thirsty?
Similarly a river boat by design is often not suitable for sea going.

 

[[2068]]

A single engined outdrive boat will wander at low speed.
They work better at higher speeds where the steering behaves the way you would expect.
You can either anticipate the wander, or just let it wiggle along if the river is wide enough.

A twin engined outdrive boat doesn't wander at low speed.
And neither would a single engined boat with shaftdrive / keel / rudder.

 

[BruceK]

A twin engined outdrive boat doesn't wander at low speed.

I've been robbed, lied to and cheated

 

[BruceK]

Anything that pushes from behind the stern of a boat at low speed will wander to some degree AFAIC

 

[James L]

Anything that pushes from behind the stern of a boat at low speed will wander to some degree AFAIC

True, but nothing as bad as you get with a single outdrive.

 

[[2068]]

I've been robbed, lied to and cheated

Check the toe-in on the drives.
Current boat with hydraulic steering and the previous boat with DPE's and mechanical steering didn't wander.

 

[BruceK]

It's probably more a case that at slow speeds on none leccy'fied old engines, engine sync is done by ear and harmonics can be deceiving at low Hz

 

[Sticky Fingers]

...
A twin engined outdrive boat doesn't wander at low speed
...

I've been robbed, lied to and cheated

I'll put mine down to pilot inexperience then....

I did find it was better if I let go of the wheel altogether. Or used the AP.

 

[Kawasaki]

AP's can sometimes cope better than a Helsman
Letting go of the wheel is a sound practice too from time to time
Especially whilst on a learning curve
Oops 'Curve' no pun intended
Believe it or not so is closing one's eyes!
I had a chap who was terrible for 'imputing' too much Helm
The wake was like a Serpent behind His single outdrive vessel
'Pick a point ahead' I instructed and line up on it
Now close your eyes and feel whats happening'
Straight as a die for for 300 yds!!
Like lots of people He was trying to be too precise
Single outdrives do require more concentration than most other types
Over compensation is the worst enemy
To some extent the boat will find its own route
Its good practice to keep one hand on the throttle and tother on the wheel
I notice whilst training that novices tend to 'oversteer' less whilst helming with one plus its the best way whilst berthing anyway

 

[Sticky Fingers]

AP's can sometimes cope better than a Helsman
Letting go of the wheel is a sound practice too from time to time
...
Over compensation is the worst enemy
...

Yes exactly what I found. Leaving the Hamble yesterday in the 'scramble' it was a lot easier to nudge the wheel a fraction every 20 seconds then let go. Tried it in my car on the way home with predictable results.

AP can definitely steer better than me even at 3 kts..

 

[Rappey]

Take most planing hulls and at slow displacement speed they dont have much directional stability when steered by an outdrive or outboard.
For slow speeds a rudder would be better?
Water jet boats that I've tried are also hard work at slow speed.

 

[TotOfRumTina]

AP's can sometimes cope better than a Helsman
Letting go of the wheel is a sound practice too from time to time
Especially whilst on a learning curve
Oops 'Curve' no pun intended
Believe it or not so is closing one's eyes!
I had a chap who was terrible for 'imputing' too much Helm
The wake was like a Serpent behind His single outdrive vessel
'Pick a point ahead' I instructed and line up on it
Now close your eyes and feel whats happening'
Straight as a die for for 300 yds!!
Like lots of people He was trying to be too precise
Single outdrives do require more concentration than most other types
Over compensation is the worst enemy
To some extent the boat will find its own route
Its good practice to keep one hand on the throttle and tother on the wheel
I notice whilst training that novices tend to 'oversteer' less whilst helming with one plus its the best way whilst berthing anyway

Thank you for the advice you obviously know what your talking about but from a newbie point of view having someone say "close your eyes, take 1 hand maybe both hands off the wheel and see what happens" All I can see is Aaaaaaaahhh! We are going to crash.
You are a trainer and I hope when I get on a course I get an instructor like you. ???️

 

[TotOfRumTina]

Yes exactly what I found. Leaving the Hamble yesterday in the 'scramble' it was a lot easier to nudge the wheel a fraction every 20 seconds then let go. Tried it in my car on the way home with predictable results.

AP can definitely steer better than me even at 3 kts..

In a car closing your eyes and letting go of wheel not good. Mind you if your car wandered that much I wouldn't suggest driving it anyway

 

[mlines]

Letting go of the wheel is a sound practice too from time to time

Exactly, hard to get used to but not bothering steering is often the best way. Just a little nudge every now and then.

 

[Rocksteadee]

I use the analogy of a computer go cart game, initially bouncing of each side until you get used to the slight delay in response and stop over correcting.
A tip I use when teaching is to steer back onto you desired course just before the boat comes back onto it. This allows for the response delay and the rotational momentum

 

[Kawasaki]

Yeh, its anticipation isn't it Rock
It's difficult though to start with because most newbies are programed 'Car'
So every little 'twitch' of the Bow and the Helsman thinks ,immediate adjustment, but normally, it's too late!
It does require conentration but like all things it beomes natural eventually