Running the boat

[Lisa Almquist]

I decided to start a new thread. I'll copy Barb's reply because she brings up an absolutely great point.

 Quote:

That's absolutely what happens with us. The boat is the freaky final frontier. My man would KILL me if something happened to the boat!!

But how would you feel if you were out on the lake and he became ill and couldn't run the boat? When the hubby(I like to call him the old grouch) was recovering from his illness we went fishing and he caught a northern, while taking him out of the net the northern flipped and buried the crankbait hooks in his hand. The hooks must have hit a tendon or a nerve as he was in excruciating pain, I had to get him back to shore and take him to the hospital to have it removed, glad I knew how to run the boat. The plus side is now I can take the boat anytime I want and go fishing.

Edited by Iambjm ( 7 minutes 20 seconds ago)

_________________________

Barb.......Cmon Walleye - Make my day!!!

Barb, you are right on the money! What would I do if we had an emergency in the middle of Winnie?! I'd be up the creek without a paddle. Any tips on how to get over my "boat fear"? The boat totally intimidates me! Everything is opposite steering-wise, isn't it?

[Iambjm]

Can't answer that as we have a tiller model, but if your guy has the patience have him show you how to run the boat. Start out slow so you can get used to handling it. Take it out on a lake where you know there aren't a lot of obstructions like rocks. We have an electric start now but I started out learning on a pull rope type, also very important to know how to start this way in case the battery goes dead. Pick up a copy of the boating rules or download the pdf version from the dnr HSOforum. Get used to handling the boat out on the open lake first, then slowly learn how to bring it into the dock (without hitting it). If your guy is not the patient type, sometime when you are up this way I can teach you with mine, I know of a little lake that doesn't get much traffic so it is not as intimidating. It is great fun running the boat by yourself. Just like learning how to drive, it takes time. I also learned not to get too cocky running ours after I watched my brother dump himself out of ours goofing around.

PS. I am sure there a lot of guys on here that can give suggestions or add anything that I might have forgotten.

[glenn57]

lisa, you kill me. get a new idea in your head and you up and run with it. great. running the boat is no different than operating your bike, atv etc. start slow and move on from there. lisa your going into the medical profession, that should be a whole heck of a lot scarier than learning to run a boat. just go do it. thats the only way to learn. so with that said if i hear of a boat dry docked near deer river can i assume that be you? hehehe.

[Scott K]

Driving the boat is about the same when you are on open water. Try practicing then. Parking and steering in tight quarters takes a little practice. I troll alot, I let my kids drive, they get a kick out of it, and I can focus on fishing a little more. The only thing different is there isnt a brake, and when you turn at slow speeds it doesnt react quickly. Practice makes perfect! Good luck!

[Lisa Almquist]

Thanks Barb. We have a tiller too. We just got a new motor a couple years back and have no idea where the pull thing would be. I might just have to take you up on the boating school lessons!

I think it's the dock thing that just makes me quiver. I think my man would love it during a really busy morning at the access I'd jump in the boat and take it away from the dock while he parked the truck. I would then have to get the boat BACK to the dock while 10 other boaters are waiting in line for their people to come back to the dock!! ICK. I might hit the other boats because I turned the tiller the wrong way or worse yet, dump my guy into the drink.

[Scott K]

That would be funny!

[Lisa Almquist]

For someone else watching but not for my man who's so ticked he just wants to wring my neck!!

[reelemin]

practice, practice, practice -

being able to drive the boat is something eveyone should know.

practice, practice, practice,

And I'll repeat myself ( since there isn't a certain someone around any more to get offended ) Ladies, you need to be able to take care of yourself, and not depend on others. Think of all the opportunities you may miss waiting around for someone else to drive the boat, start the auger, or run the snowmobile, etc.

In general, women need to get over their fear of machines. Engines, especially 2 strokes and even 4 strokes are very basic and simple things. And you have control of the throttle !!!

[PerchJerker]

I can offer some advice on boat driving, whether it's console or tiller steering.....

The first thing to realize is most of this really doesn't matter when you're in the middle of the lake with lots of room --- turn the motor and the boat will turn ---- back off on the throttle and the boat will slow down and glide to a stop. But where this info will really be helpful is when manuevering in tight quarters, such as pulling up to a dock, putting the boat on the trailer, driving through a crowded boat channel, or pulling up to another boat on the lake, etc.

An important point was brought up about turning or steering. The important thing to realize is that it's the back of the boat that turns, because that's where the propeller / propulsion is that causes it to turn. In contrast a car turns in the front because the wheels that cause the turn are in front. Another way to think of it is this - if you make a sharp turn in a boat, the front will stay in the same place and the back end will swing around it. And if you make a sharp turn in a vehicle, the back end will stay in place and the front end will swing around it. This concept (turning from the back) affects when and how much you should turn the boat. Just keep in mind that when you turn, the front of the boat won't really move, but the back end will swing around a lot. This is true whether you're in Forward or Reverse.

Another good point was brought up about braking, since boats don't have brakes. You need to use Reverse to control and stop the boat. The WORST thing to do (and you'll see lots of novices doing this) is to not use Reverse ..... they'll put the boat in Neutral and drift, or even worse turn the motor off. When you're in Neutral (or have the motor off) you have no way to control the boat. It's COMMON for a good boat driver to make SEVERAL shifts in-and-out of forward and neutral, and in-and-out of reverse and neutral, when manuevering a boat in tight quarters. Shift smoothly and with authority ---- don't make slow wimpy shifts where the motor slowly "grinds" in and out of gear. Shift it quickly and smoothly. And don't be afraid to get on the gas in Reverse to control your speed and slow your momentum.

Wind adds another factor to deal with. The key to dealing with wind is to give the motor enough gas to overpower the wind. Most novices want to slow down when it's windy, but if you do that you're letting the wind control you instead of controlling the boat with the motor. You always want the motor to control the boat, whether it's super-windy or flat calm. The way to do this is to vary how much gas you're giving the motor.

If your motor has power trim you will need to adjust the trim frequently when driving. The basic concept is when starting from a stop or going slow you want the motor trimmed down. When going fast you want the motor trimmed up. When your speed changes the amount of trim on the motor should change. When manuerving in shallow water or putting the boat on the trailer you should trim the motor up a ways for safety, but the higher you trim the motor the less control you have. You should know how to read depth on your depthfinder and know that when it's shallow you need to trim the motor up.

I think there's a couple ways to practice all of this. Some good practice techniques are pulling up to and away from docks on calm days, with someone else in the boat to help catch the dock. Another way is to get in the middle of the lake and toss a life jacket in the water and practice pulling up to it, or driving around it --- you can also practice this with another boat in place of the life jacket. Also, you NEED to practice using Reverse - have the boat moving forward, and practice using Reverse to stop the boat, and to back the boat up, and to slow it down but keep it going forward. The throttle in Reverse can be a little tricky so practice to get a feel for how much gas you have to give the motor to keep it under control. Don't start by practicing at a crowded dock or on a windy day, and hopefully you can practice in deep water so you don't need to worry about getting the motor in the rocks. To learn how to give the motor the proper amount of trim, drive around and accelerate and slow down and run all different speeds --- trim the motor up and down as needed and you'll find the sweet spot where the boat runs the best - the most power, the highest rpms, the bow doesn't plow the water or bounce, etc. Don't just practice this at wide open throttle, practice it at all cruising speeds.

The last advice I can offer is to be confident and assertive with your driving and with the throttle, so the motor controls the boat. Shift the gears as frequently as needed, use the throttle to your advantage. As long as you are controlling the boat you can change its direction or speed if needed ---- but you can't do that if the boat is drifting or if the wind is controlling the boat. And keep in mind there are plenty of bad boat drivers out there, most of them men (but not me )

[Lisa Almquist]

Thanks everyone! I'll give it a good try. I do miss good opportunities because I don't want to look dumb. All your advice and encouragement on this site goes a long with me. That's what I like about FM! Lots of great info and no judgement (and no one who gets offended!)!!

PS. I ran the auger for the 1st time this winter too and I still have all my limbs attached! Tami, your auger post really empowered me!

[Powerstroke]

 Originally Posted By: LisaTealz

I think it's the dock thing that just makes me quiver. I think my man would love it during a really busy morning at the access I'd jump in the boat and take it away from the dock while he parked the truck. I would then have to get the boat BACK to the dock while 10 other boaters are waiting in line for their people to come back to the dock!! ICK. I might hit the other boats because I turned the tiller the wrong way or worse yet, dump my guy into the drink.

I see something else here Lisa. Does this mean you won't park the truck with the trailer on? I'm not trying to make something out of it, but learning how to do that too is huge. Then it doens't really matter who jumps in the boat. Either of you can do the task.

I think both are easy things to learn, but they are intimidating. It does require some confidence to "jump in" to it. Damage can be caused so its most important to start in open water with someone (or the open parking lot with the trailer) and work you way up to crowded areas where more skill is needed.

Great thread.

[Lisa Almquist]

You know what it boils down too? I don't want to be the slow chick who's holding up anyone at the access. I hear really awful stories about "person" holding up everyone during "prime time" because he doesn't know what he's doing!

We usually use an access on Winnie that has really limited parking. But this is a possibility worth looking into also.

[Lisa Almquist]

 Quote:

You need to use Reverse to control and stop the boat. The WORST thing to do (and you'll see lots of novices doing this) is to not use Reverse ..... they'll put the boat in Neutral and drift, or even worse turn the motor off

Perchjerker, I didn't know that. It makes sense!! Great post!!

[muc33]

I will say this too Lisa, Jim will think it is cool that you can back the trailer in. At least I am pretty sure he will. I know I was thrilled and so happy when I didn't have to tie up on the dock, go get the truck and trailer, back it in, then jump back in and land it. Now the boss (wife) jumps in, backs er up and I load it she clips it, pulls us out and we buckle it down together, and it takes less than half the time. Plus she feels cool backing the diesel up with other guys watching. I find that the ladies who do this often time do a better job than most of us macho guys who think we can do it all so good!

[reelemin]

 Originally Posted By: LisaTealz

You know what it boils down too? I don't want to be the slow chick who's holding up anyone at the access. I hear really awful stories about "person" holding up everyone during "prime time" because he doesn't know what he's doing!

We usually use an access on Winnie that has really limited parking. But this is a possibility worth looking into also.

Hey Lisa or you could look at thia way. - Be the chick that all the guys drop their mouths at because she's better doing those things then most of their buddies.

Practice girl - its worth it !!

[Lisa Almquist]

muc, I know he'd be thrilled!!

I'll practice! You guys have given me the boost I need!

[glenn57]

i wouldnt worry about holding others up. you have the right to the same amount of time as everyone else. there not sportsmen if they give you grief. hey if i am waiting for my turn i will help out, do a little bsing see how there fishing was learn a few of there secrets. attitude attitude.

[Sandmannd]

Lisa, first, I wouldn't worry about being the slow chick at the launch. I was that a couple years ago when I got my first boat (except for the chick part), but I just didn't care. You have to learn sometimes. I still have some problems getting my boat centered just right as well. Just practice and you will get it. I was a little intimidated when I went from my 5 hours to a 75 but it didn't take long. I think coloms are a little easier to learn then a tiller, but tillers only take a few extra minutes. Just go slow with them.

Perchjerker, I use reverse when going to dock, but never did it while going across the lake to slow down. Question, if you are going on plane and need to slow fast, can you put it right in reverse? I always thought that I had to put it in neutral and let the prop stop before so I didn't strip the gear. Still kind of a novice as well.

[PerchJerker]

 Originally Posted By: Sandmannd

Perchjerker, I use reverse when going to dock, but never did it while going across the lake to slow down. Question, if you are going on plane and need to slow fast, can you put it right in reverse? I always thought that I had to put it in neutral and let the prop stop before so I didn't strip the gear. Still kind of a novice as well.

What I was trying to get at is to practice shifting into reverse and using it to control the boat in the middle of the lake where you have lots of room, so you have some skill in doing it when you're it close quarters by the dock. And I didn't say this but what I meant is that you should to do it at the normal speeds you'd use when docking the boat.

The only time I'd shift from forward to reverse at high speed is if I was in imminent danger of hitting something. I think what would probably happen is the motor would kill and your momentum would still carry you forward.

[Sandmannd]

That's what I had thought. Thanks for clarifying.

[Mike89]

we have a 16 foot Lund with hand tiller, 40 horse motor and she does very well with it. putting it back on the lift is her only problem so I finsh that when I get home from work. Go girls!

Mike89

[Steve Foss]

Well, I've see some guys who couldn't back up a trailer or get a boat mounted right even after years of trying, and I've also seen some women who got it right the first time.

We're all gender-blind at the public access. Well, we SHOULD be!

[BobT]

 Quote:

I hear really awful stories about "person" holding up everyone during "prime time" because he doesn't know what he's doing!

Notice my signature.

Bob