Safe Boating

Cruiser Handling Guide - Introduction

Each boat has its own handling characteristics. Different hulls, different propellers, and different power trains all change the way a boat reacts to the forces exerted on it. The methods here are basic starting points and will work. However, as you try out the various techniques, you may find you have to adjust them to suit your boat.

In the marina and around the dock twin-engine boats are generally steered with the engines only, and usually with the throttles set in the idle position. Unless there is a strong force of wind or current to overcome it is rarely necessary to touch anything but the shifters. Obviously, however, a single engine craft has to be steered with the wheel but most of the time, the throttle will be set at idle speed.

Whatever craft you are handling, go slow, at least until you get to open water. In close quarters, you should use only enough power to move the boat in the direction you want to go and take each move step by step. In other words, before you leave the dock, know what you are going to do and the order you are going to do it. Before you get underway, make sure your boat is pointed in the direction you want to go. In this way you maintain control.

To get to know the specific handling characteristics of your boat, there is nothing more effective than practice. Take your boat out into open water and see how she reacts to each engine alone, forward and reverse. You will probably find that she does not react as quickly to the engine in reverse.

Note: A boat does not follow its nose the way an automobile does. It rotates or turns on a point approximately in the center of the boat. You will notice that under power from one side the boat will tend to turn away from that side. In other words, when the port engine is engaged forward, the bow will tend to slide to the starboard before the boat starts moving forward. When the starboard engine is in reverse, the stern will tend to slide to the port before the boat starts moving astern.

One you are more comfortable, you can practice approaching an open dock and move to the other techniques as your skill level and knowledge or your boat increase.

a. Practice exercise: rotating the boat on its center line (used for turning in a minimum of room)

i. Twin Engine Direct Drive

To rotate clockwise, set both throttles at idle; engage the port engine forward and the starboard engine reverse, at the same time. To turn counter clockwise, put starboard forward and port reverse.

To control the rate of the turn, put the shifters in the neutral position to slow down and back into forward/reverse to continue.

To stop the rotation, reverse the shifters. If the port is forward, switch into reverse and switch the starboard from reverse into forward. You have to anticipate the movement of the boat, and put both sides into neutral before she stops turning, or you will start to rotate in the other direction.

Note: if there is a current or wind, you may have to engage the downwind engine more than the upwind engine or add a little throttle on the downwind side to hold your position.

ii. Twin Engine I/O

This is one of the times when you do need to use the wheel. To rotate clockwise, turn the wheel to starboard and engage the portside engine forward just long enough for the boat to start turning.

As the bow begins to shift to starboard, put the port engine in neutral. Turn the wheel all the way to port and engage the starboard engine in reverse. This has two effects; it stops the boat from moving forward and continues the rotation.

Put the starboard engine in neutral, turn the wheel to starboard and put the port side engine in forward and continue alternating in this manner to complete the turn.

To rotate counter clockwise, follow the same technique turning the wheel to port and engaging the starboard side engine in forward. Whenever you want to stop the turn, simply reverse the engines.

Note 1: Do not turn the wheel while either engine is engaged, only when both are in neutral. Otherwise you cause the boat to swing out in an exaggerated way and can lose control of your turn.

Note 2: This same technique works with single engine direct drive, I/O and outboard motor boats. Since you cannot change from port side engine to starboard, you simply switch from forward to reverse on the single engine. Again, do not engage the engine when turning the wheel or you will cause unwanted swings.