Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-09
NOTES
ON
BOATS
By BOB JONES

@A0AA NAAS 44AA 6OotAAA6 40
centered around handling your
boat efficiently at the dock. Even
for the most experienced helms
men the challenge of a smooth
landing is an opportunity to ex-
hibit good seamanship. Here are
a few Of the usual situations and
how they should be handled:
Getting acquainted with al
boats action is the first step. II
you've been used to q low free
board hull you'll quickly dis
cover that a boat which sits
higher in the water Or with
superstructure will be more af-
fected by the wind. If the for
ward speed is checked too soon
when nearing the dock, an off,
shore breeze will swing the bow
away and cause a stern landing.
Other Factors
It's important to know the
force and direction Of the cur
rent at the moment Of docking.
Momentum when propeller mo-
ton is checked is another fac
tor. The ideal situation Of hav-
ing the wind and current against
you as you approach the dock is
not always the case. II there's
no choice but to bear down on
the dock with current md wind,
speed must be checked early.
with the boat brought into par
allel position and allowance
made for a broadside drift sew
eral yards away from the land
ing.
POWER FAILURE
Approaching against wind and
current is a more comfortable
maneuver in the event of al
power failure at the crucial mo-
ment. If not too much reliance
has been placed on the break
ing action of reversing, the wind
will hold the boat of the dock.
Should the difficulty require any
length of time to correct, allow
the boat to drift we'll back,
anchor, and then fuss with the
motor.
When the amount Of forward
momentum is properly judged.
the dock can be approached with
a gliding curve. power cut well
in advance. motor reversed with
rudder hard over to bring the
stern and bow alongside to the
landing.
REVERSING AT THE DOCK
A change of wind while at
the dock may call for an about
face with bow instead Of stern
into the wind. Casting of the
stern line while holding the bow
in snug will swing the stern out
and completely around. The
action Of the current may be
used with the same effect.
When using the motor to turn
boat at the dock, the stern line
is cast of while the bow line
remains fast. Slow forward
speed with rudder set hard to-
ward the dock will kick the stern
outward. Since this will put
more strain on the bow line than
lis customary. a second line made
fast to the dock is good prac-
tice. If each line is run from
the bits through the chock on
each side Of the stem to points
on the dock about two feet or
so apart. there is q better chance
Of the stem holding steadily
against the dock as the boat
swings.
QUESTION AND ANSWER:
|, Q. My cupboard motor churnsI
the water instead Of really Bit
ing in the way it should. What
is the matter with it? B.R.
A. Several things may be
wrong. Your propeller may be
tilted too far inward. causing the
bow to dig in" and at the same
time raising the stern. 1t may
be that the transom should be
cut down a bit or the keel may
need tapering at the stern to
reduce turbulence.
OF you have any questions
similar to these. mail them tol
Bob Jones. care of The Evening
Star, and we'll do our best toI
answer them here.)
(copyright. 1857, Superior Features
Syndicate. 1nc.D