[Rhodes22-list] Tight Turns To Port With The Wind Astern

[Saroj]

Roger,

I may not be following you correctly, but if I did this, my rudder would get
hit by the motor prop blade and chewed up.  What am I missing?

(Thought I'd ask in case I ever find myself in this situation.)

I ditto you in docking the boat with lines instead of the motor.

Thanks,
Saroj
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger Pihlaja" <cen09402@centurytel.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 7:02 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Tight Turns To Port With The Wind Astern


> David,
>
> Sorry to say this, but it sounds to me like your docking technique may
have
> contributed to your engine failure.  Repeatedly shifting from
> forward-reverse-forward is very hard on an engine.  It's also a very
> difficult way to turn a boat around, sort of the technique of last resort.
> However, it sounds like you have one of the most docking difficult
> situations; strong wind astern, right hand prop, & tight turn to port into
a
> narrow slip - YUCK!  Dynamic Equilibrium can make this turn under these
> conditions in about 1.5 - 2 boatlengths by putting the rudder tiller hard
> over to starboard & the engine tiller hard over to port with the engine at
> full throttle in reverse.  Please note that you will have to disconnect
your
> rudder to motor steering linkage in order to perform this maneuver.  The
> boat would need to be traveling at a starting velocity of about 3 knots
> forward in order to pull this maneuver off.  So, your situation sounds
like
> it's right on the ragged edge of the performance envelope.  Before you try
> this, make sure you have done everything possible to reduce your windage,
> particularly at the bow.  Remember that you must maintain forward velocity
> in order to have any steering control.  Although it can be daunting in a
> crowded marina with the wind howling, if you are going to attempt this
kind
> of turn; then, this is not the time to be timid.  I think I would setup
some
> fenders for marker buoys out in open water & practice this maneuver before
> trying it in the marina.  I know this manuever sounds radical, but try it.
> You may get to like it & it will be a whole lot easier on your engine.
>
> You might consider finding a different slip for next season.  For example,
a
> slip right across from you would be better.  A tight turn to starboard in
> this situation is much easier than to port.
>
> If it were my boat & I were being more cautious, I think I would pull up
to
> the end of the finger pier, port side to the pier.  I would either put out
> fenders on the port side amidships or mount a suitable bumper on the
corner
> of my pier.  I would loosely tie off amidships & use a bow line to warp
the
> bow around into the slip.  No muss - no fuss.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Keyes, David" <dkeyes@velaw.com>
> To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 1:29 AM
> Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Small temporary replacement motor; Yamaha 9.9
> accident
>
>
> > Rik--thanks for your information about the Evinrude 4.5.  Do you link it
> > with the tiller, or are you doing tight turning with one hand on the
> tiller
> > and one on the motor?
> >
> > Ed--The electric trolling motor sounds interesting, and I will look at
> them
> > for temporary use--if the power is enough whils still being light,
simple
> > and reasonably economical.   Not being a fisher, I have never seen one.
> >
> > Yamaha 9.9 experiences--I am on a large lake, but the winds can easily
be
> > steady at 25-30 miles per hour, winds howling through the spars and
> rigging
> > of the boats tied at dock, with heavier gusts, blowing onshore towards a
> > rocky coast just about two boat lengths past my slip as I have to return
> by
> > making a 90-degree sharp turn to port into a narrow slip (10 feet wide,
> > probably, no more), when the "alley way" down between the boats before I
> > make my turn is no more than about two boat lengths.  I have to
alternate
> > between forward (at minimum idle speed) and neutral (mostly neutral) not
> to
> > be coming in too fast, and then have to alternate forward, neutral and
> > reverse just to kick the stern around and turn sharply enough into the
> slip.
> > Leaving the dock to go out on the lake can be the reverse of this
> situation.
> > In the summers, the wind blows offshore, and everything is easier.
> >
> > My experience with the Yamaha 9.9 over the past year and one-half has
been
> > that it can maneuver successfully the above challenges (when the gears
and
> > throttle don't jam as they did in November, first into reverse rocketing
> > towards the sterns and motors of the boats behind me after I had almost
> made
> > it into my slip but had to reverse due to being blown too much to
> starboard
> > to enter the slip properly), and in the nick of time forceably hitting
> > forward and rocketing into the concrete and steel part of the dock
between
> > the inner-most slip and the rocky shore).  However, no outboard motor on
a
> > sailboat, set off as it is to one side of the rudder, seems to give the
> > steering maneuverabilty for tight turns of a motor boat or a larger
> sailboat
> > with an inboard motor.  Of course in no wind or very light winds, I can
go
> > in and out perfectly and think I finally have the technique figured out.
> > Even in stronger winds, if not blowing directly onshore, docking
sometimes
> > works out just right, as if I were a skilled master at this.  But some
> > owners tell me that they will not take their boats out at all if there
is
> a
> > strong onshore wind--and I may listen to them next time.
> >
> > I don't get the full benefit of the 9.9 heading out of close quarters
into
> > open waters, where I could open to full throttle.  This is because I
don't
> > feel that the steering is stable enough at full speed using the R22
tiller
> > linkage.  The motor is at that time either connected to the tiller,
which
> > doubles the turning torque (sailboat rudder plus motor steering) or,
more
> > normally, is disconnected by removing the pin to let the tiller do all
the
> > steering but relying on the motor to stay put by itself in a straight
> > position (requiring proper advance adjustment of a screw to control
effort
> > needed to turn the motor).  To avoid sudden swerving one way or the
other,
> I
> > slow down to, say, half throttle or less anyway, where everything is
fine.
> > So I am not ever using the full power of the 9.9.  In theory, though, it
> > could come in handy in a bad storm.
> >
> > If I were doing everything again, I would buy a motor of half the power
> but
> > try to connect it to the tiller and move the controls there--like Stan's
> 9.9
> > setup--because, although I have not tried the other way, it just seems
> safer
> > and more efficient to have control in one place and be able to look
> forward
> > under motor instead of fooling around bent over the stern and trying to
> > figure out what to do as between the motor steering and the
tiller/rudder
> > steering. Having said that, I would have been a lot better off in
November
> > if I had direct controls on the motor that I could get to, rather than
> > jammed controls connected by cable on the tiller.  While the fault may
> have
> > been with the motor, if I were guessing, I would think that I increased
> > speed too much in reverse trying to avoid hitting the dock on the
> starboard
> > side of my slip, and almost immediately had to (in high wind) avoid a
> > collision to stern with boats behind.  I probably (but this is just a
> > guess--it all happened so fast) tried to force the gear shift into
forward
> > while still not having slowed the throttle to neutral.  There is
probably
> a
> > safety feature preventing switching gears except at idle or low speed.
By
> > forcing the motor into forward I probably jammed or bent cable
connectors
> > where they enter the gear area on the motor.  Once that happened, I was
> > stuck in forward and at high speed.  Welcome to the dock ahead.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Kroposki [mailto:kroposki@innova.net]
> > Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 11:20 PM
> > To: 'The Rhodes 22 mail list'
> > Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Small temporary replacement motor
> >
> >
> > David,
> >        Did you catch the line in Rik's email about Stan using an
> > electric trolling motor?
> >              Ed K
> >
> >
> >
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