In article , "Grumman-581"
writes:

Well, Frank, trust me -- a jet boat is even less of a rudder.

Oh, I certainly believe you!

Frank Bell

"FRANKWBELL" wrote ...
Oh, I certainly believe you!

It's kind of interesting when you first start driving one... At speed, they
track very tightly... Very maneuverable... At a slow (no wake) speed, they
feel slugish...

"Grumman581" wrote in message ...
"Calif Bill" wrote ...
But you do not have to have full throttle to steer.

No, but you pretty much need to have at least enough throttle as it would
have taken to maintain your current speed...

My Sea-Doo jet boat (a twin engine jet with gunwales, and a steering
wheel instead of handlebars - for those that refuse to call it a real
boat) gives me little steering trouble at low speed, or when slowing
from high speed with closed throttles. As soon as you learn "thrust
is required to steer" you learn to provide small bursts of power to
maintain or command a change in heading.

I have more positive and responsive steering control in my jet boat at
very low speed than I do in my 36' cruiser - which is of course
equipped with rudders.

"Grumman-581" wrote in message ...
"Curtis CCR" wrote ...
I have more positive and responsive steering control in my jet boat at
very low speed than I do in my 36' cruiser - which is of course
equipped with rudders.

Well, for the most part, large boats by their very nature are going to be
less responsive... When I was in the Navy, I was stationed on the Nimitz...
I think it took us well over a mile to turn around...

OK... I can turn my jet boat, quite quickly, without headway. Try
that on a ruddered ski boat.

My point was that I can (pretty easily) point my jet boat in any
direction at low speed - in fact I can spin it around in one place
without headway. I need thrust, but not relative movement through the
water, to steer.

"werlax" wrote ...
If they're at all like a PWC, I can attest to that. My first time on
one I was coming in towards the beach to, well..., beach it, and was
idling in nicely. I was about 3 feet from the beach so I decided to
cut the engine. I was shocked to find myself spinning out and heading
completely away from shore.

Well, I guess they're a little better than PWCs in that aspect... I think
they'll track a straight line for 3 ft... Maybe not much more though..
grin

When I was in the Navy, I was stationed on the Nimitz...
I think it took us well over a mile to turn around...


Just slightly better than my pontoon boat.


-- Rich Stern
www.nitroowners.com - The Nitro and Tracker Owners Web Site
www.mypontoon.com - The Pontoon Boat Web Site
www.fishingreportdatabase.com - The Fishing Report Database
www.mysporttrac.com - The Sport Trac Web Site

If you move the steering arm into the closest hole and allow the outboard to
swing farther your pontoon will turn faster. In a monohull this could cause
some serious handling problems but you won't be flipping a pontoon. You do get
a little cavitation if you turn too sharp going too fast but in close quarters
at slow speed you can really control the boat.

Great shot of an emergency turn on a nuke carrier. PBS runs the story once
in awhile on the carrier Ike, and part of the commisioning test is an
emergency turn at about 35 knots. The boat must be at a 30 degree angle.
Bill

"Rich Stern" wrote in message
...
When I was in the Navy, I was stationed on the Nimitz...
I think it took us well over a mile to turn around...


Just slightly better than my pontoon boat.


-- Rich Stern
www.nitroowners.com - The Nitro and Tracker Owners Web Site
www.mypontoon.com - The Pontoon Boat Web Site
www.fishingreportdatabase.com - The Fishing Report Database
www.mysporttrac.com - The Sport Trac Web Site

"Calif Bill" wrote ...
Great shot of an emergency turn on a nuke carrier. PBS runs the story
once
in awhile on the carrier Ike, and part of the commisioning test is an
emergency turn at about 35 knots. The boat must be at a 30 degree angle.

After every yard period, a ship has to go through an ORE (Operational
Readiness Evaluation)... The emergency turn is one small part of the ORE...
It didn't seem like it went to 30 degrees though... I don't remember what
the "point of no return" was on the ship... Too many years have passed... I
seem to remember on the destroyers it was around 60 degrees... I knew one
guy who said that they were coming into Norfolk after a cruise and due to
the weather plus being lightly loaded, they were doing 50 degree lists each
way...

In article ,
(Rich Stern) writes:

The boat performance about the same going backward as it does going
foward. Looks the same going that way, too.

(Grin)

Frank Bell