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Twin 454's more difficult to pilot than my old single 454.

N

nightstalker

Regular Contributor
I gotta be the worst pilot on the sea. I never had any trouble docking my old lobster boat with a single 454. My new rig has duel 454's and I'm all over the place heading to the dock. On my old vessel, I'd simply put the boots to her throttle, get water flowing past the rudder and glide her right in anywhere. With these twins, I'm throwing um in forward, reverse, playing with the throttles and spinning her all over the place. Maybe, I should just run one when I'm docking, or better yet, shut um both down and row her in.
Nightstalker
 
I went from a 25' single 350 to a 35' with twin 454 and found the new boat easier to dock than the single 350. It just took a bit to get the hang of the trottles after that i can walk in sidways. yesterday down to one engine and it was almost impossible to dock i was puckering......Just play out in the water you will like it.
 
Hey, NS, you gotta learn a few new tricks, and unlearn a few old ones:

1. Put the rudder in "neutral" and leave it there.

2. Keep your hands off those throttles! You do everything with the shifters ONLY.

After running a single screw inboard--the toughest boat there is to dock--this will become a piece of cake. I'll bet you nail your next ten dockings without a single hitch.


Jeff

PS: I put my new, twin screw boat into the gas dock the first time I ran here without a problem. (Brag, brag!)
 
Great advice on here. I found with my boat NO Throttle and just using shifters along with a SLOW approach is the ticket! Took a couple of times and now people think I have been doing it all my life!
 
I run a 50 foot Gibson with two 454 CIDs. I also run a single screw sailboat. They both maneuver fine. One thing I can say; a twin screw with one engine out is not the same as a single screw. The one engine is off center by some good amount. Turning into a wind off the starboard with the port engine out is almost impossible unless you are well under way. The first time I took my boat out (22 years ago) I had to come back on one engine. No experience, one engine and a little wind got everyone in the marina worried. I finally made it in. Found that the shifter was not in neutral consequently it would not start.

We all learn. Hang in there, I am sure you will like the twin screw.

Chuck Hanson
 
One other thing about slow docking....NOTHING aboard happens so fast except for some emergencies. Take your time and use those transmissions.
 
Slow is the way to go.

I occasionally practice one engine off docking, just to keep handy in case.... Not an easy task.

Jeff
 
took it out today (flat calm) and practiced for two hours. Throttles at idle and only only used the shifters. I got the hang of it pretty quickly once I started bumping her into and out of gear to keep her moving slow. The other thing I realized was that I didn't have the rudders in neutral position the first time I tried docking her. Thanks for the advice. I'm sure I'll get better the more I practice.
Thanks Again, ;)
Nightstalker
 
Good man! I knew you'd get the hang of it right away. Hell, anyone who has mastered a single screw inboard can dock ANYTHING!

Jeff
 
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