The Instant Handbook of Boat Handling, Navigation, and Seamanship - Softcover

CALDER

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0071499105 ISBN 13: 9780071499101

Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press, 2007

Synopsis

Instant answers for your boat handling, navigation, and seamanship questions

The Instant Handbook uses a dynamic new quick-reference format to cover the critical aspects of piloting, seamanship, and boat handling under sail or power more accessibly and effectively than has ever been done before. It puts at your fingertips all the information you need about:

• Boat Handling Under Power--Bob Sweet
• Sail Trim and Rig Tuning--Bill Gladstone
• Using Nautical Charts--Bob Sweet
• Using GPS--Bob Sweet
• Using VHF and SSB Radios--Bob Sweet
• Rules of the Road and Running Light Patterns--Charlie Wing
• Knots, Splices, and Line Handling--Charlie Wing
• Anchoring--Peter Nielsen
• Onboard Weather Forecasting--Bob Sweet
• Heavy Weather Sailing--John Rousmaniere
• Diesel Engine Care and Repair--Nigel Calder
• Emergencies On Board--John Rousmaniere
• Emergency First Aid On Board--Richard Clinchy

About this title

About the Authors

John Rousmaniere is a national authority on sailing and seamanship, a household name among boaters, and a first-rate writer by any standard. He is the author of 18 books, including Fastnet, Force 10 (W.W. Norton), which has sold nearly 100,000 copies since 1980, and The Annapolis Book of Seamanship (Simon & Schuster), which is considered the standard work on seamanship under sail and has sold 250,000 copies since 1983. His other titles include a history of yachting, The Golden Pastime (W.W. Norton), two histories of the America's Cup race, and a history of the yacht America. He wrote the navigation section of the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia and compiled the Illustrated Dictionary of Boating Terms (W.W. Norton, 1998). He has written the histories of institutions such as Columbia University, The Equitable Life Assurance Company, and the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell.He lectures at Safety-at-Sea seminars across the country, writes a column on seamanship for the online magazine SailNet (www.sailnet.com), and regularly publishes articles in the boating press. He has been interviewed on the Learning Channel, A&E, and CNN. He has sailed more than 35,000 miles, including three Atlantic crossings. He holds a master's in history from Columbia University and a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological. HOMETOWN: Stamford, CT

Peter Nielsen,editor of SAIL Magazine, was previously editor of Yachting Monthly magazine in the UK. An experienced sailor who has cruised and raced worldwide, he is also the author Sailpower: Trim & Techniques for Cruising Sailors (2004).Hometown: Marblehead, MA

Richard A. Clinchy, III, PhD, EMT-P, has been involved in emergency medical services in either a full-time or volunteer capacity for over 40 years. Dr. Clinchy provides training assistance or train-the-trainer programs for services or military units wishing to implement the FAST1 intraosseous device. He has been involved in EMS education, consulting, lecturing and provision of emergency care in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. From 1991 to 2004, he was founder and chairman of The American College of Prehospital Medicine. He is the developer of the Dive/First Responder network, a former professional firefighter and public safety officer, a certified hyperbaric technologist, a paramedic, a member of the National Association of EMS Physicians, a member and former board member of the Special Operations Medical Association, author of over 150 published articles, author, principal author or lead editor of seven books on diving and/or emergency medicine, and author of the emergency medical care chapter of the most recent edition of the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration) Diving Manual. He received the National Leadership Award from the National Association of EMT’s in 1988, and was that organization’s Instructor/Coordinator of the Year in 1989. He is a fellow of The Explorers Club, a member of The Camp Fire Club of America, and Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Department of Education as well as Deputy Director of its National Marketing Group.Hometown: Navarre, FL

John Rousmaniere is the author of The Annapolis Book ofSeamanship and a dozen other nautical books.
Bob Sweet,author of GPS for Mariners and The Weekend Navigator, is thenational education coordinator for the United States PowerSquadrons.
Charlie Wing is the author of Get Your Captain’sLicense and other boating books.
Nigel Calder, author ofBoatowner’s Mechanical Electrical Manual, among other titles, isacknowledged as the world’s foremost writer on technicalboating topics.
Bill Gladstone is the director of educationfor North Sails and has been teaching sailing for more than30 years.
Richard Clinchy, an emergency medical technicianfor more than 40 years, is a paramedic, a member of theNational Association of EMS Physicians, and past chief of theU. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Department of Education.
Peter Nielsen is the editor of SAIL magazine and the authorof Sailpower.

Charlie Wing received his Ph.D. in oceanography from MIT, where he later worked as a research scientist. Since then his career has been explaining how things work--teaching physics at Bowdoin College, founding America’s first two do-it-yourself house-building schools (the Shelter Institute and Cornerstone), hosting a PBS series on energy conservation, and writing a dozen top-selling books on home building, home maintenance, and remodeling. Wing lived aboard a cruising sailboat for six years, during which time he wrote the first edition of this book on a solar-powered Macintosh computer. He is the author of four other IM books.

From the Back Cover

Instant answers for your boat handling, navigation, and seamanship questions

The Instant Handbook uses a dynamic new quick-reference format to cover the critical aspects of piloting, seamanship, and boat handling under sail or power more accessibly and effectively than has ever been done before. It puts at your fingertips all the information you need about:

• Boat Handling Under Power--Bob Sweet
• Sail Trim and Rig Tuning--Bill Gladstone
• Using Nautical Charts--Bob Sweet
• Using GPS--Bob Sweet
• Using VHF and SSB Radios--Bob Sweet
• Rules of the Road and Running Light Patterns--Charlie Wing
• Knots, Splices, and Line Handling--Charlie Wing
• Anchoring--Peter Nielsen
• Onboard Weather Forecasting--Bob Sweet
• Heavy Weather Sailing--John Rousmaniere
• Diesel Engine Care and Repair--Nigel Calder
• Emergencies On Board--John Rousmaniere
• Emergency First Aid On Board--Richard Clinchy

Each subject is stripped to its absolute essence. Only a panel of top nautical experts could pack such a wealth of information into such a small book. Equally valuable for home study and onboard reference, The Instant Handbook includes all the essentials and not a word more.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Instant Handbook of Boat Handling, Navigation, and Seamanship

A Quick Reference for Sail and PowerBy Nigel Calder Richard Clinchy Bill Gladstone Peter Nielsen John Rousmaniere Bob Sweet Charlie Wing

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2008 International Marine
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-149910-1

Contents

Chapter One

Boat Handling Under Power

Bob Sweet

Know Your Boat

Every boat under power moves in reaction to the thrust of water discharged from its propeller. When the discharge stream is directed astern, the boat moves ahead, and vice versa.

(1) The operator of an out-board, sterndrive (inboard/out-board or I/O), or jet-drive boat steers by directing the discharge stream from side to side—and that makes these boats highly maneuverable as long as the engine is engaged.

(2) In boats powered by a conventional inboard gas or diesel engine, the propeller is mounted on a fixed shaft, so the boat must be steered solely by means of a rudder. Add a second engine, however, and the engines and steering working in concert make the boat highly maneuverable, as we'll see.

The following table is for comparative purposes. Any production boat will handle sufficiently well provided you adapt your handling techniques to your boat's tendencies rather than trying to fight them.

1. with engine in gear—does not respond to helm when engine is in neutral

2. with both engines engaged ahead or astern

Slow-Speed Maneuvering

A powerboat turns on a center of rotation that is typically about one-third of the way from the bow to the stern (1A).

In effect, your boat's propulsion system pushes the stern away from the turn so the bow will rotate into it, and the stern swing is wider than the bow swing. Also, due to its momentum, your boat slides into a turn rather than carving it like a car on a curve (2).

You need to be aware of these effects or you are likely to strike with your stern the very boat or dock you turned your bow away from (3). In time you will learn what clearances your boat requires for turns at various speeds and in various conditions of wind and current.

In reverse, a powerboat's pivot point typically moves to about two-thirds of the way from the bow to the stern, so the bow now swings more widely (1R).

The pivot point on a sailboat is more nearly amidships (1C).

Single-Engine Inboard

A single-engine (single-screw) inboard powerboat depends on its rudder for steering. When the engine is in forward gear, the rudder turns the boat by deflecting the prop discharge (often called "wash") as well as the current created by the boat's motion. At slow speeds the boat depends heavily on prop wash for steering control; the smaller the rudder, the more true this is.

The propeller also produces a small side thrust that pushes the stern to port or starboard. Most boats use a "right-handed" prop, which turns clockwise in forward gear when viewed from astern, pushing the stern to starboard. Take your cue from the direction the blades are moving at the top of the swing; that's the direction of this so-called prop walk. Prop walk will give your boat a tighter turn to port than to starboard in forward gear.

When you put the single engine in reverse, however, the direction of side thrust also reverses, and the impact is greater in reverse than in forward since the propeller is not as efficient in reverse. To compound the problem with a single-screw inboard, in reverse there is no prop wash on the rudder to help with steering. To counter the stern moving to port, briefly shift the engine from reverse to forward and apply a brief burst of power while you steer hard to port. Then shift back to reverse. You won't make any forward headway, but the stern will kick over to starboard.

You can use prop walk to help you make a slow closequarters turn to starboard. First turn the wheel hard to starboard and apply a brief burst of power (1). This should turn the boat 20 degrees or more. When you start to make forward progress, apply a brief burst of reverse power (2). The resultant side thrust "walks" the stern to port, continuing the turn while slowing your forward motion. Repeat the process (3) until your turn is completed. With practice, you'll be able to turn a clockwise circle within the boat's length.

Turning counterclockwise is more difficult because prop walk—while it aids the turn in forward—opposes it in reverse.

Twin-Engine Inboard

Twin inboard engines with a rudder behind each prop make a highly maneuverable boat. Usually the starboard propeller will be right-handed and the port prop will be left-handed, so that their side thrusts cancel when both engines are in forward (1) or reverse (2). A twin-engine boat will therefore back straight when you center the rudders (absent wind or current) and is steerable at low backing speeds.

When one engine is in forward while the other is reversed (3), the side thrusts combine to make a turn even tighter. When rudder action is added, the boat can even spin within its own length.

You can often maneuver with engines alone. E.g., backing with more throttle on the port engine turns the stern to starboard (4).

On some boats, you can even slide the boat sideways. Try putting the starboard engine in reverse and the port engine ahead with left rudder.

Outboard and Sterndrive (I/O)

Single-engine outboards and sterndrives steer by turning the propeller so as to direct its discharge current. These boats permit easier steering in reverse and tighter turns than you can possibly get from a single-engine inboard.

Without a rudder, however, there is little steerage with an outboard or I/O if the propeller is not engaged. This means it's more difficult to approach a dock with the engine in neutral. Also, most outboard-and sterndrive-powered hulls are designed for planing, not slow speeds. But you soon learn how to use throttle and helm to handle the boat.

Twin outboards or stern-drives offer some of the same handling benefits as twin inboard engines, but not to the same degree, since the propellers tend to be much closer together and farther aft from the boat's center of rotation than inboard props.

Planing hulls are designed to go fast, and track better going forward than in reverse.

Jet Drives

A jet drive has no external propeller. Instead an internal impeller mounted in a tube sucks water in through a grate in the hull bottom and forces it out toward the rear to produce thrust much like a jet aircraft. Steerage is accomplished by turning a nozzle to direct the discharge. When it's time to back up, a deflector shield swings down over the nozzle outlet, directing the discharge thrust forward. This produces a small and relatively ineffective reverse that can be steered for directional control.

Jet drives operate like outboards or sterndrives with nearly instantaneous response. However, the jet drive has no steerage without power applied.

Auxiliary Sailboats

A sailboat's larger rudder makes it slightly more steerable in reverse when the boat is moving than a single-engine inboard powerboat. The sailboat's keel or centerboard will help it track through turns and provides a pivot point fixed nearer amid-ships. That means the stern kicks out less in a turn ahead, and the bow kicks out less in a turn astern.

However, a typical lack of horsepower imposes restraints. Prop walk is likely to be significant, especially in reverse. Adapting the approaches for single-engine inboards as a starting point, experiment in open water to see how your boat turns and backs. Do not expect great maneuverability under power from a boat designed primarily for sailing. Maneuver upwind or upcurrent when possible and avoid situations that might demand more precise handling than your boat can deliver.

Docking

Docking techniques depend on current and wind. Current affects all boats equally, but wind has a greater influence on a light boat with high topsides and cabin structures and a shallow underbody that offers little resistance to leeway, which describes a typical planing cruiser.

Before you dock, look at flags or ripples on the water to determine wind strength and direction. Note which way moored boats are pointing in response to current and wind—especially boats similar to yours. Or simply stop your boat at a convenient location, observe which way it drifts, and plan your docking maneuvers accordingly.

Deploy lines and fenders in advance, briefing the crew on your intentions and their roles. Leave yourself an escape route in case other boats invade your path or your approach goes awry.

The angle of your approach will depend upon the direction of the wind. For a wind blowing off the dock, you will need to increase the angle.

Single-Engine Inboard Powerboat or Auxiliary Sailboat

A port-side-to landing is most convenient, especially if you have a right-handed prop. If wind and current are negligible, approach at roughly 20 degrees, slow to bare steerageway, and just before touching turn parallel with the dock and apply a touch of reverse power. The resultant prop walk will nudge your port quarter into the dock. Have your crew step onto the dock with docklines (inboard ends cleated in advance).

When there is a significant wind or current parallel to the dock, approach into the wind (or current) if you can (1). Pass a bow line or forward spring line to a dockside helper, who will tie off the line forward of the boat (2). (If a crewmember takes the line ashore, he or she should step—not leap—onto the dock.) As the boat is pushed back by the wind or current, the line will come taut and the stern will settle in toward the dock (3).

If the wind is blowing toward the dock, turn parallel when farther out than usual and let the breeze nudge you in.

If there is a strong wind blowing off the dock, or if the available dock space is not much longer than your boat, approach at a steeper-than-normal angle and have an after spring line ready—i.e., free to run, with one end cleated at or slightly forward of amidships (1). As your bow quarter approaches the dock, have the spring line led back to a dock cleat or bollard near the "aft" end of the available space and attached there without slack (2). Now when you turn your helm away from the dock and apply gentle forward power, the resultant forces against the spring line will "warp" the boat into the dock (3).

If forced to dock with wind or current behind you, approach at a shallow angle (1) and get your stern line or after spring line fast to the dock quickly (2). Gentle forward power with starboard helm (assuming a port-side landing) will hold the stern against the dock while you get the other lines ashore (3).

Outboard and Sterndrive (I/O) Boats

Generally you can use the single-engine inboard docking techniques just described. There is an additional technique with the wind off the dock or when fitting your boat into a short space. As your bow approaches the dock (1), apply a little reverse power while turning the wheel toward the dock to stop your forward motion (2). Now lead a bow line fast to the dock. Backing against the bow line with the wheel to port will move the stern in (3).

When docking with wind or current from behind (1), hold the boat in a fixed position by applying just the right power in reverse (2). The bow will simply point downwind or downcurrent, and steering gently toward the dock moves the boat sideways to its destination (3).

Twin-Engine Inboard

Adapt the twin-engine techniques described earlier to the docking techniques for a single- engine inboard. A twin-engine boat is more maneuverable and thus easier to dock, and the absence of propeller side thrust means you can land on your port or starboard side with equal ease. You can dock using engines alone to maneuver your boat, but rudders may help.

Departing the Dock—All Boats

In the absence of wind or current and with plenty of room ahead, simply ease forward and away from the dock, turning gently so as not to clip it with your stern quarter.

If the wind or current is ahead of you or off the dock, untie the bow and let it swing clear. Then apply forward power, steering to keep your stern quarter clear.

When the wind or current is directly on the dock, pinning you to it, cast off all docklines except your after-bow spring line (1). Make sure you have fenders in place. Turn your helm toward the dock and apply gentle forward power against the spring line, and your stern should swing away from the dock (2). Now release the spring and you should be able to back clear (3). This method also works when the wind or current is pushing you from behind.

(Hint: If you double the spring line around a dock cleat or bollard, with both ends aboard the boat, you can recover it from the boat simply by releasing one end and pulling in the other.)

To clear a tight berth going ahead rather than astern, back down on a forward quarter spring line with your helm centered (1). The forces working against the restraining line will swing your bow out (2). Then apply forward power, recover your spring line, and proceed (3).

Docking in a Slip

When entering a slip bow first, aim toward the inner corner with slow steerageway, fenders deployed, until your bow quarter almost kisses the dock (1). Then apply light reverse power to halt your forward progress and get a bow line around a cleat or post at the inner end of the slip (2). Another burst of reverse power with helm toward the dock will pull the stern in (3), either from the directed thrust of an outboard or sterndrive or the prop walk of an inboard. With a twin-engine boat, use the engine away from the dock.

Backing in is more challenging, especially in a single-engine inboard boat or auxiliary sailboat. Get properly aligned in front of the slip. Punctuate your backing with brief bursts of power ahead under port or starboard helm to get back on course without halting sternway. If necessary, pull out and realign your boat for another attempt. Have docklines ready, and don't hesitate to use them to warp yourself in.

Backing into a slip can be challenging. As soon as you touch, have a crewmember or dockhand tie a stern line, and then use gentle forward power to pull you to the dock.

Handling at Cruising Speeds

Most boats handle best when running more or less "on their lines"—i.e., parallel with their at-rest waterline. A slight bow-up trim will increase the efficiency of a planing hull, but excessive bow-up trim increases slamming in a chop and impedes visibility ahead. A little bow-down trim can give a more comfortable ride and better steering at slow speeds or in a chop but may also increase spray and might cause "bow steering" or even bury the bow at cruising speeds in following seas.

Trimming Your Drives

Outboards and sterndrives typically provide a powered adjustment for the trim angle of the drive unit. When the drive is trimmed "out"—i.e., away from the transom—the bow will rise. When the drive is trimmed "in," the bow falls.

Generally you will trim the drive in for steering, visibility, and wave-handling at slower speeds unless you need some "bow-up" trim to counterbalance weight in the bow. Drive-in trim will also help you accelerate to a plane by lifting the stern. Once on plane you will probably want to trim the drive out, but if you go too far, the bow may begin to porpoise up and down. Trim in until the porpoising stops.

Using Trim Tabs

A trim tab is a hinged plate mounted at each side of the transom's bottom edge. When a tab (or "flap") is in the raised position—flush with the bottom—it has little effect. When it is lowered, it lifts its side of the stern and depresses the opposite bow. The angle of the flap is controlled hydraulically from a pair of rocker switches at the helm. Since each trim tab can be controlled separately, you can adjust side-to-side as well as fore-and-aft trim.

When both tabs are trimmed down, the stern will rise and the bow will drop. This can be essential for getting an inboard boat to plane and can also augment a trimmed-in outboard or sterndrive. Once on plane, adjust the tabs to suit. Raise them to decrease drag, keep the bow up in a following sea, or fall off plane again; or lower them slightly to maintain planing at a lower speed or to reduce slamming in a chop.

With both trim tabs down, the stern of the boat is lifted, which helps get it on plane. This is particularly helpful with inboard engines. Used in concert with the drive trim on an outboard or I/O, it gives you added flexibility.

If your boat is unevenly loaded, you can level it side-to-side using one trim tab. Similarly, if you're heeling into a crosswind, lower the tab on the side of the boat you want to raise. Do it incrementally. Gauge the effect of the trim before you lower the tab farther.

When the Seas Build

To reduce pounding in a seaway, lower the bow to slice through the waves. Trim tabs will accomplish this while slowing the boat, possibly without falling off plane. Trimming in an outboard or sterndrive will accomplish the same thing without slowing the boat. Be careful not to trim the bow down so far that it buries itself into the back of a following sea or digs into an oncoming one.

Negotiating Rough Seas and Running Inlets

When the seas surpass what you can handle with trim adjustments alone (1), it's time to slow down and focus on steering and throttle. Treat the waves much like hills that you would rather ski around than over.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Instant Handbook of Boat Handling, Navigation, and Seamanshipby Nigel Calder Richard Clinchy Bill Gladstone Peter Nielsen John Rousmaniere Bob Sweet Charlie Wing Copyright © 2008 by International Marine. Excerpted by permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0071499105
• ISBN 13: 9780071499101
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240