Twin engine docking instruction
- Thread starter Maxwell
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Looks like the youngster knows a few things...
The shopping cart idea is a great beginners tool. Easy to do..The only tricky thing is working the throttles to get that boat to spin just a little bit faster then idle. Im sure once he can get the shifters down, the throttles will fall into place for him
The shopping cart idea is a great beginners tool. Easy to do..The only tricky thing is working the throttles to get that boat to spin just a little bit faster then idle. Im sure once he can get the shifters down, the throttles will fall into place for him
Sorry I was away for the rest of the day yesterday and couldn't respond right away. Thank you all of your comments.
Ed, I get what you are saying however I do believe to be a well rounded operator it is important to understand how to run a boat the "old fashioned" way as well as using any "tools" that the boat may have. The way IPS is designed is that certain faults can limit your steering and you will have to land the boat with the throttles. That being said IPS boats are more difficult to land with the throttles only due to the small counter rotating props on each pod. It really feels similar to a gas or stern drive boat as you don't get the prop torque like you would on a normal diesel boat with large wheels. That being said he will get lessons using the joystick also as although it makes life around the dock drastically easier there is a small learning curve on that as well. At the end of the day I just want him and his wife to be as comfortable with the boat and how it works as possible so they use it. I was partially responsible for this sailor to come over to the "good" (or what other sailors may call dark) side. I am taking him out again on Thursday. From the forecast it looks like it will be a good lesson in playing the wind.
Thanks again guys!
max
Ed, I get what you are saying however I do believe to be a well rounded operator it is important to understand how to run a boat the "old fashioned" way as well as using any "tools" that the boat may have. The way IPS is designed is that certain faults can limit your steering and you will have to land the boat with the throttles. That being said IPS boats are more difficult to land with the throttles only due to the small counter rotating props on each pod. It really feels similar to a gas or stern drive boat as you don't get the prop torque like you would on a normal diesel boat with large wheels. That being said he will get lessons using the joystick also as although it makes life around the dock drastically easier there is a small learning curve on that as well. At the end of the day I just want him and his wife to be as comfortable with the boat and how it works as possible so they use it. I was partially responsible for this sailor to come over to the "good" (or what other sailors may call dark) side. I am taking him out again on Thursday. From the forecast it looks like it will be a good lesson in playing the wind.
Thanks again guys!
max
Jeff,
I still have my 3900 Sovran. However although I do love this boat we are contemplating moving up to a little larger open or possibly and East Bay. I haven't officially listed it yet but have put a few feelers out. We'll see what happens I suppose...
max
I still have my 3900 Sovran. However although I do love this boat we are contemplating moving up to a little larger open or possibly and East Bay. I haven't officially listed it yet but have put a few feelers out. We'll see what happens I suppose...
max
A friend of mine took delivery of a new IPS-powered boat this spring. The delivery captain offered to show him the procedure of manually aligning the pods by winding each pod from side to side and back to center in the event of an IPS systems failure. My friend declined, saying "I have an anchor and towing coverage". I couldn't argue with his logic!
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Before I took possession of our Cruisers Yachts 3375, with twin-screw inboards, I hired a captain to work with me on handling the boat, since I had never worked with a twin-screw boat and had not even driven a single-screw inboard in over 40 years. Our previous boat was a Chaparral I/O. After six hours of instruction and practice, with the wind changing direction during the day, I could dock and leave with a high level of accuracy and finesse. Then we brought the boat to our marina. Our slip here is three feet narrower! Docking was not pretty. I've been practicing over the last three weeks, and, the last time we went out, docked without hitting the ends of the adjoining finger docks even once. Practice, practive, practice - it works every time. By the way, for many years, I taught high school driver education. As part of the instruction, towards the end of each semester when the students were comfortable with handling the car, we would have one lesson in which I would, without warning, turn off the ignition. The student would lose power steering and power braking, but would know how to handle a car if an engine stalled. I was there, obviously, to assist as needed and this was done in a safe area and only after each student had been fairly successful in handling the car under normal circumstances. It worked every time; we never lost control; and students were thankful for the training and experience. Hy
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It all depends on the boat and the conditions. With diesels, you often do not need to increase RPM except on smaller diesel boats or trawlers with less torque.
One thing i find some folks struggling with when stepping up to larger diesel boats 45/50+ is that most close quarter handling is done spending a lot more time in neutral and really only getting the engines in gear for what is best described as impulses. It can be hard for new owners to get used to that and can result in having to correct (and over correct) to keep the momentum in check
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The advice I always give to someone moving to twin inboard is that they should stick to idle speed unless conditions require more power to twist the boat around. sometimes you need more power to pivot around even with big props and plenty of torque. Couple of days ago, when I came back I to the slip after Isaac winds were still 25 kts and I had to use about 1000rpm to pivot up wind. And obviously the thruster wasn't up to the job!
Whle we're talking about close-in shiphandling, don't overlook the help that springlines can bring to your boating kit. Read about them if you don't yet use them. Then try them out under calm conditiobns. You'll be amazed at the way a forward or aft spring line , together with very moderate engine help, can ease an otherwise difficult landing! Springs were a mariners help long befoe bow thrusters came on the stage.
Good advice, never approach anything faster than you want to hit it! Once I understood that slow deliberate moves while docking makes for almost pictures perfect docking I started nailing it everytime. The only real variable is heavy wind and I find a combination of engines and the thruster help. Many thrusters or their battery bank are not sized properly for heavy weather. Like everything on my boat I went up 2 sizes on my Vetus bow thruster when I had it installed. It was worth it I lost an engine while bringing Harlan and his wife into our marina in the middle of a severe thunderstorm and the port engine and thruster allowed me to dock the boat in 60+ mph gusting winds. I have to spin my boat 180 degrees to get into position at my dock with about 5 feet of wiggle room 90 degrees into the spin.
Bill
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Bill, no doubt about it but with twin engines you often don't need a spring line and can use one of the engines as a virtual spring.
For instance, in a fairly common situation where you are pinned to a dock (alongside) by the wind or tide, the only safe way off is to kick the stern out. Obviously with a single engine boat you are going to need a spring line. With a twin, you just put the dockside engine in reverse, the outside engine in forward and turn the rudders into the dock so that the outside engine prop wash help push the stern. When the boat is at a 30 to 45 deg angle to the dock, center the rudders and put the outside engine in reverse to gracefully leave the spot.
Most folks will try to leave how first which will not work when the wind is pushing on the dock. I ve seen guys enduring up side swilling the boat ahead trying
And again, if it's over 15/20kts, most thrusters will not be able to push the boat off
For instance, in a fairly common situation where you are pinned to a dock (alongside) by the wind or tide, the only safe way off is to kick the stern out. Obviously with a single engine boat you are going to need a spring line. With a twin, you just put the dockside engine in reverse, the outside engine in forward and turn the rudders into the dock so that the outside engine prop wash help push the stern. When the boat is at a 30 to 45 deg angle to the dock, center the rudders and put the outside engine in reverse to gracefully leave the spot.
Most folks will try to leave how first which will not work when the wind is pushing on the dock. I ve seen guys enduring up side swilling the boat ahead trying
And again, if it's over 15/20kts, most thrusters will not be able to push the boat off
I've often wondered why the don't put small keels on more power boats. Sailboats manuever very well because of the keel. Tournament ski boats have 3 small keels. They are there to track straight and help prevent sidepull from the skier, but at low speed you can manuever well. And, unlike other single engine boatts, they track straight at low speed.
Is it a draft concern?
Is it a draft concern?
You'll notice that racing sailboats are unlikely to have full keels, (fin instead) because they inhibit a nimble turn.
I would actually say that some sailboats manuever well IN SPITE OF their keels, because of huge rudders.
I would actually say that some sailboats manuever well IN SPITE OF their keels, because of huge rudders.
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A full keel on a sailboat doesn't help turning the boat!!
I like having a keel on larger inboard boat like my Hatt as it makes the boat a lot less sensitive to crosswinds... It also offers some protection to the running gear. On the downside on a faster boat it can result in keep walking and stability issues which is why most faster planning bill don't have any keel
I like having a keel on larger inboard boat like my Hatt as it makes the boat a lot less sensitive to crosswinds... It also offers some protection to the running gear. On the downside on a faster boat it can result in keep walking and stability issues which is why most faster planning bill don't have any keel