"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:44:31 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:06:06 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

Is it easier to manuever a boat with twin engines with two rudders?
What would be the difference if it had one rudder? Or if you have a
single engine and two rudders?

In close quarters maneuvering it's nice to have the prop wash blasting
directly against the rudder, especially important with a single engine
boat but useful even with twins. The rudder deflects the prop wash
and creates a lateral (rotational) force.

So if I read that correctly, and I might not be, using a single rudder
would be similar to applying vectored thrust as you do with an
outboard, but not so with twin rudders?

You get the equivalent of vectored thrust only when moving forward .... not
in reverse as in an I/O or outboard. Moving backwards, rudder position has
little or no affect on steerage. A single, like the GB, requires use of
the "back and fill" technique to back into a slip .... along with a little
bit of prop walk ... although on our GB the prop walk isn't much.

Rudders on twins, like the Navigator, also only work moving forward, but you
use the engines and transmission positions to "steer" the boat backwards
..... similar to how a bobcat is driven. Often, on large boats with twins,
you will see the captain standing and facing backwards, with his arms behind
his back and hands on the transmission levers. You don't use the helm, nor
rarely the throttles unless you get a bit of wind and need to straighten out
a bit.

Hey .... I assumed you've operated twin inboards on a larger boat before.
If you haven't ... come on up to Kingman some day and we'll take the
Navigator out and you can give it a whirl.

Eisboch