A boat handling question
After a recent demonstration of my incompetence, I am seeking some help on
how to do better the next time. Here is the problem:
I am in a twin engine boat (no bowthruster), and I want to back down a
fairway past some other boats and then put the boat at the end, parallel to
the fairway (so it is not on option to back past and then go forwards into
the spot). I need to back the stern into the spot and then get the bow
in. As we all know, it is easy to kick the stern but much harder to move
the bow. How does one do this maneuver with grace (or at all)?
Thanks,
Steve
Steve Dubnoff
1966 Willard Pilothouse
www.mvnereid.com
sdubnoff@circlesys.com
After you get your stern in, come ahead on an aft spring line with dockside
engine in fwd. Then leave it in gear as you get all the other lines on.
The MARY KATHRYN has a bow thruster, but I almost always hold her in
position with a spring line as we tie up.
Bob
R C Smith Jr
M/V MARY KATHRYN
Hatteras 58 LRC
Palm Beach, FL, USA
On 11/26/05 8:49 PM, "Steven Dubnoff" sdubnoff@circlesys.com wrote:
I am in a twin engine boat (no bowthruster), and I want to back down a
fairway past some other boats and then put the boat at the end, parallel to
the fairway (so it is not on option to back past and then go forwards into
the spot). I need to back the stern into the spot and then get the bow
in. As we all know, it is easy to kick the stern but much harder to move
the bow. How does one do this maneuver with grace (or at all)?
R C Smith Jr wrote:
After you get your stern in, come ahead on an aft spring line with dockside
engine in fwd. Then leave it in gear as you get all the other lines on.
The MARY KATHRYN has a bow thruster, but I almost always hold her in
position with a spring line as we tie up.
Has it ever occured to any of you that in close quarters, NEUTRAL is
your most valuable gear position? Approach the dock with rudders
aligned, mostly in neutral, applying power only as needed to nudge the
boat along. Use the shifters to align...use power sparingly only to
help...but mostly only to aim the boat where you want her to go, then
back to neutral to LET her go there till you need to correct...sparing
power again...back to neutral...and then, once you're in, put the most
convenient line (in most cases the spring line) on and shut down all
power. After that, you put the rest of lines on.
If I could learn to do this, anyone can!
--
Peggie
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=40&cat=6&page=1
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/books/detail-books.htm?fno=0&sku=90&cat=1304
No disagreement with previous guidance, especially a spring. Since you have
to go way down past other boats, I'd consider another option - if there is
room to turn your boat in the width of the canal. Go in bow first slowly
using neutral often. A boat length before the "slip," using your twin
screws, slowly turn the boat in-place and then slowly back your stern in and
get a spring ashore. I used to do this with my uncles Matthews 38.
With a single screw, you can "walk" it sideways if your rudder is relatively
large by having it hard-over and toggling back and forth between forward and
reverse, but it takes a long time and a spring is faster, especially if
there is any wind.
Ron Rogers
Steven Dubnoff wrote:
After a recent demonstration of my incompetence, I am seeking some help on
how to do better the next time. Here is the problem:
I am in a twin engine boat (no bowthruster), and I want to back down a
fairway past some other boats and then put the boat at the end, parallel to
the fairway (so it is not on option to back past and then go forwards into
the spot). I need to back the stern into the spot and then get the bow
in. As we all know, it is easy to kick the stern but much harder to move
the bow. How does one do this maneuver with grace (or at all)?
Thanks,
Steve
How wide is the fairway? If there is room to rotate the boat you could
go down bow first, turn the bow into the middle of the intended parking
spot and rotate the boat around its axis holding the bow just barely off
the dock by balancing the throttles (or the clutch engagement) as the
boat rotates. Less reverse as the turn progresses so that the bow walks
forward almost touching the dock. Watching out that your stern doesn't
hit the end of the fairway of course. At a certain point in the
rotation your position is indistinguishable from a tight bow-in approach
to a parking slot.
If there isn't room to spin, back down and stop with your stern at about
the front of the slot. (I am assuming that there is another boat ahead
of the slot you need, so it is like parallel parking) Rotate the boat
so that the stern points at the middle of the space. Give a shot of
straight reverse and drift, as Peggy said. Once your centre of mass is
aimed at the middle of the space, the rotation you need ( by nudging the
outboard engine into forward and vice versa) to keep the stern away from
the dock serves to rotate the bow in. This doesn't work nearly as well
as it seems like it ought to in anything other than no current/no wind
conditions.
KP
Steve, before answering, I would like a little clarification. Do you really
want to end up parallel to the fairway, or are you really asking about
placing the boat against the end, perpendicular to the fairway?
You wrote:
"I want to back down a
fairway past some other boats and then put the boat at the end, parallel to
the fairway (so it is not on option to back past and then go forwards into
the spot)"
Also, is it correct to assume that the fairway is not wide enough for you to
turn the boat around near the end?
Bob Davies
is the fairway really that narrow that coming in forward won't work? come
in the fairway forward, approaching your space get the bow in around the
midle to get a spring line from the bow, which will allow you to complete
the turn and bring the stern in within little more than a boat length
if the fairway is too narrow, then bringing the stern in first as if paralel
parking will be the only option. get a spring line from the stern (close to
the dock) and use it to swing the bow in (reverse engine close to dock, fwd
on engine away from dock)
in close quarters and tricky situations, spring lines are your best friends
and will be a very good substitute for a bow thruster...
pascal
miami, fl
1970 hatteras 53my
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Dubnoff" sdubnoff@circlesys.com
To: trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com
Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 8:49 PM
Subject: T&T: A boat handling question
After a recent demonstration of my incompetence, I am seeking some help on
how to do better the next time. Here is the problem:
I am in a twin engine boat (no bowthruster), and I want to back down a
fairway past some other boats and then put the boat at the end, parallel
to
the fairway (so it is not on option to back past and then go forwards into
the spot). I need to back the stern into the spot and then get the bow
in. As we all know, it is easy to kick the stern but much harder to move
the bow. How does one do this maneuver with grace (or at all)?
Thanks,
Steve
Steve Dubnoff
1966 Willard Pilothouse
www.mvnereid.com
sdubnoff@circlesys.com
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