Should possibly make this a poll thread..... However, just curious how many of you who trailer your Macs, reverse out from the dock with rudders and centerboard down. I tend to do both.
If I am familiar with the boat ramp and am confident of the depth I will reverse out with rudders down and partial centerboard. If I'm not familiar with the ramp depth I tend to leave rudders up and partial centerboard down. This does make an obvious difference with control when reversing out. Usually a non-issue unless it's a breezy day!
Any hard lessons learned out there?
If I'm leaving the dock at the ramp, I usually have the board at least half down if possible and one or both rudders down. Of course I don't take chances: if it's shallow, I won't put the rudders down and put just a little board down. If there's any wind, the boat can be hard to control without any board down.
In terms of preventing leeway, imho, there is little difference between exposing most of the cb to the water and full down board.
You expose 95% of the board on an with about 5 inches of cb line down..I typically leave the dock with this down and rudders down unless depth limited.
If the depth finder shows I have enough depth, I will drop the rudders and 1/4 to 1/2 of the DB. This allows much better control under low speeds in the Marina. Strong current can make controlling the boat dangerous in tight spaces with just the engine.
Not positive about this, but it passes the smell test. I feel that the fully-dropped CB provides a good vertical "pivot post," to improve (shorten) the boat's turning radius. Therefore, since my ramp is deep enough, I always use full CB plus outboard motor for leaving & returning to the dock.
I've never found much benefit of using the rudders with the outboard, so I just leave rudders in the air ... less stuff to remember. I wonder if prop size has an impact on how owners feel about this ... Perhaps the 14" prop helps to make slow speed control easier, absent a rudder.
I agree that the DB/CB is the most critical element of slow speed control.
I've often had that same "pivot point" analogy floating around in my head...
While I can't remember using DB with the rudders in the air, it certainly makes sense. When I was first learning the boat, at times, I'd drop the rudders for better control and find them seriously lacking. But, then when I dropped the DB, it was like magic. So, while I can't say there isn't some interaction there, I do doubt it at the slow marina speeds we're talking about...
This is why having a DEPTH FINDER is so important...it will save the center board and rudders. Docking is so much easier with CB and rudders down, but it can end up being very costly if the depth is too shallow.
Unloading the boat with rudders and engine down can be costly too if your uncertain of the depth, or if there are big fluctuations in tide levels. Our marina is dangerous with tide levels that fluctuate significantly...
We trailer every time and until last week I always had CB & rudder (1) down too, as long as there was enough depth at the dock. Last weekend coming in where there's usually 6 feet at the dock My CB dragged bottom a few feet from the end of the dock, which wasn't a good thing since as soon as that happened I had to reverse quickly because another crazed loon jammed his boat into the dock where I was headed. I barely got out of his way in time. So from now on only half-CB coming in & leaving.
Idiots in power boats cause shoaling at the end of the ramps when they gun their engines to drive their boats up their trailers.
I have been reversing off the dock to safe turning distance then head out.
If you had 2 - 100 foot 1/2 inch dock lines, you should be able to move the boat without the motor, given not too much wind or current or traffic.
One way to do it single handed.
Where we launch, there's only 1 ramp & 1 floating dock. Approx 0-3 feet deep. Boat is backed into the water & tied off at the dock. Truck & trailer go parking. Motor is lowered and started. Depending on conditions, either someone is on the dock holding the dock line or I just jump into the boat with the line. A quick reverse and a 180 pivot and I'm out. (even without the DB down, if you're quick with the wheel you can just about pivot the boat in its own length) Next I immediately drop DB, then rudders, then check the water-ballast level. If full, they're closed.
What Harrison just descibed sounds like standard procedure for most places with the exception of water depth. Sometimes, especially at higher tides the water is deep enough to put the boards down before making way from the dock. I have colored tape on the DB line to mark a depth for the DB that is equal to the rudder depth and then drop the DB to the same depth when motoring out, even when heading in and out from my slip I do this. I also have a piece of tape to mark a depth of about 15" or so, in the event I want to track a little straighter at a slightly higher speed, say up to 3000 rpm. beyond that all boards come up. The DB really does help as a pivot point and is a bit more effective than a CB for making multiple adjustments. I have not tried launching anywhere without a dock to tie up to while parking but I do see power boats launching without the use of the dock all the time, there are usually 2-3 people involved though, and of course it is easier to climb into a shallower power boat than it is a high sided Mac.
Practice all you can and you will get to the point where you can back out of any dock with any current, waves, or winds. Learn to use the motor to control the front and the back with a turn of the motor. I can take the boat and back it out of the dock pivot and put the boat back at the dock same spot 180 degrees all with the motor only. I don't like it when people want to push the boat off the dock because it swings the boat in a unnatural way.
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Be sure to remove the rudder hold-up bolts before you put the boat in the water. It's a lot easier to do when the boat is still on the trailer.
I've replaced the bolts with 1/4" ss rigging pins, with a 2" grip, with a 1-3/16" circular pin on the inside end, so you can stick your finger in it and pull the pin out. On the outside end I use the hairpin type cotter pin instead of the circular pin. It's a lot easier to insert and remove.
When the boat is in the water, I prefer to have the board and rudders down if there is enough depth. If I'm not certain of the depth, I'll tie the rudders down by wrapping the line around the cleat in a loop, instead of a figure-eight. That way if the rudder drags it will work itself loose without breaking something.
Remember the rudders (and the centerboard on the 26X) will only kick up if you are going forward.
Unlike some, I also find having the rudders down with the motor makes a BIG difference in control. I always use at least one around docks. The outboard really has very little surface area compared to the rudders. Having them down will increase you control at slow speeds. The outboard alone is even worse in neutral. With the rudders down you have full control as you glide into the dock and can quickly hit the brakes with reverse at just the right time.
Duane Dunn, Allegro wrote:CB full down for the smallest turning circle.
Unlike some, I also find having the rudders down with the motor makes a BIG difference in control. I always use at least one around docks. The outboard really has very little surface area compared to the rudders. Having them down will increase you control at slow speeds. The outboard alone is even worse in neutral. With the rudders down you have full control as you glide into the dock and can quickly hit the brakes with reverse at just the right time.
Hi Duane,
I've had the same experience. Regarding your boat name, we encountered another Allegro this past summer up in Southeast Alaska. This Allegro was tender to an ultra fancy catamaran (I'm guessing 45' or longer) named Addaggio. We tied up in front of her at the Craig AK marina, and our Mac looked like a tender, considerably smaller than one of her hulls. Addaggio (sp?) was made in Tasmania, and she sailed from there across the Pacific. She cruised SE AK last summer, and I believe wintered in Port Angeles. I see you're from Bellevue. We're over the hill in Leavenworth. Where have you been with your boat?
with about 5 inches of cb line down..I typically leave the dock with this down and rudders down unless depth limited.
