Twin Engine Handling (or lack thereof)

First off I want to thatnk everyone for the great advice and supportive words. From past experiance I knew that posting a question here would get me a ton of useful tips and I wasn't disappointed.

I will practice and try out all of your advice. Like I said this was scary as the marina was small and once the wind had me it got ugly. Anyone here who fished the GW/Spellman's Striped Bass Shootout last saturday at Kismet can attest to the scare I put in them as the ran to fend off (which thankfully was uneccesary)

I admit I have probably been severly underestimating the windage factor on the boat. In hindsight I can see that there isn't as much underwater as I thought.

Magicalbill....twin inboards are a dream. The boat rotates around the motors, usually the middle of the boat as opposed to the stern, and combined with the torque of big props and (generally) some type of keel its very easy to back down on a slip or fish.

However, I do move 2X as fast in my GW then my inboard boat and I don't sweat running or drifting in narrow channels either.

Thanks again guys. I appreciate the help.
 
Spinning a Marlin

I think you have to make a plan each time you dock based on the current conditions you face. Then you need to make a plan B.

I try to dock without turning the wheel but sometimes that is just not possible because once the Marlin is broadside to the wind you will need quite a bit of thrust and prop direction to turn her bow back into the wind. So you need to plan for that eventuality and A) not let it happen & B) be prepared when it does.

I know its possible to make the boat do all sorts of twists and turns and spins - I watch the guys at the Grady dealership do it and I'm amazed. Then I try to do it and . . . well . . . That's why I'm glad I have fenders.

Remember - practice does not make perfect. Pefect practice does.
 
practice, practice, practice

Two tips that may help...

1) looking at your dual control throttle binnacle, notice how the tops of the handles point inwards towards each other?

Well, when backing in, or spinning the boat the tops of the throttle handles will always "point" to the direction your stern will move. For example, with the port motor in reverse, and the stbd motor in fwd, the boat will spin counterclockwise,
or,
With the port in fwd and the stbd in reverse, the boat will spin clockwise.

Just relax, always back INTO the wind/tide on your approach to the slip, use enough power to overcome the wind and remember that the boat will always spin in the SAME DIRECTION THAT THE HANDLES ARE POINTING.


2) Don't be afraid to lay your boat on the piling, that's what your rub-rails are there for! :P
 
There’s a guy in my marina who said that the lines strung in between the outer slip pilings and the main dock are “sissy lines”. I told him they were aids to navigation!
 
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