Why not twin kickers?

[BillE]

Crazy idea? Here is where I'm coming from. My only time at the helm of a C-Dory came when Tom (Avidmagnum) let me try C-Otter, where I noticed that at slow speeds there was a bit of "wander" to deal with, lots of constant correction needed to counteract the wind. And I've been reading hardee's posts on the virtues of twin engine maneuverability, which is only needed at slow speeds. And, I'm going to need a kicker anyway, one sufficient to move my coming C-25 (single, older, unknown reliability F150) out of potential harms way. So the idea came to me; why not two smaller kickers mounted outboard for maneuverability when docking? I see cost and weight and a crowded transom as the drawbacks, but would one gain the benefits of twins when docking and working against wind and/or current?
I've never seen or heard of this so it's probably a foolish idea, but I'm willing to expose my foolishness here! Any thoughts?

[BillE]

And is there any way to remotely control two small outboards? I may have just answered my own question there.

[Fairbro]

You will encounter all kinds of chalenges in docking. There is no magic single solution that will erase occasional embarrassment. I have found that the best cure although the least studied and least expensive is also the least practiced: Study and Practice.

[DW]

[BillE]

Yes of course, but boaters buy thrusters for a reason. Some want any help available.

[Fairbro]

Thrusters are wonderful. Practice is a lot less expensive though. You would still have to practice with them in strong current and windy conditions. Not a lot different than flying though I suppose.

[thataway]

The twin kickers will probably not stop wandering. Twin screw inboard power boats have that problem, as well as single screw outboards.

Agree, the rigging would be way too complicated--and expensive--

A good way to practice is to take your boat hook, tie a fender to each end, and go out on a windless day (no current) practice docking next to the floating fenders. Then try it on a windy day...Practice makes....

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

[hardee]

Without remote controls for the Twins (kickers) it would probably not work (well). You need to be able to feather the speeds of either the forward or reverse engine to make your boat do the twist. But there is always this. At a slip in Friday Harbor I have seen 2 boats with sets of twins. Yes, a set of twin 250 side by side and a set of something like 15s mounted on the outside. The twin kickers had controls in the cockpit.

This was on a 27 - 30 foot boat, like an Ocean Roamer or equivalent and he was using them to back into his slip. As you can imagine, I complimented him on his use of twins

Harvey
SleepyC

[rogerbum]

A couple of comments.

Avidmagnum's boat is a 22, you're getting a 25. The 25 will handle a bit differently than the 22 due to the increased size and mass, it will get blown around a bit less.

Many have responded as if you were experiencing prop walk but from your post, it would appear that the "wander" you refer to is the tendency of the wind to push the boat around. This is a bit of a problem for these relatively flat bottomed boats when docking as there isn't a lot of boat below the water to prevent the wind from pushing it around. This is especially a problem when the wind is slightly off center of head on as the bow is easily turned. While there are technical solutions to this, they all cost money and are not (IMO) necessary for a boat of this size/complexity. As others have intimated, with practice one can dock these boats under most any condition - it's just not that hard.

That said, a cheaper (and probably more useful) technical solution for docking would be a remote controlled bow mounted electric trolling motor.

[Avidmagnum12]

A couple more comments:

While I had a 22 the boat that Bill ran was my 25. I’ve found that many people that are new to the boat oversteer. This is corrected with more time at the helm. What was that word... practice?

Most 25’s are heavy in the stern, the C-Otter is with one kicker.

My advice....relax and enjoy your new purchase. Take it out on nice days at first. Don’t make a lot of changes till you get to know your boat.

Build your confidence over time docking. Learning is half the fun.

Time to go fishing... Tom

[South of Heaven]

Bill: Two kickers sounds like overkill. But check out this product. It's a wireless stern thruster and needs no modification to the hull. Pretty neat unit! Im considering it for my boat. About $2k.

https://youtu.be/gaZnZD2EmL4

https://www.dockstarthrusters.com

[thataway]

[BillE]

C-Otter also has the coolest cockpit covering around! Hey guys, I know I need to learn to drive the boat, and I'm also aware that it was me as much as the boat who was "wandering". I'm just speculating online while I wait for my boat to arrive, and I always enjoy hardee's advocacy of Twins, so I thought that I would throw the idea out there.
Also a bit appealing is the fact that I can carry a 4 to 6 HP outboard but would prefer not to be manhandling an 8 or 9.9 or bigger, So, the idea of two lighter outboards that would be helpful when docking came to mind. I knew that since I had never seen it done that is was probably a no-go, but we got something else to talk about, anyway.

But back to hardee's method of locked wheel and using opposing throttles, it does seem that one might not need any steering for those hypothetical twins used as thrusters but only the remote throttles, while still having steering on the main engine.

[hardee]