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I have never done that, and wouldn’t really like to try it. But I have had the original 50hp Nissan stall a bunch of times as I was coming into the slip. Not having the motor thrust while turning makes a huge difference. If boat didn’t have motor steering, then I guess I would figure it out and make it work. I think with a smaller motor (under 10hp) steering thrust wouldn’t be that strong anyways.

Me.. in VERY SLOW conditions..
Motor .. on..
Rudders full down...
Dagger board down..
(ie: docking in tight..)

Sometimes we motor down the Thames river .. next to the club...
If I idle down it.. I will drop rudders/dagger board..
River is VERY deep.. 18-25ft..
Anything over 4-5mph.. rudders/DB up


AD

With a 26S, a 9.9 hp Evinrude.
I use both and have the scars on the rudder to prove it.

If u ever git into a position where ur motor is iffy heading into a tight situation always carry a 1 gal can of baked beans , chomp down hurriedly cold is fine but the hotter the better heat produces a more powerful blast & u can now go ahead with directional Fart Power but u need to b aware that reverse thrust can b problematic so Ray tell,s me & oxygen mask maybe required depending on wind direction

Just sayin Thats all

J

I always carry one around for low wind conditions

I absolutely LOVE the way this thread came out in the end...

Agree. What a blast.

Why am I always the weird one on this site??

I use the motor in the locked position quite a bit. I may be lazy. It's just that I like having the boat ready for sailing ASAP. As soon as I get some cloth in the air I want to tilt the motor out of the water and I do not like to tilt the motor if it's connected to the steering because the motor flops to one side or the other and makes steering harder. So, I just lock it up as soon as I leave the dock. We don't motor much under 6 knots - we sail mostly when going that slow.

Entering the marina under sail all boards down ballast full and motor ALWAYS locked forward I just push the button to tilt the motor into the water and let it push us along on otto the pilot as I take the sails down. The rudders seem to work just fine - no need to connect the motor to the wheel . When we are approaching a dock or slip I will open the helm seat and stand on the first step in the motor well - connect the motor to the steering (we have the speedy connector) and idle the boat to a crawl and drift it into the dock or if it's a slip I back it in and at idle the boat turns like it's on rails if you go backwards. Standing on that back step makes backing easy and makes it easy for me to step on the dock when going backwards (most the time) not always.

It is very different than my old Aquarius that had a rudder in front of the motor under the boat. The M boat maneuvers much better in reverse because having the rudders enter the water before the prop gives more control. That's why boats with the rudder well forward of the prop maneuver so well. (Like the Aquarius 23).

Power boat people use lots of cool throttle tricks to power the boat into the dock - I never learned that stuff - we never did much power boating. In fact we sailed into slips and docks most of the time. I am pretty lousy with a motor.

Not weird at all (well, on this subject anyway ). Just different circumstances. I use a very similar process, I just don't have a significant marina area to work with. It seems that the general point is, the tightest maneuvering is done using directional thrust from the outboard (motor steering connected). I disconnect motor steering when I get out in the bay and start raising sails. I reconnect it on the way back in after getting the sails down. From the river, the turn into the marina and ramp area are such tight spots, I use the motor with steering connected. If it's really windy, I've been known to back the boat out to the river with the motor thrust leading the way.

Or, maybe we're both weird...

(Good to hear from you by the way!)

NiceAft wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 6:01 pm I disagree with rudders up and daggerboard down. Under 6pmh, daggerboard down AND at least one rudder down. I usually go for two down. Also, ballast full. If going into a slip, it’s done in reverse, easier to control an that way.

As to disconnecting the outboard, I know nothing of that subject. Never interested in a disconnect feature. There are times where I need to quickly start the engine and get out of a situation. I want the extra maneuverability of the motor changing the direction of thrust.

I wonder if I should have put the daggerboard and possibly the rudders down today.

I came down an L shaped channel and tried to back into a finger slip with another boat already in. The current and the wind pushed me a good bit and after 8 or 9 attempts I gave up and docked at a nearby marina at the outer dock. Incoming weather was only making it worse.

I’m going to try again at low tide tomorrow.

In my attempts today I had full ballast but only used the motor. No daggerboard or rudders. I felt like reverse with my 50hp was overpowered by the current and wind.

Should I be using the daggerboard and rudders?

(Prior to this docking clown show we had a successful morning out anchoring on the first try )

green wrote: ↑Fri Jul 08, 2022 6:52 pm Should I be using the daggerboard and rudders?

YES

ALWAYS use full fins down unless there is shallow water concerns. ALWAYS.

And I assume your rudders and motor are both connected to steering.

These boats have high freeboard and wind will blow them sideways. Anything you can put into the water for "bite" will keep you on course. Both rudders and full dagger is the only way I dock. (until I'm pulling up to the trailer..then I pull dagger at the last minute).

Also....going too slow will alow wind to overpower the fins. So if there is a lot of wind, don't come in super slow like a keel boat would.

Good luck next time. It will get easier.

Success! It took a few approaches but I had much more control with the dagger board and rudders down.

I just use the rudder except in a pinch. The motor can be turned such that it can help turn the boat sharply to port, but not so much to starboard.

I use engine, both rudders, center-board/swing-board (whatever we call it) down for maximum control.
I have to do a 3 point turn to get my nose into my slip.
With the lower lake levels, I often get my center-board/swing-board (whatever we call it) in the mud while backing forcing me to pull it up.
Major difference even at super slow speeds.

leefrankpierce wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:57 am I use engine, both rudders, center-board/swing-board (whatever we call it) down for maximum control.
I have to do a 3 point turn to get my nose into my slip.
With the lower lake levels, I often get my center-board/swing-board (whatever we call it) in the mud while backing forcing me to pull it up.
Major difference even at super slow speeds.

Yeah, I learned the hard way about trying to back up in shallow water while sailing in Lake Travis near Austin. Ended up breaking the centerboard cable, which I did not realize until later. Also broke my rudder cable in that same area of the lake. Nice to know that BWY is there and ready to ship replacements for a reasonable price.