|
Do you have a single screw inboard?
If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to
maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? I have always owned either outboards or IO's, including twin IO's (most recently with counter rotating props) that normally made docking a breeze. My friend owns a vintage 26' Lyman with single screw. He (and his sons) can walk the boat alongside a dock without effort. I have been on the boat when his oldest son (now a US Marine proudly serving in Iraq) walked the boat into a 30 or so foot dockside space (boats in front and at the aft). It was indeed a pleasure to watch. |
I have owned both I/O and inboard. With the inboard you just learn how to
use the physics of the screw to "prop walk" the boat to the dock. Since I started with an I/O, and did most of my learning there, I found I was able to dock the inboard boat after a few times of playing around. "JimH" wrote in message ... If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? I have always owned either outboards or IO's, including twin IO's (most recently with counter rotating props) that normally made docking a breeze. My friend owns a vintage 26' Lyman with single screw. He (and his sons) can walk the boat alongside a dock without effort. I have been on the boat when his oldest son (now a US Marine proudly serving in Iraq) walked the boat into a 30 or so foot dockside space (boats in front and at the aft). It was indeed a pleasure to watch. |
If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to
maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? *************** You never stop learning. Each situation is different, and not all are possible to specifically rehearse in advance. One needs to put the boat into the slip *mentally* and develop a game plan (taking wind, current, and known characteristics of an individual boat into account) before ever getting into a tight spot. The most important consideration, IMO, is understanding how the boat will walk in reverse. Depending on LH or RH prop, the boat will back to port or starboard. Proper boat handling acknowledges, rather than ignores, this "ism" and uses the phenomenon to control the stern when docking as well as when reversing in general. It would be interesting to understand what you define as "walking" a single screw to the dock. If you mean moving the bow and stern simultaneously to approach the dock beam-to from several feet away that's a manuever not usually accomplished without a thruster. The more common practice is to place the bow near where it needs to go and then bring the stern around the pivot point to the dock. One needs to allow for some forward movement of the bow when pivoting, but it is no trick at all to put a 36' single screw into 40 or so feet of float space with vessels moored fore and aft- with some practice. One excellent concept to appreciate is that you want to dock to the outside, rather than the inside of a circle. That can make a huge difference. You see guys turn into a slip from the "wrong" direction all the time, where they are being forced against a neighboring boat rather than against the float. It's often better to pick a slip that allows you to make an outside turn, or proceed down the fairway, do a U-turn, and come back (that will change the dynamics of the docking circle).. I have found this is important with any boat, but more particularly with a single screw than some other configurations. Steering in reverse is a challenge. Some boats do better than others. Mine does rather well, but backing up over a great distance and with any accuracy means paying constant attention to the effects of prop and rudder. Example: My boat backs to starboard. To back up in a straight line, I turn the wheel to port. At very low rpm, the boat tends to follow its big rudder rather than the prop walk, and the boat will back to port. With a little more engine speed, the rudder and the prop walk eventually achieve a sort of "balance" and the boat will back relatively straight. At a higher engine speed, the prop walk overwhelms the rudder and the boat backs to starboard. Even so, there's no shame in using a bit of forward thrust to "straighten out" partway through a long backing, particularl in a ross wind or current. |
....what Chuck said...
I enjoy watching people who know what they're doing. It's always fun to be a quiet, unobtrusive observer at the launch ramp or at the dock to see how others do it. I try to remember the good ones and make a note to not do what the bozos do. We sometimes take time out and just practice station keeping- nosing up to a buoy or whatever, and staying in the same relative position. Other times, we practice approaching a dock from each direction, on each side. Doing a back and fill maneuver, to turn 180 degrees without moving more than a couple of feet fore and aft, is another good exercise to learn how to handle a boat and use the wind and current to your advantage- or at least compensate for them. wrote in message oups.com... If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? *************** You never stop learning. Each situation is different, and not all are possible to specifically rehearse in advance. One needs to put the boat into the slip *mentally* and develop a game plan (taking wind, current, and known characteristics of an individual boat into account) before ever getting into a tight spot. The most important consideration, IMO, is understanding how the boat will walk in reverse. Depending on LH or RH prop, the boat will back to port or starboard. Proper boat handling acknowledges, rather than ignores, this "ism" and uses the phenomenon to control the stern when docking as well as when reversing in general. It would be interesting to understand what you define as "walking" a single screw to the dock. If you mean moving the bow and stern simultaneously to approach the dock beam-to from several feet away that's a manuever not usually accomplished without a thruster. The more common practice is to place the bow near where it needs to go and then bring the stern around the pivot point to the dock. One needs to allow for some forward movement of the bow when pivoting, but it is no trick at all to put a 36' single screw into 40 or so feet of float space with vessels moored fore and aft- with some practice. One excellent concept to appreciate is that you want to dock to the outside, rather than the inside of a circle. That can make a huge difference. You see guys turn into a slip from the "wrong" direction all the time, where they are being forced against a neighboring boat rather than against the float. It's often better to pick a slip that allows you to make an outside turn, or proceed down the fairway, do a U-turn, and come back (that will change the dynamics of the docking circle).. I have found this is important with any boat, but more particularly with a single screw than some other configurations. Steering in reverse is a challenge. Some boats do better than others. Mine does rather well, but backing up over a great distance and with any accuracy means paying constant attention to the effects of prop and rudder. Example: My boat backs to starboard. To back up in a straight line, I turn the wheel to port. At very low rpm, the boat tends to follow its big rudder rather than the prop walk, and the boat will back to port. With a little more engine speed, the rudder and the prop walk eventually achieve a sort of "balance" and the boat will back relatively straight. At a higher engine speed, the prop walk overwhelms the rudder and the boat backs to starboard. Even so, there's no shame in using a bit of forward thrust to "straighten out" partway through a long backing, particularl in a ross wind or current. |
JimH wrote:
If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? I have always owned either outboards or IO's, including twin IO's (most recently with counter rotating props) that normally made docking a breeze. My friend owns a vintage 26' Lyman with single screw. He (and his sons) can walk the boat alongside a dock without effort. I have been on the boat when his oldest son (now a US Marine proudly serving in Iraq) walked the boat into a 30 or so foot dockside space (boats in front and at the aft). It was indeed a pleasure to watch. I can't remember how long it was so long ago, but I don't have to do any thinking about it... just planning. Our Correct Craft is kept in a R&G sling hoist, with a prevailing wind from the stern. Right hand prop, stern walks to port in reverse. I never had a problem adapting to my friend's MasterCraft, either, it walks to starboard with a LH prop. My brother & sister cannot get the hang of the inboard for some reason. All you have to do is take your time & let the wind & current help you, and that does require coming in on the proper side for the conditions. Rob |
|
Around 4/6/2005 3:34 PM, William G. Andersen wrote:
...what Chuck said... I enjoy watching people who know what they're doing. It's always fun to be a quiet, unobtrusive observer at the launch ramp or at the dock to see how others do it. I try to remember the good ones and make a note to not do what the bozos do. That was one of my favorite hobbies during summer as a young teen. I'd spend hours down at the local beach with it's boat launch, giving a hand to those who needed it. There were more than a few who did need it, partly due to the poor location, but largely due to inexperience. We sometimes take time out and just practice station keeping- nosing up to a buoy or whatever, and staying in the same relative position. Other times, we practice approaching a dock from each direction, on each side. Doing a back and fill maneuver, to turn 180 degrees without moving more than a couple of feet fore and aft, is another good exercise to learn how to handle a boat and use the wind and current to your advantage- or at least compensate for them. That's one really nice thing about small outboard runabouts: they can maneuver like some people wouldn't believe. Practice, practice, practice! -- ~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat" "There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." -Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows |
All you have to do is take your time & let the wind & current help you,
and that does require coming in on the proper side for the conditions. Rob ************** Not sure about you, but I usually prefer to go upwind and upstream. I find it easier to maintain control when applying a bit of power to overcome moderate wind or current than to hope the wind or current doesn't slam me into the dock. My personal version of "help" from the wind and current is a steadying force rather than unwanted pushing and dragging beyond the point where I hope to stop the boat. One exception: And this may be where Jim H thinks he observed somebody "walking" a single screw beam-to. If I can catch a moderate wind blowing directly onto the dock in a side tie situation it's always fun to stop a few feet away and simply let Mama Nature plant the fenders against the bull rail in a flawlessly orchestrated, simultaneous kiss. Ther bow blows in slightly faster than the stern- so there's a slight angle required at the stop for perfect execution. It does impress the dock gawkers. :-) Downside to this, of course, is that it is then tougher to get off the dock unless the wind changes. By coming in upwind to the other side of the dock, (when that option is available) it is a lot easier to clear the dock on departure since, (unless it changes), the wind will help blow you clear of nearby boats until you have sufficient room to manuever. Lots of variables. Every docking is a new puzzle to solve. |
Sometimes it seems you never quit learning. Just when you think you've got
it all figured out, it decides to do something different. Mine is a double ended planing hull so the rudder is very small which makes reversing very tricky. Gordon "JimH" wrote in message ... If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? I have always owned either outboards or IO's, including twin IO's (most recently with counter rotating props) that normally made docking a breeze. My friend owns a vintage 26' Lyman with single screw. He (and his sons) can walk the boat alongside a dock without effort. I have been on the boat when his oldest son (now a US Marine proudly serving in Iraq) walked the boat into a 30 or so foot dockside space (boats in front and at the aft). It was indeed a pleasure to watch. |
|
No, I'm an all night guy.
|
"JimH" wrote in message ... If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? I have always owned either outboards or IO's, including twin IO's (most recently with counter rotating props) that normally made docking a breeze. My friend owns a vintage 26' Lyman with single screw. He (and his sons) can walk the boat alongside a dock without effort. I have been on the boat when his oldest son (now a US Marine proudly serving in Iraq) walked the boat into a 30 or so foot dockside space (boats in front and at the aft). It was indeed a pleasure to watch. All of our ski boats have been single screw inboards, the largest being a 25' Malibu. It is truly a skill to master, but like any skill, once learned, it comes easier. I too, can "park" an inboard. New piers and docks can still be tricky. I found myself at the end of a narrow channel, where the restaurant slips were full to the right. I had to turn the boat around (counter-clockwise) in about a 30 ft space that I had never been to before. I had to work at it, but managed to get it done, without touching anything. What kills me, is there are always fellow boaters watching, and they are wondering what the heck I am doing. Of course, these are the I/O and Outboard guys, as you say you are Jim, and they just don't know. I'm glad you now know the "trickery" of a true inboard Jim. Take care. -- -Netsock "It's just about going fast...that's all..." http://home.columbus.rr.com/ckg/ |
My solution to getting off docks is to motor forward against a spring
line with the helm hardover towards the dock. The propwash will kick the stern out, at which point you can clear the spring line and reverse out to open water. Works for me. ************* With the wind holding you fast against the dock, that is indeed the best way, in my opinion, to get away. You don't mess with a spring line when there's a moderate wind on the dockside beam, do you? |
|
Wayne.B wrote:
On 7 Apr 2005 09:46:52 -0700, wrote: You don't mess with a spring line when there's a moderate wind on the dockside beam, do you? ============================ Not if the wind is going to push me away cleanly. The spring line is really not a big thing however as long as there is a convenient dock piling. We just take the the line once aroung the piling and bring it back through a hawse pipe to a cleat. As soon as the stern is out where I want it, Mrs B clears the spring line, and I back the boat out. Our new GB is actually a twin engine boat but I like to get on and off the dock in front of our house using just the outside prop to avoid stirring up canal mud at low tide. One thing I see with all too many boats, is a lack of a chock/cleat back on the shoulder or close to midships. When you use a fwd,after spring from right at the bow, it tends to pull the bow in too fast which means you need to exercise greater engine/rudder control, than if you have that same spring lead further aft at the shoulder. With the wind on OR off the dock, when undocking that same spring can be quite useful. You can come ahead with engine, using rudder to firmly hold you alongside while your "mate" is taking in all other lines at a safe pace, then when they are standing by that line, you can either use it, or not, to spring out. otn |
JimH wrote:
If you now or previously owned one how long did it take you to learn to maneuver it properly at low speeds, most especially in reverse and in wind? No time at all. Of course, I spent 30+ years sailing prior to that. As has been posted by others, it is a skill that is not difficult to learn. It takes a bit of study, and a bit more practice, and thinking ahead (also, an awareness of the factors) going into every maneuver. Fair Skies Doug King |
"otnmbrd" wrote in message ink.net... Wayne.B wrote: On 7 Apr 2005 09:46:52 -0700, wrote: You don't mess with a spring line when there's a moderate wind on the dockside beam, do you? ============================ Not if the wind is going to push me away cleanly. The spring line is really not a big thing however as long as there is a convenient dock piling. We just take the the line once aroung the piling and bring it back through a hawse pipe to a cleat. As soon as the stern is out where I want it, Mrs B clears the spring line, and I back the boat out. Our new GB is actually a twin engine boat but I like to get on and off the dock in front of our house using just the outside prop to avoid stirring up canal mud at low tide. One thing I see with all too many boats, is a lack of a chock/cleat back on the shoulder or close to midships. When you use a fwd,after spring from right at the bow, it tends to pull the bow in too fast which means you need to exercise greater engine/rudder control, than if you have that same spring lead further aft at the shoulder. With the wind on OR off the dock, when undocking that same spring can be quite useful. You can come ahead with engine, using rudder to firmly hold you alongside while your "mate" is taking in all other lines at a safe pace, then when they are standing by that line, you can either use it, or not, to spring out. otn Been driving little single engine inboards for years though I haven't in many years. Even inboards with steering weels on the inside side of the boat. Never had any real problems. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:46 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 BoatBanter.com