Slow Speed Maneuvers

[Ski_Dad]

Hi Guys, outboard guy all my life - got a direct drive this spring - Love skiing it, but my wife and I are still getting the hang of slow speed maneuvers - like when you return a rope to a fallen skier, etc. Yesterday was a little challenging b/c there was some wind.

 

Seems like if I bury the rudder one way or another it won't turn - i have to goose it a little or back off on the rudder some. Still turns nothing like my outboard. I could do figure 8's with my outboard and sometimes this gets frustrating. I must be missing something... Tips ?

[JustAnewb]

Always keep in mind the rudder only works when it is directing the flow of water. No propulsion, no steering.

[Jordan]

Couple of tools to make use of...

1) use bumps of reverse...it will pull the back end in the direction of the prop's rotation - to right on most boats; to the left on the nautique....by using bumps in fwd with staring wheel turned combined with bumps in reverse you can orient the boat to any direction you like....you can even make it walk sideways with practice.

 

2) use neutral....going in and out of gear will allow you to go slower than just being in gear.

 

With practice you will come to love the handling of your inboard.

[Chef23]

The DD boats will never handle at slow speeds like an outboard. With practice though you will be able to pivot the boat using bumps of the throttle and patience. It is harder when it is windy and in reverse your boat will pretty much only back up one direction depending on which way the prop spins. My Malibu (and MCs) only backs up well to the right. With no wind and a lot of patience I can get it to go to the left but I generally just avoid having to do that if I can. Nautiques back up the other way.

 

A good thing to practice is some day with no wind try to make the boat almost pivot and do some very slow speed figure 8s. Over time you will get much more comfortable.

[BraceMaker]

First these boats are assymmetric - you should always pick up the skier on the drivers side/loop w/ them in the water on the drivers side if at all possible.

 

You want to use the drift as best as possible that being if you get the boat moving and cut the steering then back into neutral the back will slew around. You want to start getting the boat in motion the direction you want it to go and then let it drift. You can practice going around anchoring bouys instead of people if you'd like.

[Ski_Dad]

thanks guys for the hints ! one question - will the boat turn better at slow speeds with a little rudder or a lot of rudder ? Always seem to be searching for that balance

 

Occasionally when I'm ready to pull a skier I'm one turn off from center. Comes from fighting the current or wind to stay lined up with the skier. My outboard was 3 turns lock to lock so it was easy to know but this boat is 4 or 5 turns

[BraceMaker]

IMO not so important to be "lined up" with the skier just that the boat goes straight when it pulls. To get there as you finish taking out slack you want to verify the wheel is ahead, and ideally have a tolerable position of the skier to the boat. From there if the skier is off to one side it really doesn't matter too much unless they are maybe very green.

[Just1MorePass]

I agree with @BraceMaker on making sure the boat goes straight when pulling someone out of the water. As long as the person is behind the boat in some fashion it doesn't matter if they aren't directly behind the boat.

 

There are two things that I found helpful with learning when the wheel is straight. When stationary turn the wheel the whole way to one side and then count the number of turns it takes to get the whole way turned to the other side. Cut that number in half to find what your midpoint is. So if it is 4 turns to go from all the way left to all the way right then your midpoint should be 2 turns from either side. So before you even go in gear you can turn the wheel to one side completely and then count the number of turns back to center. This is helpful if you haven't gotten a feel for the boat yet and doesn't require you to throttle the boat at all.

 

The second thing I do is just stay in gear a little longer before you pull someone up an if the wheel is turned to one side or the other the boat will turn that direction. I can usually feel this in the wheel before I notice much change in direction of the boat. You can then adjust based on this feedback. With time you will get a feel for it.

 

For just general driving at slow speeds I typically do lots of little adjustments by turning the wheel to one side and then going in gear for just a moment. Just practice doing lots of minor adjustments like that and you will get the hang of how the boat handles.

[LeonL]

My boat responds to whatever amount of rudder I use, even at low speed. What brand boat do you have? There is a brand that just doesn't maneuver at slow speed as well as the others.

[Ski_Dad]

Malibu Sunsetter LXI

[sunvalleylaw]

Hey @Mitzysman ! I was in your shoes last year, getting our Malibu in early August. Prior, I had been driving an outboard since I was 12, and felt very comfortable there. The people above have given good advice. My additional tips are to make sure you play the wind if there is some, as bumping for me still feels less directional than powering with the prop on my outboard. I find this to be mostly an issue back onto the trailer at the end of the day when it is windy. But with practice, I am getting lots better.

 

I find that I don't want to crank it and over correct with the rudder. I use the rudder I need and not more, and use bumps to control rate and amount, if that makes sense. I like to come up to the dock on the driver's side, not at too much of an angle, and bump back in reverse to settle in nicely. sometimes after turning a counter clockwise circle if I want the bow out toward the lake. This seems to work well for me.

 

goes without saying to approach the skier on the driver's side and don't point the boat at the skier. You already know that I am sure.

 

I am in a Malibu so my advice as to directions will need to be reversed as to a Nautique, which as has been noted, pulls to the other side in reverse. Which boat are you in?

 

And with regard to starting a skier, I like to use the "bump" there also in my boat with its idle setting. Full "In Gear" provides a little too much pull. Bumping helps me make sure I am lined up for a straight start, and provides some line tension without pulling the skier over. With very experienced skiers, this is a little easier.

 

Just some thoughts from an also pretty new guy coming from outboard world.

 

[BrennanKMN]

Use the swing of the boat to your advantage. Every inboard I have driven pivots around the pylon at slow speeds. So knowing that I will use that to fling the boats rear end where I want it.

 

When I pick up a skier on the drivers side I will come directly at them slowly, about 20 feet from the skier I will turn the boat left and take it out of gear. Then set it in reverse. This will swing the platform towards the skier and then I use reverse to slow it down until it stops right in front of them. I have a Nautique, so it backs up to the left. Same concept for docking. Swing towards it and use reverse to slow myself.

 

In Malibu's and MC's I do the opposite. Use reverse to pull me where I want to go.

 

It just takes time and practice. It will feel impossible for a while, but you will get the hang of it. A really good way to practice without the chance of hurting someone or the boat is to try docking at the boat gates in a course.

[Ski_Dad]

thank you all :smiley: