Wafi parking

[alant]

Each boat handles differently - if I try that the engine drives the bow into the pontoon with the stern stuck out - I can see that wouldn't happen with a barge with the greater beam near the bows

Have used same technique on many boats/yachts & its never failed yet.
Yes, if you drive against a bowspring without adjusting your helm, your stern obviously tends to move away from pontoon, but turning the rudder toward ( swinging bows away ) the pontoon usually works ( don't overdo the rudder position, otherwise the water flow will stall ). What boat do you have?

 

[bedouin]

Have used same technique on many boats/yachts & its never failed yet.
Yes, if you drive against a bowspring without adjusting your helm, your stern obviously tends to move away from pontoon, but turning the rudder toward ( swinging bows away ) the pontoon usually works ( don't overdo the rudder position, otherwise the water flow will stall ). What boat do you have?

My prop is offset so doesn't direct water over the rudder - it might provide some impact with the tiller over to port but certainly not to starboard however for me the behaviour is dominated by prop walk which is much greater than any marginal control the rudder may give.

 

[alant]

My prop is offset so doesn't direct water over the rudder - it might provide some impact with the tiller over to port but certainly not to starboard however for me the behaviour is dominated by prop walk which is much greater than any marginal control the rudder may give.

What boat?

 

[bedouin]

What boat?

Centurion

 

[chewi]

Have used same technique on many boats/yachts & its never failed yet.
Yes, if you drive against a bowspring without adjusting your helm, your stern obviously tends to move away from pontoon, but turning the rudder toward ( swinging bows away ) the pontoon usually works ( don't overdo the rudder position, otherwise the water flow will stall ). What boat do you have?

as said above, twin rudders and single prop in between them, there is NO prop wash over the rudders, you only get steerage under way. add a wedge shaped hull and the bow turns in , the stern out.
o turn
leaving a berth you need to apply a burst of power from a standstill (to get enough way turn) then back off .

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

as said above, twin rudders and single prop in between them, there is NO prop wash over the rudders, you only get steerage under way. add a wedge shaped hull and the bow turns in , the stern out.
o turn
leaving a berth you need to apply a burst of power from a standstill (to get enough way turn) then back off .

I've got quite a few hours with twin rudder parking and that's certainly true, but for anyone now getting scared of them I'd add that once you've got a turn going the inside rudder is soon in the propwash and you can get an even tighter turn than a single rudder as long as you keep the power on. There are other big benefits too, but not relevant to the thread.

 

[colingr]

It was Kitty, but not me that time.
Think they also used a skipper from the 'pretend' thames barge in Portsmouth (Alice). Looks like a Thames Barge, but was originally a dumb thames lighter I understand. I moved on, when the owner wanted to use a non ticketed guy as 'skipper for the day', but still wanted me standing by him "just in case", at a lower wage, still nominally in charge. Worked hard for my papers & not keen on 'lending' them to someone inexperienced. Perhaps it was him, cos cant believe the skipper of Alice would be caught out like that, he was/is an excellent skipper & well experienced.
PS, the beauty of a Thames Barge, is that they can sit on the bottom when required or was the concern that the bar had run low?

We were safe enough but it was a bit embarrassing for the skipper. What amused us was that on board we had an ex tug skipper who, politely, pointed out that we were heading for trouble. The skipper assured us that we would be OK as the barge only drew a foot or so. Oops. It was before I really got into boats so it was a lesson well learn't for me.

Had a great day and enjoyed the fireworks. No risk of the bar running out, it was well stocked as I recall!