Manouvering a C-Dory

1TUBERIDER":1hsedgnw said:
When I am in tight places, I position my helm dead ahead and then split the throttles for directional control.
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By all means, with twins, this provides the most maneuverability and control. That 20 or 30 feet this way and that. No sweat, no problem no bumping. Center the wheel, and then use the throttles, forward and reverse, in varying degrees. You can even do a 360 pirquet on the way into the slip, just to check clearances or the sunset or whatever.

Could I do the same with a single, or one of my twins if the other quit. Well, not so gracefully. Remember, slow is your friend. A bump at double dead slow is only a bump. A bump at panic now quick, is not just a bump it is a crash and is going to leave a mark.

Practice with those twins. Spin both ways. Then try holding them in relative positions and move both forward or back together. All kids of fun combinations.

Enjoy/.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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Remember that many of these smaller twins are not counter rotating. The counter rotating, widely set engines are likely to give you far better maneuverability. (Such as found on inboard engines).

C Dory outboards are set close together. The Tom Cat should realize the advantage of widely set engines, and to some extent it does, except the two hulls act as keels and prevent as rapid maneuvering.
 
They may not be counter rotating, but they will still spin the 22 cruiser in place. Just do it easy, minimal throttle, and take the time. I have wondered if that puts any undue, or unusual stress on the transom. I would think that would be a consideration for anything other than low throttle settings, but that is really all it takes.

The new aluminum, 3 blade prop seem to cavitate more readily than the old plastic ProPulse 4 bladed ones.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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No undue stress on the transom--if you are ventilating the props, look at engine height setting. Also may be more cup in the prop blade.
 
Thanks Bob. I should have specified that it was only on the side that is in reverse. Probably has to do with the prop shape, I am guessing. Engine height is not changing form side to side or forward to reverse. I do not have Permatrims on (yet). Not sure if that would make a difference for the reverse cavitation, (ventilation).

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey
I belive the reverse cavitation you are getting is because your engines exhaust gases are thru the prop hubs, and you are sucking the gases back into the props
 
Thanks again. If it is actually ventilation, whatever the reason, it works as a limiter to how much throttle my reverse engine gets. That dictates how much forward throttle I give, too. It's all good, slow works too, and less of a bump IF.....

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Hi Martin,
I had similar circumstances a few years ago, and got a lot of good advice from the Brat-pack. You might have seen it in Gen Tech Discussions, but if not - look at low speed control and docking, dated 6 July 2009. Good luck.
Rod
 
One trick someone taught me was to come as close to motionless in the water prior to attempting to dock/maneuver. This was especially true in the Columbia. You're then given clues as to current and wind that you can apply to your maneuvering.

It wasn't until I changed boats that I realized another docking/maneuvering aide - the bow thruster.
 
My own experience started with Royal Navy training on three old wooden U-boat tenders. They presumably went to the UK after WWII and were great for practice . Two were about 28 ft with single inboard, one with a wheel and the other with a tiller. On both the helmsman relied on a fellow crew member to work the throttle direct on the engine and shift forward/astern. One soon learned to give precise commands to avoid hard docking situations. The tiller boat was a dream. The third boat was about a 36 with a single diesel and bucket steering. The clam shells around the prop could be steered to turn the boat. Forward and astern was accomplished by cranking wildly on a handle in the centre of the wheel that swung the clam shells, directing water flow forward or aft.

After that experience I was allowed to practice on all sorts of craft, sailboats with fixed props or outboards, single inboards on displacement hulls, twins on planing hulls and variable pitch props as well as Arneson drives with surface piercing props etc. etc.

I have owned twin inboards, a single I/O, single outboard and now twin outboards. When I first got this boat I assumed that the twins would be like the twin inboards and tried working as others have suggested, leaving the helm amidships and working the throttles. This works fine when there is little current or wind to contend with. On many occasions however there was simply not enough torque arm to pull the bow up into the wind given the shallow draft and high sail area of a CD. In my original slip I didn't have the option to pull in stern first which would have been a big help and there were some embarrassing and scary moments.

One day a guy from the slip opposite mine came over after I had docked. He had a similar boat and seemed to dock without problem. His advice was to use the helm going forward. Turning hard to port meant cranking hard over and giving throttle on the starboard motor. Pull the stern to starboard by cranking the wheel all the way over and go astern on the port motor. I tried it and life has been a lot more relaxing since. It may not work for anyone else but it works for me. I spent some hours practicing and got a good workout spinning the wheel. My 'advisor' told me I should get a spinning knob on the wheel. He apparently teaches small boat handling for the Police and rescue boat coxswains up here. It seems that the RIBs with twin 225's have the same problem in wind when trying to come alongside in rough weather.

I have loved handling boats that others have hated and hated boats that others thought handled like a dream. When I first handled twin inboards going astern it seemed intuitive to face the stern and work the shifts behind my back. Others don't seem to like that. I can ride a bicycle with no hands on the handlebars but I can't ride with my hands crossed and holding the bars. I prefer beer in a thin glass and not from a frosty mug or out of the bottle (can is OK). I really do think this is finally "What works for you......." and that we should try lots of option.
 
"When I first handled twin inboards going astern it seemed intuitive to face the stern and work the shifts behind my back.
Only way to do it! Plus then you have excellent visibility---even with the single engine, stand up and face aft when reversing....
 
chimoii wrote:

"When I first handled twin inboards going astern it seemed intuitive to face the stern and work the shifts behind my back."

This really sounds awkward, of course.

Ideally, the wheel should be on a pedestal, accessible from either the front or back, and with the throttles/shift levers on top.

This way, you can stand at the front or back of the pedestal, facing forward or aft, and operate the boat comfortably without wishing you were an octopus! :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Joe,
With twin inboards and backing you don't use the wheel. You don't need to see the shifters, and you don't use the throttles (may set the RPM up slightly--but usually do it in fast idle.)

I did it with one hand on the shifters. On my boat (which happens to be for sale currently--again--the shifters are one binnacle and the throttles on the other. It is very intuitive to stand aft of the console and face aft, using one hand on the shifters only. This is the way that most larger sport fishing boat skippers handle the boat in reverse.

Only one hand required--the handles of the shifters are only a few inches apart.
 
thataway":3l3nwi9a said:
Joe,
With twin inboards and backing you don't use the wheel. You don't need to see the shifters, and you don't use the throttles (may set the RPM up slightly--but usually do it in fast idle.)

I did it with one hand on the shifters. On my boat (which happens to be for sale currently--again--the shifters are one binnacle and the throttles on the other. It is very intuitive to stand aft of the console and face aft, using one hand on the shifters only. This is the way that most larger sport fishing boat skippers handle the boat in reverse.

Only one hand required--the handles of the shifters are only a few inches apart.
Click to expand...

Bob-

I was describing how I would design a boat for simplified operation, placing the wheel and controls for ease of operation in reverse mode.

Thanks!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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