Boat Handling Techniques

[BobT]

I understand that hull and boat design and weight play a huge role but would anyone be interested in sharing their boating knowledge? When it comes to handling rough water, especially those 3’- 5’ choppy whitecaps that seem to beat you to death, what are some of the techniques you have found work best? I see boats cruising at high speed on these waters all the time and I can’t help but wonder how many teeth they have left when they get to where they are going. Is it better to trim out your motor more and keep the bow higher or pull the bow down? Cut the waves diagonally or move directly with or against them?

Appreciate the advice,

Bob

[Deitz Dittrich]

Its always best to go against them in my opinion.. but your not always going that direction. Sometimes its better to go nose down, sometimes keep the nose up. It really depends on the situation and the wave hight and the distance between waves.

I think the best skill is speed control. Working the gas and punching it and letting up and the right times. I have a hotfoot in my boat and will not buy another boat without it.

[Borch]

Ditto to what Deitz said. Each situation is different. Sometimes you can cut through them and sometimes when they are really big you have to ride them to an extent.

[wayne123]

I think if there are 5 foot waves most boats should not be on the lake.

[senkoskipper]

REV MATCH AND DOWNSHIFT--DO YOU KNOW THE HEEL TOE TECHNIQUE? NEXT TIME YOU SHOULD TRY DRIFTING INTO THE WAVES FOR BETTER CORNERING.

[PikeBayCommanche]

Best advise it to get a heavy boat (Ranger of Course) and cut your way through those waves.

Aluminum boats tend to hop over the bigger ones and that is never very enjoyable.

[cold one sd]

Quote:

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REV MATCH AND DOWNSHIFT--DO YOU KNOW THE HEEL TOE TECHNIQUE? NEXT TIME YOU SHOULD TRY DRIFTING INTO THE WAVES FOR BETTER CORNERING.

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Would this be the old four wheel drift?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Are you double-clutching

[BobT]

I appreciate the comments. Yes, my boat is aluminum and probably the biggest problem is that it is only 16'. This Sylvan Adventurer hadles the rough stuff better than I expected but at 16' long and 7-1/2' wide it probably tends to float high. So far, I have found that it seems to smooth the ride a little if I trim out some but then it belly splashes against the waves and you get wet. Keeping the bow down reduces the wet but you slam into the waves more. Of course this varies whether I'm going into the wind or with the wind.

Bob

[Chubby]

The best teacher is practice. If you have the opportunity take a basic 16 foot skiff with a 25-40 hp tiller. Remove anything that can bounce around put a bit of weight up front such as a sand bag or 2 to help keep the bow from sailing around in the wind.

Put on a good PFD and take that baby out in some big stuff and play around to get the feel of big water and how a boat handles in it. Most of what you learn you will be able to carry over into other boats.

This way you do not have to worry about gear or people and can focus on the boat and how it handles. Once you can eliminate the worry about gear and people you will be amazed at how much fun it can be to play around in big water.

Once you gain some experience you will come to the realization that the boat is not the limiting factor in most roughwater situations.

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

when talking 3-5' waves this is what I would suggest, (obviosly the weight of the boats makes a big difference)

When having to go against the waves it is best to quarter them, I will usually fill the front livewell to add some weight try to find a comfortable speed that works well with the spacing between waves and then I trim the motor up just a little bit. Not to much because you don't want to be skipping across the top and landing in the bottom, that would result in loosing teeth.

When going with the waves I trim the motor up more than I would when going agaist them, but not all the way up. You want to trim the motor up to keep some bow lift so you don't stab any waves, that would result in you drowning your teeth. Again you need to find a good speed that works with the spacing and size of the waves.