COMPARISON OF HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF

VARIOUS POWER DRIVEN CRAFT

By: Mike Casdi, Spring 2011

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
SAFETY
The first consideration is always safety, First the safety of the crew and others
in the area, then the safety of the vessel and of other vessels in the area.

THE SUCCESS OF THE MANEUVER

The success of the maneuver depends, of course, on your skill; on how well
you know your boat, on how well you read the conditions, and on how well
you react to unforeseen complications.

It also depends on your crew. Which also depends on you; how well you have
trained or briefed them in preparation for the maneuver.

Planning - Try to foresee the conditions that will affect your maneuver; Wind,
Tide, Current, Depth, other traffic, etc.

Communication - a good briefing is essential. Everyone should know what we

are trying to do, (guests as well as crew). For a well trained and experienced
crew sometimes ‘we are going to come starboard side to at the fuel dock’ is
enough. But if you are using casual crew, or guests without experience then
the briefing should include; a description of what you are going to do, safety
aspects, equipment needed, how to tie the fenders and how and where to
prepare the docking lines, what is expected of them and what not to do, etc.

Preparation – having what you need to hand and ready for use is essential for
a seamanlike maneuver, lines, chain stopper, boathook, fenders, line handling
gloves, anchor ball, for examples.

Deck seamanship is beyond the scope of this article. I expect

that you should know the basics.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR BOAT
You of course know if it is twin-screw or single engine, inboard or outboard, a motor
yacht or an auxiliary sailing yacht. You should also know if it is right hand or left hand
prop, S drive or shaft drive, twin coaxial props on Z drives or twin shaft driven props,
long keel or deep fin. You should know if it has a spade rudder or a rudder attached
to a skeg or a long keel; you should know the drifting aspect, windage and way-
keeping characteristics as well as any other factor that will affect the handling of the
vessel. The first maneuver with an unknown boat should be to carefully learn her
handling characteristics.

LEARNING YOUR BOAT

Assuming that you have already learned enough to do your pre-start and pre-voyage checks,
and that all is in order and shipshape. Once you are away from the dock (We will get to that
maneuver shortly) the first thing we should do is to get to some clear water and stop the
boat. Observe how long she keeps her way without power, how effective is reverse thrust in
stopping her, if she tends to one side or the other when reversing the engines. When she is
stopped she will start drifting with the wind. Does the bow or stern fall off or does she
continue broadside on? Next to be absolutely sure of the direction of rotation of the prop
we will get the boat going slowly, directly downwind (so that the wind is not a factor) then
with the helm amidships and the boat holding course put her into reverse and observe
which way she yaws. A single engine boat that turns to starboard has a right hand prop and
vice versa. A twin engine yacht will also often yaw while stopping (reversing engines), even
with counter-rotating props! (I have been caught out by this phenomenon.) Next we will
motor slowly up-wind and then put the engines in neutral and observe how fast she stops,
how fast the bow falls off the wind, and how much power and rudder it takes to get the bow
back up into the wind (if possible at all at low speed).

Once we have learned the general nature of our yacht we will attempt some basic
maneuvers. I have made a separate section for each type of yacht and I will go through the
various maneuvers for each type. I will start with the classic single engine, prop driven,
trawler-type motor yacht. Then, as I go through the various maneuvers with the other types
of yacht I will be comparing them to the trawler, so don’t skip this section.
SINGLE ENGINE, SINGLE SHAFT, RIGHT HAND PROP
(Sea skiff, Traditional Trawler, traditional long-keeled sailing
yacht, work-boat, etc)
I will go through the maneuvers assuming there is no bow-thruster.
Learn to drive the without the bow-thruster, then use it sparingly, when
you need it, if you have one.

REVERSING DIRECTION IN A NARROW CHANNEL

This basic maneuver is easily done correctly and can be very difficult if attempted in the
wrong direction. We know that the right hand prop will pull the stern to the left when it is in
reverse. We will use this effect to help us turn. If we also use the wind to help us then we
can turn in a little over our own length. Collision Regulations (ColRegs) say that we shouldn’t
obstruct traffic in a narrow channel and that we should keep to the right side of a channel as
much as is safely possible. So let’s be sure that there is no traffic coming before we begin.
We start by going to the left side of the channel at a slow, safe, maneuvering speed; then,
putting the helm hard to starboard the boat will begin to turn to starboard. Before we get
too close to the starboard limit of the channel we will put the engine in reverse. As the boat
stops, the propeller continues to draw the stern to port even though the rudder is losing
effect as the flow of water across it drops to zero. Even though the rudder is hard to
starboard the boat will continue spinning to starboard as it gains way astern. When the
sternway is enough that the rudder causes the boat to stop rotating toward the right, we
will put the engine in forward gear with a little burst of power. The wash of the propeller is
now flowing directly onto the rudder which, still being hard to starboard, causes the boat to
start turning again; even though the boat still has sternway. By the time we have headway
we should be heading pretty much in the direction we want to go.

EFFECTS OF WINDAGE

If the wind is from behind us when we start this maneuver it will be a bit more difficult, we
will have to use more throttle to get the same results. It the wind is from our bow then we
can use it to help. Starting the maneuver at a very slow speed, as soon as the wind is a bit to
the left of our bow it will cause the bow to ‘fall off’, turning the boat to the right much faster
than we might expect. When we reverse the wind will cause the bow to drop even more.
We will have completed our turn in our own boat length.

WRONG WAY ROUND

If we had attempted this maneuver turning to the left we would have found that the prop-
walk in reverse would cancel any gains made by the rudder while in headway. Once in
sternway we would have to reverse the rudder and hope that we had enough room to begin
turning again. In short order we would have to reverse the helm again (back to port) then
put the engine in forward. A lot of work without much gained. We will probably have to do
this two or three more times before the boat can safely negotiate the channel in the
opposite direction.

Prop walk on a single engine boat is a great boon or a great obstruction to boat handling. It
all depends on whether you know how to use it or not.

REVERSING FOR SOME DISTANCE

This is an impossible feat for novices. As soon as you begin to reverse, the prop walk pulls
your stern to port even with rudder hard to starboard. (These directions are, of course,
reversed for a left hand prop.) With some vessels if you can get enough sternway you can
gain control with the rudder, but with most classic, single screw, long keel, configurations
you won’t be able to. So what do you do? Well first of all try not to have to, but if you do,
then don’t fight it. Leave the rudder hard to port. When the stern begins to swing give a
shot of forward thrust onto the rudder. This should bring the stern back into the direction
you want to go so put her in reverse again. The trick is to not give it forward thrust long
enough to stop the boat, to keep it sidling backwards by correcting the direction with pulses
of forward gear.

For some reason the work boat skippers that I knew would never use less than full throttle!
It was evidently a sign of incompetence to do something by half measures. If the boat had to
go for a long distance toward the stern the skipper would put it in reverse (full throttle, of
course). The prop walk would cause the stern to yaw off to port. But, in a long keel power
boat in reverse, the center of lateral resistance or pivot point as it is sometimes called will
come astern to very close to the rudder itself, the boat will swing pretty wildly about its axis
as it continues astern in the general direction that it started in. The skipper allows this to
throw the bow in the direction that he wants to go and then, reversing the helm, he puts
the boat in forward gear and off he goes in the direction that he wanted to. Don’t try this at
home! Make sure you have plenty of room before you begin practicing this maneuver. …
But, it is effective - and impressive - when it works properly.

When we come to the other types of yachts we will find that reversing is not quite so
harrowing.

COMING ALONGSIDE
Portside to? Starboard to? Bow to wind and/or Tide, or stern to wind? We have decisions to
make. The first consideration is, of course, safety. But there are other factors as well: We
have to consider getting the boat off the dock when the time comes, it could be very difficult
with an onshore wind, We may want to take on fuel without dragging a dirty fuel hose
across our nice teak decks (sometimes this aspect can be regarded right up there with
safety). But, if the conditions right now are dodgy, with gusting winds, a tired crew and no
help in sight at the dock we might make a different decision than if the conditions were
ideal. It is easier to make the decision not to leave a safe berth in bad conditions than it is to
decide not to try to enter an unsafe one. Are we going to need the prop walk to pull our
stern up to the dock against an offshore wind or is it more likely that we will need it to get
our stern off the dock against an onshore breeze?

HEADWIND Docking against a head wind is the recommended practice because the
headwind will help stop the boat. The headwind will also usually cause the bow to fall off.
This can be used to bring the boat alongside or can make the task almost impossible, you
will see what I mean. Let’s say we are coming alongside, starboard side to, upwind. I begin
by coming slowly parallel to the berth at some distance off. When I am almost parallel to my
berth, I allow the wind to come a bit to port, pushing the bow over to starboard. Before it
can take charge I put the engine in forward with the rudder hard to port. Using just enough
power to bring the bow back up to the wind (without letting the wind catch the bow on the
starboard side) I correct the swing. Effectively the boat has just taken a step sideways,
toward the dock. With a series of these maneuvers I can bring the boat some distance. This
is not an easy maneuver. It would be prudent to practice and perfect it in an open area
before using it to come alongside in a small space between rafted classic museum pieces.

If the wind takes charge it can have you pointed directly at the pier instead of longside to.
This is not good. Reverse out of there and start again. As a general rule it is best to abandon
a maneuver which is not going according to plan. Don’t try to fix things as you go because it
usually just gets worse. Get back out to a clear space; re-think the maneuver using the new
information from the failed attempt, then start again.

If there is plenty of room along the dock then just come alongside with enough way on to
maintain good control. Then reverse engines when you get to the spot you want to tie up to.
The engine will bring the stern out a bit and the wind will catch the bow bringing it in
toward the dock. Get a couple of lines to the dock and the wind will then snuggle you right
in.

If you are coming alongside port side to then you will need a bit more of an angle toward
the dock because when you put the boat into reverse to stop the boat the prop walk will
bring the stern toward the dock.

A BIT ABOUT DOCKING LINES

Most motor yachts have a pointy end forward, but just aft of the bow they quite often have
a bit of flare causing the deck to be a lot wider than the waterline at the same point. This
flare keeps the spray down and makes the bridge or cockpit a lot dryer in a chop, but it
makes it more difficult to position a fender effectively to protect the hull. Aft of the flare the
hull sides becomes more or less parallel, this is the bit that we want to be snuggled
alongside the pier. If we have one bow line from the anchor fairlead on the point of the bow
tied to the pier then the wind from the bow will cause the boat to drop back on this line
which will pull the bow in to the pier. It is much better if we can get our first line ashore
from the flare area of the bow. Then the pull of the line will be more forward than abeam
and the bow won’t be pulled toward the dock so strongly. When docking upwind or with a
wind slightly off the dock first get the bowline on (from the flare), next would be a stern line.
But as soon as possible we want a ‘spring’ from aft in the boat to forward on the dock. This
line will keep the boat from drifting downwind along the dock. Now we can put a line from
the bow to the dock. This makes our original line redundant. So we take the dockside end of
it aft to a point even with the quarter somewhere and make it fast. This is now a bow spring
that will keep the boat from drifting forward if there is a wind shift, and it can be used to
help swing the stern away from the dock while getting underway. If we are going to be at
the dock for awhile it is a good idea to bring the stern line from the off side of the stern to
point on the dock a bit behind the boat. This gives a bit longer line allowing for a bit of play
and stretch in the line. This is essential if there is a tidal range or a lot of wake waves at the
dock. Insert lines illustration

WIND OFF THE DOCK

First we will have to make our approach faster to counteract drift and bow fall off. Second
we should approach at more of an angle to the dock. As we approach we put rudder away
from the dock bringing the stern in and as we stop the bow falls off, away from the dock.
Now, before it drifts too far off we get our bow line (from the flare) over to the dock. If this
line is made fast to point somewhere at about where we want our quarter to end up we can
use it to bring the boat (or hold the boat) alongside. Let’s say we got our bow line (spring)
onto the dock and the boat is more or less parallel to the dock, now we can slowly motor
against this line with full rudder away from the dock and the boat will sidle up to the dock
nicely. The bow pulled in by the spring, and the stern pulled in by the prop wash on the
rudder. Be careful when you start the maneuver to take up the slack on the spring gently.

USING THE LINES TO COME ALONGSIDE TO AN UPWIND DOCK.

Let’s say the maneuver didn’t come off as planned; for instance, by the time we got the
spring secured, the boat had drifted too far off the dock and was now ‘hanging’ from the
dock by the line. This is a case where we can ‘fix’ the maneuver without starting all over.
Let’s say we wanted to be port side to the dock, our helm is hard over to starboard, engine
in neutral and the boat attached by the spring from the flare of the bow to the dock. With
engine ahead, the boat doesn’t turn fast enough to get parallel to the dock without hitting
it. All is not lost. Put the engine in neutral, the boat will fall back onto the spring and the
spring will pull the bow to the left away from where we want to be. Good! Now give a touch
in reverse. This time as the boat comes to the limit of the spring the bow will swing quickly
to the right. Now we put the engine in forward and if we timed it right we should be able to
bring the boat right up to the dock longside. Once alongside with a spring attached, the boat
can be left with rudder hard over to starboard and engine slow ahead. She should sit
comfortably while we get the rest of the lines attached (stern line first).

Another example; the wind is from forward and slightly off the dock. We came alongside
starboard side to and we got the bow line onto the dock from the flare. But now, before we
can get the stern up to the dock, the breeze is causing the boat to drift away. No problems
mate! As soon as the slack is taken up on the bowline, put the engine in slow astern. This
should cause the stern to swing in to the pier (even contrary to the prop walk effect). She
should sit comfortably alongside while we get the stern line on and the rest of the lines
sorted. ALLWAYS BE CAREFUL WHEN MOTORING AGAINST A LINE NOT TO APPLY ANY
POWER UNTIL THE LINE IS TAUT. COMING UP SHORT ON A LINE UNDER POWER IS UNSAFE
AND CAN CAUSE DAMAGE. I am not going to mention the fact that lines and propellers
don’t mix, you should already know this!

ANOTHER GENERAL RULE; when coming alongside put the rudder away from the dock and
forget about it. When leaving from alongside, put the rudder toward the dock and forget
about it. (until you need to remember it)

THE BEST GENERAL RULE: get to know your boat and what to expect from it, practice
maneuvering until it is second nature; then forget about all of the general rules.

DOCKING ALONGSIDE WITH A FOLLOWING WIND

Despite what we said about docking upwind being the recommended practice, there are no
‘general rules’ about not docking downwind. As soon as we get a stern line to the dock
we’ve got it sussed. When coming alongside downwind it is usually best to come past the
place you want to be then back into it. (Now we are going upwind again) It is usually
possible to control the boat when reversing upwind because of the natural tendency of the
bow to fall off the wind. But, coming alongside downwind portside to in a right hand prop
boat is not that difficult. Put the bow in close to the dock near the middle of the space then
put the boat in reverse with enough revs to stop her in time. This should pull the stern in
automatically. Now get the stern line on and the breeze will bring the boat alongside nicely.
If the breeze is a bit off the dock, then as soon as we have the stern line on a bit of forward
engine (Maybe with rudder toward the dock to keep the stern off) will bring the bow in.

DOCKING LONGSIDE WITH A WIND ONTO THE DOCK

First of all, get plenty of rubber between you and the dock. Bring fenders from the off side
to use until things are secure. The boat can be coming onto the dock at a surprising speed
sideways, warn your crew DO NOT TRY TO STOP THE BOAT BY PUSHING OFF WITH YOUR
HANDS OR FEET! Have a roving fender ready with someone to position it where it will do the
most good. You can take a line handler for this because once the wind has you pinned
against the dock you will have plenty of time to get more lines on.
As helmsman you should plan your maneuver to bring the boat stationary and parallel at a
small distance off the dock and then allow the wind to push you down onto the dock. With a
strong onshore breeze you won’t be able to correct your position fore and aft once you are
alongside. So try to get it right the first time. You probably won’t have the opportunity to
correct mistakes or back out and start over.

MANEUVERING UPWIND
Picking up a buoy, man overboard, bow or stern to an
upwind pier, anchoring, etc
In general, we want to be stopped with our bow at a particular place and usually with the
boat pointed in a particular direction. We have to remember that as soon as we are
stopped, the wind is going to take charge of our boat. We don’t want it to cause us
insurmountable problems when it does.

PICKING UP A BUOY

Come slowly toward the buoy as if you were going to pass it leaving it to starboard. Your
foredeck man with the boathook will keep pointing to it as you approach. As soon as the
bow is level with the buoy reverse engine to stop the boat. This will cause the bow to yaw to
starboard allowing the bowman to snag the buoy with the boathook.

ANCHORING is similar to picking up a buoy. Try to have the boat stopped where you want to
have the anchor lay. Drop the anchor smartly but as soon as you feel the anchor touch
bottom, begin doling out chain more slowly. We don’t want a pile of chain lying on the
anchor, fouled in the flukes. The bow will fall off the wind and the boat will drift downwind
(usually beam on). When you have the proper amount of rode out, secure it. When the boat
comes to the end of its rode the bow will come up smartly into the wind. If she doesn’t,
then the anchor isn’t holding.

PICKING UP A MAN OVERBOARD

We should have a man at the bow with the life ring and/or other retrieving apparatus (with
the bitter end secured to the boat). Have him keep pointing to the man in the water and
shouting out distance until the man in the water has secured himself to the line. Some
institutions say that you should approach the MOB from alee at about a 450 angle. When
you are at the proper distance you point up toward the MOB leaving him on your windward
bow and stop the boat. The idea is that we don’t want the boat drifting down on the person
in the water possibly injuring him or causing him to drown. I think that this would only be a
problem in very rough sea conditions. I say that if you want to use the fall off of the bow to
bring it closer to the MOB then do it. The more important thing is that the boat be stopped
when you get a line to him and the engine should be in neutral. We don’t want to be
dragging the MOB through the water at body surfing speeds and we don’t want to be
feeding minced MOB to the fishes.

A note on Mediterranean mooring practice (medmoor) Here in the med it is

common practices for boat to tie up stern to a pier with their stern lines to the pier
and the bow secured to a system of mooring lines that are fastened to a chain
running between large concrete pads on the bottom. The mooring lines and chain of
course lie on the bottom, but attached to the end that you want is a messenger line
(called a ‘slime line’ by some) that is attached to the pier with a lot of slack. When
you get the boat in place you pull on the slime line while walking up toward the bow
bringing the end of the mooring line up to you to be fastened at the bow. There are
usually two bottom lines for each yacht.

A variation on this is when there is no ground tackle laid by the marina. You must
drop an anchor (or two) and then back into your space on the pier. A more difficult
maneuver with a high chance of having fouled anchor lines when you (or your
neighbor) want to leave.

BOW TO A DOCK (MEDMOOR) WITH THE WIND OFF THE DOCK

This should be easy by now. Just remember; keep your speed up so the wind won’t make
the bow fall off, and to aim a bit to port of where you want the bow to end up. When you
reverse engine to stop the boat the bow will veer to the right.

A neat trick for your line handler or bowman: have a fairly long line attached to the
two bow cleats. The line should run from a cleat out through a fairlead outboard of
the pulpit and other bow fittings, back in through the other fairlead and the end of it
be fastened to the cleat. Leaning forward on the pulpit, the bowman collects loops
of line from each fairlead in each hand leaving a bit of slack in the middle. When the
boat gets close to the pier he can swing the slack and toss it out onto the dock with
the loops going on either side of the bollard on the pier. Having snagged the bollard
he can now take slack at one of the cleats to adjust the distance of the bow from the
pier. This line-throwing, bollard-snagging technique works when coming alongside or
stern to just as well.

STERN TO (MEDMOOR)

No problems. Right? Once again we aim to get to the dock to the left of where we want to
be. When we put the engine in gear to stop the boat the stern will swing to port and there
you are. Remember what we learned about reversing for long distances. It may be better to
turn around (get stern to) as close to the dock as is feasible then the distance that we will
have to reverse will be smaller.
MANEUVERING DOWNWIND
SLOW DOWN! It is easy to underestimate the speed you are going when going downwind.
The wind you feel is the true wind minus the boat’s speed. The speed of the waves also
appears less because the boat is running with them. You think you are going slower than
you are and then you reverse engine to stop the boat: not only are you going faster than
you thought you were but the tailwind is pushing you forward so you aren’t stopping as fast
as you thought you would. Either keep this fact in your head or keep the insurance
company’s phone number handy to the phone

About the only real problem we might have while maneuvering down wind into a medmoor
is; how do we keep the boat off the pier while we pick up the mooring line without getting
the messenger in the prop. I often try holding on or making fast temporarily to the
neighboring boats until I get things sorted out. I have never had a neighbor complain (But I
have always been careful not to cause any damage).

My first paying job as a skipper came about because a yachtsman tried to hold a
neighbor’s yacht off the pier in this situation. Without being aware of it he got his
forearm jammed with his hand on the boat’s pulpit and his elbow up against an
electric supply box on the pier. It broke his arm. He paid me to bring his boat back
home for him. So this is not a recommended practice.

Backing into a downwind med moor is more of a problem. If you don’t want to come in
bow to and wait for a calm day to turn the boat around (which would be prudent) Then I
suggest making the turn (to bow upwind) as close as possible to the gap where you want to
put the boat. If you know your boat, and timed it right, it is possible to get it right... But I
wouldn’t mind being the bookie.

WIND ON THE BEAM

Now it gets interesting. We saw that we can handle coming alongside with wind abeam, but
backing into a med moor berth with wind on the beam can be daunting. With wind from the
right side of the berth we can back into it (if we have a right hand prop), difficult but doable.
We start by coming downwind from the right of the mooring about a couple of boat lengths
from the bows of the neighbors. When the bow is about even with the berth opening, we
reverse engine causing the stern to swing toward the opening. At the same time we give it
full right rudder. As the boat starts making sternway we correct the direction that the stern
is going by forward pulses of prop wash. Hopefully the bow will continue swinging toward
starboard as we back into the berth. This is a very impressive maneuver (if it works) but you
have to know your boat to pull it off. I wouldn’t want to try this maneuver with the wind
from the other side. Remember: Just because the shore power connection only reaches if
you are stern to doesn’t mean that you have to get stern to now. Late tonight or tomorrow
morning when the wind dies down or changes direction, the maneuver that was impossible
right now may become a good training exercise for your 12 year old nephew.

In a well manned marina a good seaman in a rubber dinghy will be on stand-by to

nudge against the lee bow of the big yachts when they are trying to get into their
cross-wind berths.

OTHER SINGLE ENGINE, SINGLE PROP VESSELS

AUXILLIARY POWERED SAILING YACHT

We covered the traditional long keeled yachts in the last section. Now we will talk about a
more modern fin keel separate rudder underwater configuration (still with a single, shaft
driven, right hand propeller). The differences are all for the good when it comes to handling
with engine power. First of all the more efficient keel gives much more directional stability
and less leeway at slow speeds. It will still go sideways when stopped but as soon as there is
way on (sternway is OK too) it will start tracking well. The greatest improvement is while
reversing. We still have prop walk at low speeds but as soon as we have a little speed we
can turn around, face the stern and drive the boat almost like an automobile. Coming stern
to in a med moor berth is now easy, we turn in the turning basin of the marina and drive in
reverse down the finger piers and turn left or right into our place with no hassles. Just keep
the speed up to overcome the unwanted effects that we felt with the more traditional
vessels. Coming into or out of a longside berth is now a bit trickier because we can’t make
the boat go sideways as easily. The secret to success is to use lines to overcome the
difficulties. Use a bow spring to get the stern out and clear, or a stern spring to get the bow
out. Then put the rudder toward the dock and begin your maneuver like you did with the
single screw trawler.

Coming alongside with wind off the dock is always a problem, but if you have assistance
from the dock a good technique is to have a line from amidships to just beyond the bow
with a loop in the shore-side end of it. Now bring a bow line with plenty of slack in it from
the bow fairlead (also with a loop in the end). Tie a heaving line to the loops (one heaving
line to both of the loops together) and have it ready on the bow. When the boat comes
longside with the bow close to the pier, toss the heaving line to the friend on the pier and
have him drop the two loops over the bollard. The skipper should be stopping the boat as
this happens. As soon as the lines become taut put the engine in reverse and the lines will
draw the stern right up to the pier. Pass the stern line ashore and you are home!

With wind onto the longside berth you bring the boat to a stop about a meter off the dock,
like you did with the traditional yacht, no difference. Man over board and anchoring are just
the same. Maneuvering in a beam wind is still a problem, but now it is possible with a little
practice to put the boat where you want it, how you want it in almost any condition (at least
up to wind force five).
When strong winds are unsteady in direction and speed Like in a marina on the leeside of a
promontory, it is imperative that you be flexible in your maneuver. Allow for an unforeseen
on-shore gust or a 180 degree wind shift, so that if it comes, it will be a nuisance but not an
expensive mishap. Full ahead and full astern are OK for steel hulled workboats with large
truck-tire fenders hanging from all the gunnels. They can bounce off of concrete piers. Your
gelcoat or All-grip paint job won’t take the same punishment.

S-DRIVE SAILING AUXILLIARIES

A modern development in sailing yacht mechanical propulsion is the sail drive or ‘S-drive’.
Instead of a regular gearbox connected to a shaft we have a special gearbox with a 90 O bend
sending a shaft down through a watertight gasket through the hull to another 900 degree
bend to a propeller. The drive train is much like an outboard motor drive train. This system
has many pluses and a few minuses. The minuses are due to the fact that the prop is much
farther from the rudder; we can’t move the stern sideways as easy. Because the prop is no
longer at an angle to its direction of travel there is much less prop walk. And, because it is
much closer to the center of the boat it has less leverage to move the boat, left or right. For
some reason, I have found that most of the S-drive boats that I have seen have left hand
props. We can still use prop walk to help our short radius turns but prop wash on the rudder
is much less effective. It is still there but there is a long delay between putting the engine in
forward gear and the wash arriving at the rudder itself. So keep the rudder in the direction
you are going until boat speed drops to zero then reverse it, rather than reversing rudder as
soon as you put the engine in forward gear.

None of these minuses are drastic or insurmountable, and evidently the pluses are
weightier.

When getting to know an S-drive yacht, take it out and go through the same series of steps
that you did for the traditional single prop vessel. Learn how it reacts and you will soon be
maneuvering like a pro.

OUTBOARD MOTORS

Now we are coming to another animal altogether. First, there is no rudder! When the
engine is in gear the thrust of the prop is directed astern to push the stern of the vessel
forward. The engine can be turned to direct the thrust to one side or the other driving the
stern to the opposite side. It will also have a reverse gear that reverses the direction of the
propeller and the effect of the thrust. Like a sail boat it may have a tiller or a wheel to
control the steering and the effects will be In the same direction (when going forward, point
the tiller in the direction you want the stern to go, turn a wheel in the direction you want
the bow to go). When maneuvering with an outboard it is even more important to have the
wheel turned in the direction you want to go before you put the engine in gear. Also
remember that when in neutral there is very little steering effect from the outboard, none
unless there is quite a bit of forward boat speed.
If you put an outboard on a soft bottomed inflatable dinghy you have a boat handler’s
nightmare. The only upside is that the soft walls of the dinghy can do very little damage
when they hit something. Semi-rigid or RIBS (rigid inflatables) are much more efficient and
more controllable.

Once again take the boat out into a clear space with no traffic and get to know how it
handles. Practice a few maneuvers and soon you will feel comfortable with it.

Despite the basic difference in the physics of the propulsion, the handling characteristics of
a jet-drive are much like the outboard. Once again take it slow while you learn its quirks.

INBOARD-OUT-DRIVE, Z-DRIVE

These modern variations are becoming more and more common. It is an inboard (usually
diesel) engine connected through the transom to a movable elbow going down to a bottom
unit with a propeller on it. Often (especially in single engine boats) the bottom unit has twin
counter-rotating propellers mounted one behind the other on co-axial shafts. It steers by
pivoting the shaft to port or starboard. It also has a possibility to raise it in order to get
access to the propeller or lessen the draft when coming to shore. This tilt is also used to trim
the planing aspect of the boat. We will talk about trim in the next section. These
adjustments and steering controls are usually hydraulically operated from a helm station.
This type of boat handles much like an outboard powered boat.

The counter-rotating props are there to counter the prop walk effect that novices don’t like
but professional use as a maneuvering aid. Twin engine Z-drive, with or without counter-
rotating props are also becoming quite common.

TRIM

We want our boat sitting on her marks, the way she was designed. Athwartships trim can be
corrected by filling or emptying – transferring - fuel and water. It can also be affected by
passenger placement. We of course want it level as much as possible. In planning boats, fore
and aft trim is very import. It will affect how quickly we can get up to a plane, how fast we
will go for any given power input and how comfortably the boat will ride. We can adjust fore
and aft trim for the effects of passenger placement, fuel and water usage etc by the use of
‘trim-tabs’. These horizontal plates extending aft from the transom are usually hydraulically
adjustable from the cockpit. A slight downward angle will lift the stern and drop the bow
making a flatter planning surface. Too much will cause the bow to ‘plow’ and the boat to
handle erratically. ‘Just right’ is found by trial and error at speed.
TWIN SCREW MOTOR YACHTS
I am assuming that by the time a skipper gets to take command of a large classic twin screw
motor yacht or auxiliary sailing yacht he will have enough experience in boat handling to
learn the handling characteristics of these boats by himself. But quite often a novice, first-
time, boat buyer is drawn to an affordable twin screw cruiser. The dealer told him that it
handles easily, ‘like a dream’. And how hard can it be? It can’t be any harder than driving a
car. But just to be sure he paid a few bucks more and got a bow thruster installed as well.
Now he is out to enjoy himself on the water. ‘O O’- Owner Operator, Marina operators all
up and down the coasts know and fear them.

If you read the first section you saw that things aren’t as simple as Mr. O.O. Boater may
have thought. But it isn’t any harder to drive a boat than it is to drive a car, or fly a light
plane, it is simply different. If you had been brought up with boats in the same way that you
were brought up with cars you would have no problems driving your new cabin cruiser. But
since you weren’t; let’s look at handling a light, twin-engine motor yacht.

GET TO KNOW THE NEW TOY

We know we’re still little boys; it’s just that the toys are becoming more expensive. And like
when we were little, we learn best by playing. So first take her out (With a more
experienced friend or instructor) go through the exercises that we did with the single engine
boat. We will probably find that the cabin cruiser has a lot more windage when going slow
than the other boats that we have discussed. It has a high hull with a superstructure and fly
bridge with a sun shade above that. All that on an eighteen-footer! (OK I’m being funny)
Actually it is on a forty. Well it’s called a ‘40’, but that is counting the anchor sprit and the
swim platform as well. It is actually about 30ft on the waterline and 20 feet high! It is made
of modern high-tech materials to save weight (the less it weighs the faster it will go). There
is very little boat under the water (to resist drift) and there is a lot of boat above the water
(to catch the wind). So let’s see how fast we have to go to keep it tracking straight in a cross
wind. Let’s go down wind to see how fast we can stop it and whether there is a lot of yaw or
not. Let’s try to motor slowly into the wind. How slow can we go and how far off the wind
can we allow the bow to get before the wind takes over and we lose control? Going down
wind if we take it out of gear how effective are the rudders? How fast do we have to be
going before they begin to do the job?

‘What’s all this about wind? Who cares about the wind? This is a motor yacht!’

Well, you’d better care because at maneuvering speeds it is going to play a large part in how
the boat behaves.

NOW FOR SOME BASIC MANEUVERS

First we find that while maneuvering slowly in the marina, the twin rudders just aren’t
effective. But that’s OK because our maneuvers will be done using the throttles. The speed
limit in the marina is three knots. That is about as slow as we can go and still maintain
control! With both engines idling in gear we tootle along at about three knots. To go more
to the right I put the starboard engine in neutral. The unequal thrust now skews the boat to
the right. When we get the boat pointing in about the right direction we put the starboard
engine back in gear.

If we are motoring slowly upwind we have to be aware that if the wind is a little to the right
of our bow it will push the bow quite strongly to the left. We may have to have starboard
engine in neutral and raise the RPMs on port to correct for this. Now in open water clear of
traffic allow the boat to make a circle on one engine (at idle speed). Pay attention to the
wake you are making. Is the stern making a wider circle than the bow? By how much? Now
put the other engine in reverse at idle speed. Allow the boat to make a couple of full turns
and once again pay attention to the turning circles of the bow and the stern. Note the
difference in speed of the turn when the bow is coming upwind and when it is going
downwind.

Try with the boat stopped to twist the boat around using opposing engines, try to regulate
the engine speeds so that you stay in one place. Note that the reversing propeller is much
less effective than the forward going one. Compensate with the throttles. Try backing the
boat for some distance upwind, downwind, crosswind.

SIDLING

If there is a little breeze we can make the boat go sideways! Here’s how; get the bow
pointed upwind with very little or no boat speed, then allow the wind to catch the bow on
one side or the other. Now (let’s say we start falling off to starboard) before the boat gets
too far off the wind we put the starboard engine in gear. The engine will make the boat
want to turn back upwind (by bringing the stern to starboard). The wind is pushing the bow
off to starboard and the engine is pushing the stern off to starboard. The boat sidles off to
starboard. If we keep the throttle adjusted to correct the speed of the stern so it matches
the bow, we can sidle all the way across the marina. (And into a longside berth for instance)
Is it useful? Yes, it is quite useful sometimes.

COMING ALONGSIDE

Coming alongside is usually quite simple. Come toward the berth at an angle (between 25
and 45 degrees sounds good, depending on the wind direction and speed) with the bow
toward the middle of the space. When close enough reverse the engines to stop the boat
just at the distance that the bowman can snag the bollard with a line (see above). Reverse
the outboard engine and put the inboard engine in forward. The boat will swivel around to
come alongside as the bow line holds the bow close to the pier. Get a stern line onto a
bollard, the engines in neutral and turn them off. Add a couple of springs and open a couple
of cold ones. We’re home.

SINGLE ENGINE MANEUVERING

What happens when we lose an engine? We have just learned that with one engine in
forward gear the boat turns in the opposite direction. That is true at slow speeds, but as
soon as we get some speed up we can get steerage with the rudders. So, let’s say we lost
starboard engine for some reason. (If you want to practice this just leave it in neutral so it is
available if needed.) By using forward and reverse on the port engine, I get the boat
pointing to the left of the direction I want to go. I put the helm hard over to port then put
the engine in gear to put some way on the boat. It may be scary because the boat is
swinging off to starboard, probably past the direction I would like to be going. Have faith, it
will work. When we have some speed up I throttle back on the engine and allow the rudders
to bring the boat back on course. (If necessary I put the engine in neutral until the rudders
can bring the boat to the left of the direction that I want then I put it in gear again and
gather a bit more speed. At a reasonable speed I should be able to throttle back and keep a
course with the rudders, while maintaining a safe cruising speed with the one engine at low
RPM.

I wouldn’t try to take the kids for a spin with the one engine, but to get the boat to a safe
berth is within my capabilities. To come alongside with one engine is also possible.

Coming port side to - Using the rudders I would get the boat coasting slowly parallel to the
pier, then reverse the engine. The bow will be pulled toward the pier as the boat stops.
Once the bow line is attached, preferably from the flare I can continue to reverse on the
engine to bring the stern to the dock.

Coming starboard side to - I would approach the dock at an angle. When I reverse the
engine to stop the boat it will bring the stern toward the dock. If it is timed just right, the
boat will be stopped parallel to the dock and close to. If you lost your nerve and reversed
early all is not lost. When the boat has stopped its forward motion take the engine out of
gear. The twist may still bring the stern to the dock. But even if not, we can still bring the
bow to the right by putting the engine back into gear. If we are still too far off to get a line
to the dock then abandon it and go away from the dock get control (and some nerve up)
and come back again for another try. Patience and strong nerves will prevail.

I have never tried single engine maneuvering with a catamaran. I’m not sure, but I think it
would be possible because of the larger rudders of the sail boat. With a twin hull motor
yacht I don’t know…
SURF, INLETS, MARINA ENTRANCES

Entering an inlet or marina entrance in rough conditions can be dangerous, so it demands

due consideration. Stop well off and observe the entrance (through binoculars if necessary).
We don’t want to get beam to sea in surf, ever! We don’t want to begin surfing in a building
wall with a tunnel! Ever! We want to get into sheltered water as quickly and as safely as
possible. We want to be at a small angle to the waves, not have them directly on the
transom, but not far enough off that there is a danger of the stern being pushed around by a
wave and the boat broaching (coming up broadside to the waves).

Entering a marina we want to be close enough to the breakwater so that we can quickly
duck behind it without having to make a long leg with the waves abeam. When we were
observing the entrance, we may have noticed waves ‘echoing’ off the breakwater; meeting
up with incoming waves and making waves that are almost twice as high as the average. If
so, make sure you don’t enter this area where they meet. Modern breakwaters use
interlocking, molded concrete elements that (to a large extent) absorb wave energy rather
than reflect it.

In any case, as we approach the entrance we are observing wave ‘sets’, as the surfers call
them. They are looking for the big ones. We are looking for the lulls between them. The
surface of a wave as it nears shallow water is moving forward at a significant rate. We have
to be careful that it doesn’t take charge. Sailing yachts with their deep keels and rudders can
usually keep ‘control surfaces’ deep enough to be effective. We have to rely on our power
to stay in safer areas.

The trick is to choose a wave at the end of a ‘set’ (with a lull following us); we run up onto
the rear slope of the wave and hold the boat there. We don’t want to climb up to the crest
of the wave, and we don’t want to lag and let the next wave behind us catch up. When done
correctly there is no real danger at any time. It does require due diligence.

HEAVY WEATHER

Once again SLOW DOWN! One of the reasons that a sailing yacht handles heavy weather
better is because they are going slower. If we get our boat speed down to displacement hull
speeds we will take the sea much more comfortably.

Two ‘sea stories’ here: I once had to take a 40 ft trawler type yacht from the med to UK. I
met up with a skipper taking a 60 foot fast cruiser to the UK as well. He had taken twice as
long to get where we were and would take twice as long to get to the UK as we did. Why?
He couldn’t bring himself to drive his 25 knot motor yacht at less than ten knots. In any kind
of sea he stayed in port. My trawler would only do 10 knots downhill. At four and five knots
I was making 100 125 miles a day, safely and reasonably comfortably.
Once when I was in Horta (in the Azores Islands) in the North Atlantic in fall, a ‘mayday’ call
was received from an Italian sailing yacht north of the island. They had lost their rudder and
were drifting without control toward the island in very rough seas. The weather was really
foul and the ‘salva vida’, Portugese life saving vessel, refused to go out in the storm that was
blowing. A South African friend there had a fifty foot fishing boat that he was running
charters with. The boat was a twin engine sea skiff with a super structure, a flying bridge
and tuna tower over that, not the most sea worthy looking thing. But he took this power
boat about twenty miles through storm seas, found the sailing yacht, and towed her back to
Horta.

GOOD SEAMANSHIP is just as important in power boats as it is in sail boats. Navigation,

rules of the road, weather and meteorology, communications; these subjects are just as
important for motor yachts as they are for wind powered craft. With proper maintenance a
power yacht can be as reliable as a sailing yacht. Sailors have been crossing large bodies of
water with single engine craft for a long time now. A good seaman in a power boat is a
pleasure to watch. A fast passage in a power yacht in a flat calm is something that the sail
buff can only imagine.

POWER Vs SAIL

It is a long-term, on-going rivalry. In the med the two most common winds are ‘on-the-nose’
and ‘non-existent’, Those arrows that sailboats have at the masthead are usually pointing in
the direction that you want to go. The power boat, on the other hand, revels in light airs.

I’ll admit that beam-reaching in a force 3 or 4 is an aesthetic pleasure, and that when the
weather catches you out I would rather be in a sailboat than a power boat. Using an almost
forgotten art to make a boat go is an enjoyable skill. There is a lot to be said for sail. But
don’t let the ‘rag-flappers’ put you down, the well-found power yacht is a pleasure craft of
great value.