Tips for Boat Maneuvering and Handling

You will need to pop the boat in and out or reverse 3-5 times to get enough momentum without prop interference to have the rudder get a good hold of the direction. Once you feel the boat going to the left, you can put the boat into reverse-idle and leave it there. You should now be holding a straight line or turning slightly to the left. Pop the boat in and out of gear, wait until the engine engages in reverse, leave it there for a second, then click back to neutral.

Slalomers need a slalom course, and having boat wakes go down the course will force them to stop and wait for them to dissipate, as hitting wakes at slalom speeds is dangerous. Online maps are such a quick and straightforward solution that can help you prevent major issues with your day. Potentially even opening up amazing opportunities on the water, simply by checking before you commit to taking a look. Make sure the observer you have in the boat is paying attention and not just playing on their phone. You don’t want to watch the skier for beach their full turn and crossing the wakes, you want your eyes to predominantly be looking ahead of the boat.

Boaters can get information from VHF marine radios, commercial radios and television stations and newspapers. As a boater, you need to be aware of the types of advisories and take action before a storm hits. Warnings range from small craft advisories, with winds of 18 knots or less, up to hurricane warnings with winds of 74 miles per hour or greater.

Warm, sunny days are ideal for boating, but you can’t always predict when a storm will roll in. Varying gusts of wind and choppy water are signs of an approaching storm. And even if it’s a warm spring day, the water could instead reflect winter temperatures. In the event that your boat capsizes or you and your passengers get wet, make sure you have a plan to seek help and get dry. So the one thing my first instructor beat into my skull is the fact that coming off plane without checking behind my boat first is dangerous.

You will see that the bow is starting to rise to an angle with the speed. In no wind, condition engages reverse and slowly steer away from the berth, marina or pontoon. Once you came to a safe distance balance your boat and proceed.

This helps you know how your boat responds at different speeds. Instead, just slow to a safe limit and then turn; generally 20-25% slower than the top speed. Now when you reverse slowly this will push your stern into the dock while your bow will move away.