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(56 votes) Published: Jun 22, 2000 12:00 a.m. Viewed 1046 times
Driving a boat is different from driving a car. When you turn the wheel on a car, the front of the car changes directions, but when you turn the wheel on a boat, the back end swings around. Picture your boat as the radius of a circle with the bow in the center. Your boat motor is your steering, your acceleration, and your brakes. This can take some getting used to, but with a few tips and a little practice you’ll be an old hand in no time.
DOCKING: Pull up to the dock very slowly, approaching at a 45 degree angle. If there is wind or a current, go against it for more control. You should be moving very slowly as you pull up to the pier. When the bow is about a foot away from the dock, turn the motor so the prop is pointed toward the dock, put the engine in reverse and give it a tiny bit of throttle. This will pull the back of the boat right up to the dock and the bow will stay where it is.
STOPPING: Whether you are picking up a passenger on the dock, beaching your boat, pulling onto your trailer, or just stopping to fish, you must remember that your motor is your brakes. You are essentially canceling your forward momentum by putting the motor in reverse and pulling back against the boat’s forward movement. Every stop in every boat is different because of variances in size and speed, so stopping is something you need to practice.
GETTING GOING TRIMMING THE BOAT: When you first start to take off, your motor should be all the way down. Increase throttle to get powered out of the hole. The front of the boat will climb up. When you feel the bow start to settle again, begin raising the motor slowly. You will feel a ’sweet spot’ when the boat is trimmed correctly the steering torque will almost vanish and the boat will ride smoothly over the water. If you over-trim (raise it too high), the boat will start to rock from side to side. If this happens, lower the motor a bit to get the front down.
’Approach the waves at an angle, and keep the bow up so the waves don’t crash over the front of the boat.’...
BAD WEATHER: Avoid being out in storms if at all possible. If you get caught by one, though, don’t panic. Slow down. Approach the waves at an angle, and keep the bow up so the waves don’t crash over the front of the boat. Head for the closest safe harbor. You may have to take a bit of a zig-zag path to keep at an angle to the waves. Don’t forget to run your bilge pumps if you don’t have automatic ones.
TRAILERING: Trailering your boat in strong wind and big waves is a challenge. Start with the trailer a little shallower than usual, but make sure it is in deep enough to keep the motor in the water when you get the boat on it. What you want to do is let the wind and waves put you on the trailer. Get lined up and ride the waves onto the trailer. Keep the motor in gear to keep the bow tight to the trailer while you run up to secure the bow strap.
With a little practice, you’ll be piloting your craft like an old pro.
Feb 09, 2007 3:04 am - I work at a boatshed and were always pakin the boat on docks and we just come in flat out and put it into reverse flat out and it doesnt slam into it or anything
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