"Tom Francis" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 08:41:53 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Chuck Gould" wrote in
ups.com:

http://tinyurl.com/n3pby

Thrusters are handy. When I first got the Navigator (which has both bow
and stern thrusters) I retained the services of a tug boat captain to
help
me sharpen my boat handling skills. He laughed at the thrusters and
proceeded to teach me how to move the boat sideways in either direction
without moving forward or backward. He had me practice for about 30
minutes
using opposite rudder settings with careful engine throttle and
transmission
settings. Takes some practice, especially in wind or current. The
technique came in handy later that season when the thruster power switch
failed on the trip to Florida.

You know what's interesting?

There is a significant difference between how outboards work as
opposed to inboards when it comes to maneuvering.

I really embarrassed myself down in NC when I tried to dock a boat -
they just don't seem to work the same as outboards. It's the same
type of technique, only outboards seem to be much more forgiving than
inboards when close quarter maneuvering.

Well, with outboards you obviously have vectored thrust, even in reverse.
Not so with a fixed position prop where the rudder is useless in reverse,
although you can use that fact to your advantage as I learned from the tug
captain. I have trouble sometimes with single outboards and single I/Os
because I get screwed up with the thrust being tied to the helm position.
Twin inboards are the easiest to handle IMO ... maybe because I have more
experience with them.

Eisboch