That boat was in perfect trim at about 80% throttle. The gearcase and propeller are pointed just above level with the surface of the water, and the hull breaks the water right under my seat, with only the last couple of feet of each sponson in the water. If I opened up the throttle, the boat began bouncing back and forth, rolling from one sponson to the other.

That engine had no hydraulic tilt and trim system, just five holes where I could place a pin to adjust the trim of the engine. In the picture at the right, it is in the 3rd position, where I kept it most of the time. With two or more people in the boat, it was a stable, level ride at full throttle, and behaved well in chop. I longed for the infinite adjustability of power tilt and trim, so I could trim the engine in just a bit to keep the bow down going into waves, and trim it back out a bit to keep the bow higher when riding with the waves. But that third position was a good compromise, and the others had little use.

Trimming Perfectly for Water Skiing

We loved to water ski with that boat, and would change to the second tilt position for skiing. It improved pickup and kept more of the boat in the water, making it harder for slalom skiers to yank the stern around with each cut. The boat would also turn tighter and faster up on a plane without leaping sideways or cavitating, making it easier to quickly return to a fallen skier if the ski harbor happened to be crowded. Sometimes I would forget to return the pin to the third tilt position as we left for the day, and the boat would leap right up on a plane and then plow along with the bow too far down. D'oh! Slow down, stop the engine, tilt the engine, move the pin, lower the engine, start the engine, head for home. I really wanted power tilt and trim.

Sometimes my activities took me through the large area of flats which extend from Key Biscayne down to Eliot Key. If the bay was rough, we'd go flats jumping. The finger channels ran mostly east and west, while I was usually heading north or south, so I could jump from channel to channel across different areas of shallow water, depending on the tide. I would put the engine in the fourth tilt position and go flying across shallow water, looking for deep spots by the different shades of blue and green and tan.

The tan usually meant I was about to come to an abrupt stop, and I would wish once again for power trim as I pushed or paddled the boat to deeper water. With the engine tilted to fourth position, the boat was prone to porpoising and rolling side to side at high speeds, and I could enhance the effect by steering a slight zig-zag course. It was a game of inches, and I learned over time how to minimize the amount of water required.

There was really no use for the first tilt position. I tried it, and the boat would plane quickly, but the ride was terrible and wet, with the hull breaking water up near the bow locker.

Porpoising on Purpose

My buddy Gene bowriding in my old Boston Whaler with the tilt in the fifth position — back in the day

My current 15' Boston Whaler, sporting a 70hp Merc with power tilt and trim

There was, however, a use for the fifth tilt position. It would make the boat porpoise wildly and the engine would roar as it cavitated with each lift off. It was possible to make almost the entire hull jump out of the water, even in smooth water, just by tilting up and throttling up. If you happened to have a crazy friend who would jump up and down on the bow of the boat, it was even more fun.

Believe it or not, the bow jumper in the photo survived many years of boating with me, and has only been flung overboard on one occasion. He is now a professional captain and runs dive trips to swim with humpback whales on the Silver Bank of the Dominican Republic. I don't think he flings his passengers overboard.

I have been through a few boats since that 15' Whaler, and all of them lacked something I had had in the old Whaler. I eventually bought another 15 Whaler, this time with a 70 hp Merc with power tilt and trim.

More About Tilt and Trim

• Tilt and Trim for Small Outboards
• Tilt and Trim for Medium Size Outboards
• Power Tilt and Trim for Large Outboard and Sterndrive Boats

The post Tilt and Trim Fun With My Boston Whaler first appeared on Tropical Boating.

A passenger leaping up and down in the bow can affect the boat's trim and performance.

Outboard engines above about 30 hp are generally equipped with power tilt and trim. There are usually two hydraulic pistons set into the engine bracket, the "trim" part of the system, used to adjust the angle of the engine when under power. There is also a single hydraulic rod connected higher on the engine, the "tilt" part of the system, which is used to tilt it up clear of the water. In shallow water, tilting up into this higher range for slow speed operations is OK.

Trim Angle Depends on Boat Speed and Water and Weather Conditions

The proper trim angle for outboard engines depends on the speed and the conditions. Trimming the engine will adjust the angle at which the boat rides through the water. In smooth water, a GPS makes finding the best angle easy. Just trim the engine all the way down, set the power to your normal cruise setting, and start trimming up slowly in small increments. The speed will increase as the hull finds the most efficient trim angle, and when you have gone too far, it will start to decrease again. Other bad things may happen when you go to far, such as excessive cavitation, porpoising, or your friend jumping up and down on the bow.

Boats with V Hulls May Ride Better With a Little More Trim

I have found that many V-hull boats ride better in choppy water with the engine trimmed in a bit from the most efficient angle. With the engine trimmed in, the hull rides flatter over the water, and it breaks through the water further forward, where the hull has a sharper deadrise angle. Also, if the bow of the boat bounces up and down a bit, it doesn't affect passengers sitting further back as much as if the center of the boat bounces up and down on the same chop.

When riding across the wind in a chop, you are likely to get wet, especially if you are on the upwind side of the boat. You can usually get a more dry, comfortable ride by trimming the engine above the optimal angle. The bow of the boat rides very high, and the spray is thrown behind you. It will be a more bouncy ride than with the engine trimmed further in, but at least you'll be dry.

On boats equipped with hydraulic trim tabs, you have the additional option of trimming the engine to the optimal angle and then using the trim tabs to lower the downwind side of the boat and raise the upwind side.

When riding downwind in a chop, I like to keep the engine trimmed out enough to keep the bow pretty high. You never know when one of those waves is going to be a bit bigger than it looked, and if you're keeping the bow of the boat down, you might just dive right through.

Best Trim in Larger Waves

In large waves, the same general rules apply as with driving a boat in chop, except that you need to be cautious. The best plan is, just don't drive fast if the waves get large. I don't find it fun, and it's hard on the equipment. It is also a good way to drive a boat through a wave when going upwind or downwind, and a good way to capsize going across the wind.

In large waves, I want the boat to be controllable, and I want it to plane at slow speeds. For both those reasons, it is best to trim the engine down far enough to help keep the boat level and on plane at slower speeds. In some cases, that might mean all the way down past vertical.

Hydraulic Systems Require Little Maintenance

Hydraulic tilt and trim systems are very low maintenance items. There are switches, hydraulic pressure pump and lines, cylinders, shafts, seals and valves, and any of them can fail or be broken, but if you keep them clean and use them once a month or more, they can last for years. When trailering a boat, be sure to lock the engine in the tilted position with the manufacturer's lock or some other mechanical lock. Bouncing down the road is hard on the hydraulic seals, and the way the engine can bounce up and down if not properly restrained can also stress the transom of the boat.

Trim tabs should not be confused with a trim tab. Trim tabs are mounted on the hull to control the attitude of the boat. Above, you can see the boat's trim tabs on either side of the engines.

One last note for anyone who is still trying to figure out all the terms used. Although this page is about hydraulic power tilt and trim systems on outboard engines, I also mentioned hydraulic trim tabs, which are a completely separate piece of equipment. They are hinged plates mounted on the bottom of the transom of a boat, with hydraulic pistons to move them up and down. They can push the bow of the boat down on either side by deflecting water downward on the opposite side.

A Word About the Words:
Trim, Trim Tabs, and Trim Tab

In addition to hydraulic trim tabs on boats, outboard engines also have a device called a trim tab. It is a small "winglet" mounted on the bottom of the anti-cavitation plate just aft of the propeller, and the purpose is to counteract propeller torque in the steering. It is usually set once for the boat, and that's it.

On some engines, the trim tab is made of zinc, which is a way to get people to change the sacrificial zinc anode now and then in environments where that is important.

So, "trim" is the lower range of engine tilt, "trim tabs" are hull-mounted devices to control boat attitude, and a "trim tab" is also an anti-torque device on an engine.

The post Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim for Medium Size Outboards first appeared on Tropical Boating.

On the smaller boats, the power tilt and trim or manual tilt mechanism is a primary way to control the pitch attitude of the boat. Tilt in to make the bow go down, tilt out to make it go up — those are the basics. You want your hull running through the water at a comfortable and efficient angle for the conditions you are encountering. In smooth water, you can find the most efficient tilt angle by setting the engine to cruise power with the engine trimmed all the way in, and then gradually trimming out while monitoring your speed using a GPS. At some point, your speed will max out and begin dropping and/or your boat will begin to cavitate and porpoise. That means you just exceeded the best angle.

Larger boats with large outboard or inboard/outboard (sterndrive) engines are often also equipped with hydraulic trim tabs attached to the hull. Now there are two ways to control the attitude of the boat: you can deflect the trim tabs down, pushing the stern up and the bow down, or you can tilt the engine down, which will tend to do the same thing. Which one to do?

Use the Trim Tabs or the Engine Trim?

The answer will depend on the conditions and on the particular boat and how it is loaded, but the general idea does not change: Decide on the attitude at which the boat should plane over the water, and use the trim tabs as little as possible in order to achieve that angle. If you want the bow down, try trimming the engine in a little bit. You will not increase the drag of the engine very much by running it with the thrust directed slightly downward, and getting the boat to ride at a better attitude may increase speed for a given throttle setting.

If you achieved the same result using trim tabs, you would have to create some drag by deflecting the tabs down into the flow of water coming off the aft end of the hull. In most cases, that additional drag will be greater than any created by trimming the engine in a bit.

On boats with more than one engine, the engines can be trimmed to slightly different angles to adjust the left and right (roll) attitude of the boat. Trim the starboard engine out and the port engine in to cause the boat to roll slightly to port. If you have more weight on the starboard side, causing the boat to list a bit in that direction while cruising, you can level the boat back out somewhat by using differential engine trim, and if that is not enough, use the trim tabs to finish the job.

Trim tabs are very effective, and can overcome large weight imbalances, but they do so at a high price in drag, and any efficiency which may be gained by improving the cruising attitude of the boat will be at least partially offset by that loss. Hydraulic power tilt and trim on your engine is usually the more efficient way to adjust your boat's pitch attitude because small changes can be made without much effect on engine drag or the effective use of thrust, and those changes can have large effects on the speed, comfort and efficiency with which the boat planes across the water.

The post Power Tilt and Trim for Large Outboard and Sterndrive Boats first appeared on Tropical Boating.

1. The Approach
2. The Drop
3. Paying Out Rode
4. Setting the Anchor

The Approach: Approach your anchor drop location heading into the wind or current, whichever is stronger.

1. The Approach

Approach your anchor drop location heading into the wind or current (whichever is stronger). In the picture, the dotted line represents the area in which the boat will eventually swing on the anchor. Make sure this area will be clear of other boats and obstructions, and make sure you have some room behind the swing zone, in case your anchor drags.

The purpose of the approach is to bring the boat to a stop with the bow just a little upwind of the center of your intended drop zone. On larger boats, it may be impossible for the person at the helm to determine when the boat is in the right place, and also impossible for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate effectively with the helmsman due to engine and wind noise. Some simple hand signals can be very helpful; a good list of anchoring hand signals can be found at the SailNet Forums.

The Drop: Lower the anchor (don't drop it!) gently as the boat drifts backward with the wind or current.

2. The Drop

The second picture (at right) shows the boat stopped just upwind of the center of the intended anchor drop zone. Make certain that the boat is no longer moving forward. It's time to lower the anchor. Don't drop it, lower the anchor gently into the water. If the boat is still moving forward, the anchor may be swept back into the bow of the boat. The boat should be starting to drift backward with the wind, so the anchor should start moving down and away from the boat as it enters the water. Lower it slowly all the way to the bottom. By the time it reaches the bottom, the boat should be moving along backward with the wind. If it is not, put the engine in reverse and start moving backwards before paying out any more anchor rode.

If your boat is stopped and you lower the anchor to the bottom and then allow all of the chain to pile up on top of it, the chain may become entangled in the anchor, preventing it from setting. By making sure that the boat is moving backward as the anchor contacts the bottom, you ensure that the anchor will be lying on the bottom facing in the correct direction, and you ensure that the chain will be stretched out straight along the bottom away from the anchor.

Paying Out The Rode: Maintain a little tension on the anchor rode as you pay it out, to help keep the bow of the boat pointed into the wind and keep the anchor, chain and line from getting tangled.

3. Paying Out Rode

Keep a small amount of tension on the anchor rode as you pay it out. Too much tension will drag the anchor along the bottom, but a small amount helps to keep the bow of the boat pointed upwind toward the anchor, and helps to make sure that the anchor, chain, and rope are straight and not tangled.

In strong winds, it may be necessary to put the engine in forward to control the speed and direction of drift, while in very light winds it may be necessary to put the engine in reverse. In average winds, the boat can usually be allowed to drift backward with the wind, letting out anchor rode until the desired scope is reached.

4. Setting the Anchor

Once enough anchor rode is out and the boat is back in the intended swing zone, secure the anchor rode and let the anchor stop the boat. Be careful. Even on a small boat, the pull on the line can be much stronger than you are. Keeping your hands well clear, take a wrap around a cleat. If you still cannot stop the rode from paying out, take another wrap. Once you can control the anchor rode with one hand, use your free hand or a foot to feel the anchor rode as it comes tight. Often, you can feel an anchor that is skipping along on top of the bottom instead of digging in and setting.

Once you feel the anchor dig in a bit and set, put the boat engine in reverse and back down on the anchor to make it dig in to the bottom. In strong winds, this may not be necessary, but it is not a bad idea to do it anyway. It can't do any harm, and might reveal a weak anchor set.

In Florida and the Bahamas, you are frequently anchoring in areas of sand and grass. The layer of sand and/or grass is often only a foot thick or less, and underneath is the limestone of the continental shelf. You may think your anchor is set, but really it is clogged with grass and a corner of it has hung on a small chunk of limestone. Pull on it hard, and the limestone will break, and your clogged anchor will not reset itself. Better to find out such things while anchoring than to wait and learn them during a thunderstorm.

Once your anchor is set and you have proven it by using it to stop the boat and by backing down on it, there is one more thing you can do if the water is reasonably clear: dive your anchor. Swim out there and have a look at it. If you don't want to swim but you have a dinghy, make a clear bottom bucket so that you can take a ride out over the anchor and look down at it through the bucket.

The post Setting An Anchor: 4 Easy Steps first appeared on Tropical Boating.

When a boat is docked where the tide will go up and down, there are several ways to ensure that dock lines remain relatively tight and the boat does not move forward or back along the dock in the wind or current. This ensures that fenders will remain between pilings and the boat, rather than hanging uselessly as the boat rubs directly on the piling next to the fender.

Floating Docks and Sliding Tracks If You Have 'Em

The easiest way to deal with tide changes is a floating dock. The boat can be tied tightly to the dock and it will simply ride up and down with the dock. Some docks are equipped with sliding tracks on the pilings, and the boat can be secured with a short midship breast line to the slide car, which will move up and down with the tides. Other lines are still needed to prevent the boat from swinging, but the short line attached midships to the piling will prevent fore and aft movement. In other cases, there are pilings all around the boat with sliding rings around them or some other method of allowing the rope attachment point to slide up and down with the tide. Docks with these accessories are the easiest to tie up to, but they're not readily available everywhere you might want to tie your boat up.

Spring Lines for The Rest of Us

Most of us don't have any of that fancy stuff, but need to keep our boats riding up and down on one or two pilings, and do not want it to move enough to allow the fender to miss the piling. That means the boat can move forward and aft only the length of the fender (if hung sideways) or fender board set that rides on the piling. So how do you tie up the boat so that it remains in one place at the dock, despite changing tides, winds, and currents?

The answer is to use spring lines to prevent fore and aft motion, and long bow and stern lines to prevent the boat swinging in and out. It also helps to attach dock lines to cleats or pilings that are at the same level as the cleats on the boat at mid tide, if this is possible.

Once a boat is pulled in alongside a dock and some temporary lines are run to keep it from getting away, the first decision to be made is which piling(s) the boat will lie against. This will depend on the spacing of the pilings and the shape of the boat. If pilings are widely spaced and the hull is curved inward at the bow and stern, as in most sailboats, it may be best to set the boat to ride against one piling amidships. If pilings are spaced more closely, it is usually better to plan on having the boat ride against two or more pilings, each insulated from the hull by a fender or fender-board set. The first diagram below illustrates two possible scenarios.

The boats are held in place by long spring lines. In the case of the sailboat in the diagram, there is no midship cleat, so spring lines are run from a bow cleat leading aft to a piling adjacent to the stern, and from a stern cleat leading forward to a piling adjacent to the bow. The powerboat in the diagram has a midship cleat, and spring lines can be run forward and aft from that cleat to pilings off the bow and stern of the boat.

Using one piling or two:The sailboat (left) lies against one piling using a fender board. The sailboat has no midship cleat, so spring lines are run from a bow cleat leading aft and from a stern cleat leading forward.The powerboat (right) lies against two pilings, and has a midship cleat. Spring lines are run fore and aft from that cleat to pilings off the bow and stern.

Controlling Fore and Aft Movement of the boat

These lines will prevent the boat from moving forward or aft, keeping the fenders (which are hung from stanchions or lifelines on most boats) in place between the pilings and the boats. As the tide goes up and down, the long spring lines can remain fairly tight, since their angle to the dock (and consequently their length) will not change significantly.

The two spring lines (shown in red in the picture) do a great job of preventing the boat from sliding forward and aft along the dock, but they do next to nothing to prevent the bow and stern from swinging in and out. To do that, it is necessary to attach bow and stern lines, and those lines should also be run as long as possible, to pilings set far forward and astern of the boat. With short bow or stern lines attached to nearby pilings, the tidal changes will result in too much slack at high tides, and/or the boat hanging from taut lines at low tides.

Longer bow and stern lines set to pilings further away from the boat can be tied more tightly for the same reason long spring lines work well with changing tides: the angle to the dock changes less as the line used is made longer, so the length of the line can remain virtually constant through tide changes.

The powerboat in the illustration has a stern line attached to an outside cleat on the stern of the boat rather than to an inside cleat, which is another way of using a longer line and getting a better angle to the dock. The bow and stern lines are not as long as the spring lines, particularly in the case of the powerboat in the illustration, and must have a bit of slack to account for tide changes, but they will still prevent the boat from swinging out from the dock too much.

Properly Tied Spring Lines and Bow and Stern Lines

A boat with properly tied springlines at low tide and high tide. The lines are attached to the piling at the level of the boat during a medium tide, so that they rise up to the boat for high tides and fall down to it for low tides.

A view from the side shows how a boat with properly tied spring lines and bow and stern lines will look at low tide and high tide.

Note that the lines are attached to the piling at the level of the boat during a medium tide, so that they rise up to the boat for high tides and fall down to it for low tides.

Lines Too High

WRONG: This boat has the spring lines tied too high on the piling. At low tide, the lines will be too taut, and at high tide, the bow and stern lines are slack.

The next illustration shows a boat with the lines connected too high on the pilings. At low tide, the lines are taut, and the boat will sit still at the dock. At high tide, however, the boat has risen up toward the points where the lines are attached to the pilings, and the bow and stern lines are slack. With the much longer spring lines, as you can see, it makes far less difference if they are attached at the wrong height on the piling. The shorter a dock line must be, the more important it becomes that the line be attached to the piling so as to be level with the boat cleats at mid-tide.

With properly set spring lines and bow and stern lines, any boat can be made to rest alongside a piling or set of pilings. Properly deployed fenders or fenderboards will protect the boat from the dock no matter what tide, wind, or current condition may come along.

The post Tying Boats to Docks Using Springlines first appeared on Tropical Boating.

Inboard engines are prone to "prop walk" at slow speeds, because the shaft is usually not parallel to the surface of the water. The angled shaft means that a propeller blade on one side of the shaft has a different angle of attack from the same blade when it has rotated around to the other side of the shaft. On most sailboats (with conventional clockwise shaft rotation), the prop walk will pull the stern of the boat to port when the engine is put into reverse.

Outboard engines can be steered independently of the ship's rudder, and offer the ability to turn the thrust of the engine so as to cause a controlled "prop walk" effect. The 4 frames of these two pictures show the technique used.

Approaching the dock

Lining Up

Click photos above for a larger view.

Approaching the Dock

In the first frame, the boat is approaching the dock at an angle. The engine is running in forward at idle throttle, and the tiller has just been turned to swing the boat in line with the dock. The large red arrow shows the speed and direction of the boat.

In frame two, the engine has been put into neutral, and the boat is coasting toward the dock. Less rudder is being used now, as it is not necessary with this technique to use the rudder to get the boat parallel to the dock.

Angling the Boat Properly and Coming to a Stop

In the third frame, the engine has been put in reverse and turned to port (meaning turned in the direction which would produce a turn to port if moving forward). The boat is almost stopped now, and the reversing engine will slow it further, while at the same time sucking the stern of the boat toward the dock.

The boat has come to rest alongside the dock in frame 4, and the engine is put back in neutral.

Because the boat is moving forward throughout the procedure, the rudder remains effective in controlling which way the nose of the boat is pointed. The engine is used only to slow the boat down and draw it closer to the dock. The boat could easily just coast in to the dock, but if there is not room to coast along for quite a distance while lining up with the dock, this little trick can help.

"Crossing" the controls, with the rudder in a turn to port and the engine in a turn to starboard, will produce a bit of sideways slippage, and that is the point of the above procedure. But the engine and rudder do not have to fight each other. While some inboard sailboats can be very difficult to control when backing up, reversing in an outboard powered sailboat is very easy to master.

Turn the Rudder, Turn the Engine

The key thing to remember is: when you turn your rudder, turn your engine at the same time and to the same angle. I have backed many small sailboats using the engine and rudder in tandem, and all are, if anything, too responsive to that kind of control input. There is none of the sideways propwalk and sluggish response to the helm seen in many larger, inboard-powered sailboats when backing.

Yes, it is a bit more trouble to handle an outboard, reaching over here to throttle and steer it, over there to shift the gears, and all of it over the transom of the boat, which is not a great place to focus your attention when approaching a dock. But once you master the simple techniques of outboard engine control, you will find your small sailboat very easy to control in any kind of docking situation.

The post Docking Outboard-Powered Small Sailboats first appeared on Tropical Boating.

When anchoring out in the Bahamas you will frequently find that the protected areas are small and other boats are present. There is not room for a group of boats to swing around on single anchors without hitting each other or the shore. Also, some of the better anchorages in the Berry Islands and the Exumas are in the current-swept cuts between the islands. The boats will swing around with the changing tides, and sometimes the wind from a nearby thunderstorm will overpower the tide effect and cause the boats to swing 90 degrees or more very quickly. With each change of the tide, a single anchor would have to break free and reset itself, each time with a chance of disastrous failure.

To keep each boat swinging around in the smallest possible area, and to prevent constantly resetting the anchor with each change of the tide, two anchors are deployed in the "Bahamian style mooring" arrangement shown in the picture at left.

There must be enough extra scope between the two lines so that the boat can ride over one anchor while hanging from the other.

The anchors are set a little more than twice the required scope apart, with the boat in the center. Instead of swinging in a large circle and resetting a single anchor on each reversal of the tide or wind, the Bahamian anchoring technique restricts the boat to swinging in a small football-shaped area between two anchors, alternately holding on one or the other or both as tides and winds change.

There must be enough extra scope between the two lines so that the boat can ride over one anchor while hanging from the other, as shown in the second picture.

The anchor set to the east in the picture is holding the boat, and the one to the west must have enough slack and enough chain to pass beneath the boat without fouling the rudder or propeller.

To help keep the anchor rode below the boat, it can help to send a sentry or kellet down the anchor line. A kellet is a weight attached to the anchor line, and it helps to hold it down at a better angle, dampen any motion of the boat, and generally hold the boat more securely in one spot by adding some tension to the anchor rode.

The anchor set to the east in the picture is holding the boat, and the one to the west must have enough slack and enough chain to pass beneath the boat without fouling the rudder or propeller, as shown in the third picture.

This type of arrangement to set two anchors works well to hold the boat in one small area while allowing it to point into the wind or tide, whichever is stronger. There are several techniques and methods of setting anchors, and there is already a page on this site on deploying and setting an anchor. When setting two anchors Bahamian style, first consider where the boat should come to rest in the anchorage, and where the two anchors will have to lay to make that happen.

In areas where the current tends to affect the boat more than the wind, one approach is to drop the first anchor while heading up current toward the drop zone for the second anchor. Stop the boat using the first anchor, which should set it firmly into the ground, then drop the second anchor and drop back in the current to set that one. Once both are set, adjust the lines so that the boat is held between the two anchors.

Remember that holding is often poor in current-swept cuts, with little or no sand on top of the limestone rock. It may take a few tries to get an anchor to grab, and it is always a good idea to swim or dinghy over to the anchor to visually verify that it is securely set. A glass bottom bucket is a very useful tool for that purpose.

One problem with anchoring using a Bahamian mooring is that over a few days, shifting winds and changing tides can cause the boat to spin around, twisting the anchor lines together. If both anchor rodes are under tension, it can be very difficult to retrieve the anchors with the rodes twisted. It may be necessary to go out in a dinghy to retrieve one anchor, then drive the dinghy round and round the rode for the remaining anchor until the twists are gone.

Although the lines can become twisted, the Bahamian technique works better than setting two anchors off the bow and stern of a boat because while bow and stern anchors will do a good job of keeping the boat in one place, they also prevent it from turning to face the wind or tidal current, which can result in a much larger load on the anchor. Holding a large sailboat sideways across a strong current may be asking too much of the anchors. Also, if all the other boats in a small harbor are swinging around on Bahamian moorings, a boat anchored with bow and stern anchors may end up dangerously close to the other boats as they swing. Better to swing with the rest of the boats to avoid becoming an obstacle as they swing around with changes in wind and tide.

More on Boat Handling:

• Setting An Anchor in 4 Easy Steps
• Choosing An Anchor
• How To Dock An Outboard
• How to Tie Your Boat To A Dock Using Springlines
• Using Hydraulic Jack Plates

The post Anchoring with Two Anchors, Bahamian Style Mooring first appeared on Tropical Boating.

In the images below, the red arrow on the boat is a speed vector, indicating the speed and direction of movement of the boat

1. Approach the dock at an angle, then shift into neutral

2. Turn the engine hard over toward the dock, then shift into reverse

3. Shift into neutral, calmly tie up to the dock

Just Follow The Pictures:
One, Two, Three

Bringing a boat smoothly to a stop alongside a dock is a simple procedure that anyone can learn with some practice. I use the same method for docking any boat powered by a single outboard or sterndrive (inboard/outboard) engine. If you have trouble docking your boat, it's a good idea to practice this maneuver a few times in a situation where you don't have passengers or onlookers to make you nervous — but once you master this procedure, you'll be docking like a pro!

It's always fun to watch the looks on the faces of inexperienced boaters when they see this for the first time.

1. Approach the dock at an angle and shift into neutral

In the first picture, the boat is approaching the dock at an angle, going at a speed fast enough to maneuver effectively, with the engine at dead idle in forward. The first step is to put the engine in neutral and turn it away from the dock.

The boat will slow down, and will start to line up with the dock as it comes closer. Your passengers will look at the situation with satisfaction. A smooth approach.

2. Turn the engine hard over toward the dock, then shift into reverse

In the next picture, with the engine still in neutral, turn it hard over toward the dock. The boat continues to slow down, but the bow starts to rotate toward the dock again for a moment.

Your passengers look at you with wide, questioning eyes. Does this idiot know what he is doing? Why does he want to ram the dock with the nose of the boat?

Shift the engine into reverse. The boat is still moving forward, but slows down dramatically, and the stern is "sucked" toward the dock by the reversing engine.

At this point, your passengers will think you are barely in control of the situation, and may try to prematurely reach out and grab the dock to stop the boat. Stop them.

3. Shift into neutral and tie up to the dock

In the third picture, the speed of the boat has dropped to near zero, and it is aligned with the dock. As it comes to a stop, shift the engine into neutral.

The relief on the faces of your passengers will be satisfyingly visible. After they have seen you do it a few times, they will learn that you actually intended to slide sideways to a stop alongside the dock.

More on Docking

• Learn How Use Springlines to Secure Your Boat At A Dock
• Make Your Own Fenderboards

The post How to Dock an Outboard or Sterndrive Powerboat in 3 Easy Pictures first appeared on Tropical Boating.

Most outboard engines 30 hp and below do not have power tilt and trim. They usually have 5 holes into which a pin can be inserted, varying the angle of the engine relative to the transom of the boat. They also have a bracket that can be flipped down to prop the engine up at around a 45 degree angle for operating in shallow water at slow speeds. A small outboard in shallow water drive can operate in as little as 6 inches of water.

So how do you decide which of the 5 tilt positions is best for your boat? And once the best one is identified, is there any use for the other 4?

The second question is the easiest to answer: Yes, there are uses. The wrong tilt position can be loads of fun.

The answer to the first question will depend on the angle of the transom or bracket on which the engine is mounted. When the boat is on plane in smooth water, it should be trimmed properly in a slightly bow-up attitude, and the propeller shaft should be nearly parallel with the surface of the water.

Tilted too high

If the engine is tilted too high, the bow of the boat will ride too high, and the stern will "squat" in the water. Many boats will start porpoising in this condition. The tilt of the engine lifts the bow too high, the bow falls down, it gets lifted too high again, and so on. Simply tilting the engine in to the next hole down should correct the problem.

There is some use for an engine tilted too high, other than the one linked above. When riding with large following seas, burying the bow of the boat in the next wave is a serious concern. I have done it, and it is not fun. To avoid it, tilt the engine higher than you ordinarily would, and run the boat just barely on plane. The bow will stay safely above the waves (most of the time).

If the engine is not tilted high enough, it will push the bow of the boat too far down, making it plow along. For cruising in smooth water, it is slow and inefficient, and the engine should be tilted further out for proper trim.

Too little tilt

There is also a use for too little tilt. When powering into small chop, most boats will ride more comfortably if they are cutting through it with the sharp part of the hull up forward, rather than bouncing along on top, hitting the waves with the middle of the hull. Do not do this when powering into large waves, or you might drive right through the wave. This is even less fun than going through a wave in following seas.

Find the best tilt position for your boat

If your engine is mounted on a more or less vertical transom or bracket, you will probably find that the 2nd or 3rd tilt holes work best for most applications. Tilting in one position from the "best" one can help a heavily loaded boat to get on plane, and can yield a more comfortable ride in chop (though it can also be a more wet ride). Tilting out one position can provide a smoother, safer ride downwind in heavy waves, and can make for a more dry ride, as the hull will break through the water further aft.

Other than those special applications, most small engines are generally left in the "best" position all the time.

The post Small Outboard Engine Tilt and Trim: Theory and Practice first appeared on Tropical Boating.

The rule for tying up a boat for a hurricane is: there is no such thing as too many lines, nor too many attachment points on the boat.

That is so important that I'm going to say it again so you can't miss it:

During a hurricane, there is no such thing as too many lines, nor too many attachment points on the boat.

As the boat is pitched violently about, lines can chafe, cleats can pull out, pilings can break or pull out, whole docks can collapse, trees can fall down, and ground anchors can be bent or pulled up. Those are things I saw over and over after Hurricane Charley in Punta Gorda and Hurricane Andrew in Miami. Use every cleat on your boat for as many lines as it can hold, and run them to as many independent points on land as you can find.

Even in small canals and waterways, the waves get surprisingly large during a hurricane, and the boat will be flung against the mooring lines with great force.

I filled both amas of my trimaran with water and tied down the sailboat and trailer with every line I owned. After Hurricane Charley passed by, all the lines were slack. The trailer itself had actually moved several inches sideways.

When you tie to a dock cleat, try to imagine suspending your entire boat from that cleat. Do you think it will pull out? If so, don't use it. Use a piling. If the pilings look weak, look for phone poles or trees. All types of palm trees are particularly hurricane resistant, as are water trees such as mangroves and cypress. If you have a choice, try to avoid oaks — because they're a very hard wood, they don't bend with the hurricane winds — they break instead, or are uprooted completely out of the ground. I tied my boat to an oak tree, and the oak tree fell on the boat.

Consider Ground Anchors

If nothing strong is available on land, consider using ground anchors. These are metal rods with a hook on one end and a single-turn screw blade on the other end. You screw them into the ground, and then tie a line to the hook. I used two of these, about two feet long and with a shaft diameter about the size of my finger. They bent and pulled up out of the ground. Now I have some six foot ground anchors with a much larger shaft.

Make A Ground Mooring, If Possible

If you know where you will tie your boat during a hurricane, consider installing a ground mooring by digging a large hole and putting a good sized piece of rebar bent into a U in the hole, then filling with concrete.

On your boat, use all your cleats to their maximum capacity, but also use any available lifting eyes and bow eyes. Hawse pipes, samson posts, winches, davits, seat posts, or anything else which is structurally tied in to the hull or deck of the boat should be used to tie lines to different shore points.

Anchors During A Hurricane

If you must put out anchors, put out large anchors, with plenty of chain and rode. To increase the effectiveness of your chain in extremely high winds, you can attach a mushroom anchor or other weight at the point where chain meets rope.

Chafe and the potential for failure at the attachment points are not the only reason to put out as many shore lines and anchors as you can possibly muster. One of the great dangers to your boat during a hurricane will be nearby boats that get loose. Your web of lines may help to stop loose boats before they slam your boat.

Consider Likely Wind Direction

Sometimes it is possible to predict the direction from which the strongest winds will come. Look around at any nearby boats, especially those you believe will be upwind. Do they have coolers, unsecured hatch covers, or anything else that might come flying your way? Do they have lots of lines to different points on land? Are the upwind lines doubled or tripled? If the answers are no, you may want to correct that situation if you have time. It doesn't take long to find a way to secure a cooler, but finding someone to fix your boat after a hurricane flings the cooler through it will be difficult and expensive. Boat repair businesses are pretty busy with this kind of thing after a hurricane.

If you take great care to tie up your boat, only to have a nearby boat get loose and smash through the side, your boat will be sunk and hanging from her mooring lines. A couple of lines on the other boat may have prevented that, and if the boat owner upwind of you is negligent or ignorant, you will pay the price. Don't just shake your head and wish that owner behaved differently when a hurricane is approaching. Take action. Remind yourself that you're not doing it for him; you're doing it for yourself.

Consider Storm Surge

Storm surge should be considered when tying up a boat for a hurricane. The water can rise 15 feet or more above normal high tide levels. For that reason, all lines should be as long as possible, led to the most distant points on land that are feasible. The rules for the use of spring lines and bow and stern lines apply to storm surge tides as well, but the distances must be larger because the tide may rise much higher than normal.

Hurricane Charley was predicted to bring 12 to 16 feet of storm surge to Punta Gorda, FL, but the actual surge tide was far lower. Why? Because of our protected location and the dynamics of storm surge.

Many people think storm surge is caused by the wind blowing the ocean up onto the shore on one side of the eye. The wind does do that to an extent, but the really high tides are not blown up by the winds; they are allowed up by the low pressure above. A storm surge tide is generated underneath the hurricane because a hurricane is an area of extremely low atmospheric pressure. Think of the atmosphere as a small layer of padding around the earth, and the low pressure of the hurricane as a spot which is worn thin, with less padding. That padding has weight. We don't think of air as having weight, but it does. It pushes down on the surface of the ocean, and if there is less of it in one area, that area of the ocean can rise up, forming a bump on the surface of the ocean beneath the area of thin atmosphere.

Other factors also affect the storm surge as a hurricane approaches land. A stationary hurricane will have a more or less symmetrical bump on the surface of the ocean underneath the center of low pressure, but a hurricane in motion has different dynamics. A fast moving hurricane will generate a kind of a ridge along its own path, as water is first drawn in under the approaching low, then squeezed back out as the hurricane passes by and departs.

In this satellite image, the eye of Hurricane Charley is passing just a few miles from my home in Punta Gorda.

A hurricane that is small in diameter but has a very low pressure at the center and very strong winds will generate a small, steep bump on the ocean, or will pull up a small but steep ridge if it is moving quickly. Hurricane Andrew was an example of such a hurricane. Very intense, but also small and moving quickly, it had storm surge tides of 16 feet just a few miles from my house, which was hit by the north eye wall. A storm with the same central pressure and the same maximum winds, but a larger diameter and a slower forward motion, could easily have dragged Biscayne Bay all the way up into my old neighborhood.

Hurricane Charley and Storm Surge

In the case of Hurricane Charley, Punta Gorda was also spared by the relatively small diameter and fast forward motion of that storm. We are also protected here by Charlotte Harbor and the barrier islands. Charley came right over a barrier island, cutting it in half, and that kind of thing will really slow down the ridge of storm surge that gathers under the storm as it passes. It's a speed bump. The relatively shallow harbor also creates some friction as the storm lowers the pressure over the harbor and draws in the Gulf of Mexico.

If a similar storm were to strike Fort Lauderdale, where deep water extends almost up to the shore, the storm surge would be far worse than we experienced here during Charley. By the time the low pressure of the storm could draw a whole bunch of water across the barrier islands and up into the Harbor, the storm had already marched across the harbor and was mostly over land, leaving higher pressure to fill back in behind and stop any further storm surge from gathering.

Storm Surge, Barrier Island Effects and Long Lines

We were protected by the barrier islands and the harbor, but oddly enough, that caused some damage to boats whose owners were trying to do the right thing. A huge storm surge was predicted, so they allowed enough slack in the various mooring lines to allow the boat to rise 12 feet or more and then get tossed around by large waves. When the the storm surge was far less than anticipated, the lines were not tight enough because the boats didn't rise as much as expected. The boats beat themselves up on pilings and docks.

Remember that lines stretch a lot under load. If you put out a line to a point 60 feet away and pull it almost tight, the natural stretch of the line will probably account for the slight increase in length needed at the highest point of the surge tide. As explained elsewhere, you should secure lines to pilings so as to be level with the boat when it rises to half of the predicted surge tide. Lines will chafe quickly in the violent pitching and rolling caused by a hurricane, so use chain at attachment and wear points where possible, then properly protect lines from chain shackles with chafing gear. Expired fire hose, leather, and old canvas or towels are popular choices to reduce line chafe.

The last two steps to hurricane preparedness for your boat actually take place on land:

1. Get your insurance policies and anything else money can't replace.
2. Leave. Do NOT stay on a boat during a hurricane. Do not stay in the path of a hurricane at all. I have already done that for you, and can report back that it is not something you want to experience.

I'll leave you with this last thought:

During a hurricane, there is no such thing as too many lines, nor too many attachment points on the boat.

The post Securing Your Boat Safely For a Hurricane first appeared on Tropical Boating.