Carver Owners Forum

The funny handling a twin screw in board vs an out drive is understanding what works and why. The put drive actually uses the prop to steer as it turns with the outdrive. Seems easy, but I can literally walk my 30 foot carver sideways using the gears, throttles and rudder position. Turn rudders in the opposite direction of the dock, hit reverse till the boat just begins to move, them bump in forward. The stern will shift in the direction of the dock, then go foward with just the outterms engine. She walks sideways. Gotta play with it, but makes you look like a seasoned skipper! Wind and current change everything. So....

Early on I did use the drives by turning the wheel when docking. After a couple of seasons I quit using the wheel and just used the throttles. Everyone says that with the inboards to use the throttles and leave the wheel alone. I need to try to learn how to walk the boat sideways using the rudders and throttles like you posted above.

Danno66 wrote:Source of the post The funny handling a twin screw in board vs an out drive is understanding what works and why. The put drive actually uses the prop to steer as it turns with the outdrive. Seems easy, but I can literally walk my 30 foot carver sideways using the gears, throttles and rudder position. Turn rudders in the opposite direction of the dock, hit reverse till the boat just begins to move, them bump in forward. The stern will shift in the direction of the dock, then go foward with just the outterms engine. She walks sideways. Gotta play with it, but makes you look like a seasoned skipper! Wind and current change everything. So....

Ok, I just got back from the boat and it's either the sun or the beer but can you dumb that down just a bit... I get it, but I'm having a hard time seeing it in my head. My biggest fear is docking up at a side dock like all our restaurants downtown have here. I had a single outboard prior to this and could come in at an angle moving forward and turn at the last minute and walk the ass end in, can't imagine doing that with this 3007

Yeah it sounds more complicated than it is. I disagree with those who say leave the rudders alone and only use gears and throttles. But a point to remember is the rudder does little to steer in teverse. Btw...I learned this all from a guy with a single engine trawler. He used the rudder to move the stern.

Picture the boat sitting still with the dock on the starboard side (to the right) . To leave, I want the stern to move away from the dock, or to the left. To kick the stern directly away from the dock, go hard right rudder, hit reverse till the boat just begins to move, then bump into forward (all at idle). The props pushing water against the hard right rudder will kick the stern to the left with rhe boat only moving a few feet front and back.

The key thing here is it is all about the props pushing water against the rudders and NOT the rudders moving through the water lIke noral steenage whill under way. A completely different dinamic.

It may take a few for ward to reverse moves to get the stern really moving, but then you can go starboard engine forward, port engine reverse to kick the bow away from the dock. Keep this process going and you will walk sideways.

Again, your rudder is your friend, but you need to know what happens when the prop pushes a burst of water against it. With twins it can be significant if you are not afraid to work the throttles. This is how the big single engine trawlers with no thrusters maneuver in tight quarters. Twins makes it easier, but out rudders are smaller so the thrust against the rudder is less dramatic.

Make sense?

When coming to a dock, I generally use the same technique. I put the bow close to where I want it, then go hard rudder away from the dock (if the dock is on the right, I go hard left rudder. Keep the forward/reverse action going to keep the stern kicking toward the dock. Go port forward, starboard reverse to keep the bow close to the dock.

It takes practice because in close quarters it can be a lot going on very quickly. Practice to you don't have to think too much, but once you have the rudders in the correct position, it's all about gears and throttles.

Dan that is about the best "dumb" down comment I've seen when it comes to something like this. I will be on my way to some islands here in the Lake Erie way this week and will have to give some of this maneuvering a try before I go! Thanks.

How did it go?

When I am coming into or departing from my marina I use only the shifters because coming in to my slip I have to make a 90* left turn followed by a 90* right turn ending up with a 90* left turn into my slip. I don't think walking the boat sideways will help me much in that situation.

I can see where there would be situations where being able to "walk" the boat sideways would be easier that more traditional docking methods. I will have to print up the previous instructions and try to learn that process next season.

Like I posted earlier in this thread my previous boat had twin I/O's. Early on I would turn the wheel when in a docking situation. By about my 3rd year of owning that boat I started using only throttles and shifters when maneuvering in docking situations. I never touched the wheel and I got very good at it.

Having inboards now is a learning situation for me. I have gotten better but still have a lot of room for improvement. In my current situation at my marina with the 3 90* turns I prefer to set the rudders and wheel in the middle and use only the shifters to maneuver in and out of my dock.