A Motorboat can tell you a lot about how it handles without going anywhere near a marina berth. In fact, open water is often the better place to learn what happens when you select neutral, go astern, turn tightly or allow the wind to act on the boat.
The useful part is not completing an exercise perfectly. It is seeing how your particular boat responds while you have enough room to watch what happens without needing an immediate correction.
Choose an area with plenty of sea room, keep a proper lookout and stay clear of traffic, shallow water and other hazards. Start in manageable conditions. Once you understand the boat in relatively calm water, you can repeat some of the exercises on another day and see what changes when there is more wind or tidal stream.
1. Find your lowest useful steering speed
Start by choosing a fixed point well ahead and steering towards it at a comfortable low speed.
Gradually reduce speed while making small helm adjustments. The idea is to find the point at which the Motorboat still responds predictably without using more speed than necessary.
You may notice that steering becomes less positive as speed falls. Depending on the boat and its propulsion, there may eventually be a point where turning the wheel produces very little immediate response.
Now try short periods in neutral.
Watch what happens to the steering as propulsion is removed. Does the boat continue responding for a while because it still has way on, or does the bow quickly begin to wander?
This is useful information when you later need to move slowly through confined water. Rather than guessing how slowly you can go, you will have a better idea of when your boat still responds positively to the helm.
2. See how far the boat carries in neutral
Neutral removes propulsion. It does not immediately stop the boat.
In clear water, establish a steady low speed and choose a fixed reference point or suitable floating marker. Select neutral and leave the controls alone for a moment.
Watch how long the Motorboat continues moving.
Repeat the exercise from a slightly different starting speed and compare the result. You don’t need to measure an exact stopping distance. What matters is recognising how much momentum the boat carries after drive has been removed.
Boat weight and hull design will influence what you see, as will wind and tidal stream.
This is particularly useful if you have recently changed boats. A heavier Motorboat may carry considerably further than the boat you previously used, which can change when you need to reduce speed during close-quarters manoeuvres.
3. Learn what happens when you go astern
Find clear water with plenty of room behind you.
With the wheel centred, select astern at low power and wait before making a correction. Watch what the stern does as the boat initially responds.
Does it move noticeably towards one side? How quickly does the boat begin making sternway? Once it is moving astern, how effectively can you influence its direction with the helm?
Return to neutral, reposition and repeat.
Once you have established the boat’s natural behaviour, introduce small steering inputs and see how the response changes.
The point is not to force the Motorboat to travel backwards in a perfectly straight line. Some propulsion arrangements make that considerably easier than others. What you want to learn is what the boat naturally does when astern is selected.
Knowing that in advance is far more useful than discovering it while reversing away from a pontoon.
4. Make a controlled 360 degree turn
Choose an area with plenty of room and make a slow 360 degree turn.
Before starting, pick a fixed point ahead so you can recognise when you have completed the circle. Keep a lookout throughout rather than concentrating solely on the bow.
Notice how much water the boat actually needs.
Where does the bow travel? What happens at the stern? How quickly does the Motorboat respond when you initially apply helm?
Then repeat the exercise in the opposite direction.
Don’t assume the two turns will necessarily feel identical. Propeller effects, wind and tidal stream can all influence what happens.
You can also repeat the exercise using slightly different amounts of power where it is safe and appropriate to do so. This begins to show how speed changes both the turning circle and the amount of water you need to complete a manoeuvre.
5. Try holding position against wind or tide
Choose a buoy or fixed shore feature as a reference, making sure you remain well clear of it and other traffic.
Work out which force is having the greater effect on the Motorboat and position yourself so that you can use small applications of propulsion to remain approximately in the same area.
You are not trying to hold the boat perfectly still.
Instead, watch how quickly you begin moving away when you select neutral and how little propulsion is needed to regain the position. Try to anticipate the movement rather than waiting until the boat has travelled a considerable distance before correcting it.
If there is a noticeable tidal stream, look at your position relative to the water as well as your position over the ground. The two can tell quite different stories.
This is a useful exercise to repeat under different conditions because it shows how much the same Motorboat’s behaviour can change from one day to another.
6. See how the boat lies to the wind
With plenty of clear water around you, reduce speed and observe what happens when the wind is allowed to influence the Motorboat.
Try positioning the boat with the wind coming from different directions and see which part begins moving first.
Does the bow fall away quickly? Does a high superstructure make the boat move sideways more noticeably than you expected? How long does it take for the vessel to settle into a particular orientation when little or no propulsion is being used?
This can be especially revealing on a Motorboat with a flybridge, high topsides or a large canopy.
You don’t need strong wind for the exercise to be useful. Start in relatively benign conditions so that the movement is easy to observe without creating unnecessary work at the helm.
Once you know which part of your boat is most readily affected, it becomes easier to anticipate that movement rather than reacting to it after it has already happened.
7. Compare the boat at different speeds and trim settings
The final exercise moves away from close-quarters speeds and looks at how the Motorboat feels once underway.
Where conditions, speed limits and the boat allow, establish a comfortable cruising speed and notice the boat’s attitude, steering response and visibility ahead.
If your boat has adjustable drive trim or trim tabs, make small changes and allow time for each adjustment to take effect.
Notice what happens to:
- The angle of the bow
- Steering feel
- Engine load and speed
- Visibility from the helm
- The way the hull meets the water
- Comfort aboard
Avoid making several adjustments at once. If you change speed, drive trim and tabs together, it becomes much harder to tell which adjustment produced the result.
Conditions matter here as well. A setting that feels comfortable in relatively flat water may not suit a head sea or following sea. The aim is to become familiar with the boat’s response rather than find one setting that you use regardless of conditions.
If you want to explore this in more detail, trimming a Motorboat is a skill in its own right.
Repeat the drills when conditions change
You don’t need to work through all seven exercises every time you go boating.
Choose one or two and spend a short period concentrating on them. The next time you are out, repeat them and compare what happens.
A boat that seemed easy to hold in position on a calm morning may behave very differently with more wind later in the day. Astern handling may also feel different when a tidal stream is acting across the boat rather than along its length.
If the Motorboat itself is new to you, training on your own boat can also give you time to explore its handling with an instructor aboard.
The important part of these drills is observation. Find out how slowly the boat will steer, how far it carries in neutral, what the stern does in astern and how readily the wind moves the bow.
Once those responses become familiar, you have much less to work out when space is limited and the same forces begin acting on the boat around a marina.
FAQs about practising motorboat handling
How often should you practise motorboat handling drills?
There is no fixed schedule, but short, regular practice is generally more useful than waiting until a difficult manoeuvre exposes a weakness. Revisiting particular skills after changing boats or following a long break from boating can also help rebuild familiarity.
Should somebody else be aboard while you practise handling drills?
Having another competent person aboard can be useful, particularly while you are getting to know an unfamiliar boat. They can help maintain awareness around the vessel and assist if circumstances change, while the helm remains responsible for keeping a proper lookout and operating safely.
Can you practise motorboat handling drills on a twin-engine boat?
Yes. The exercises can still be useful on twin-engine boats, although the controls and handling options may differ from a single-engine vessel. The aim is to discover how your own propulsion arrangement responds rather than trying to make it behave like another boat.
When should you stop a motorboat handling practice session?
Stop if traffic increases, visibility deteriorates, conditions become uncomfortable or the available sea room is no longer suitable. Fatigue also matters. A short, focused session is more useful than continuing once concentration begins to fall.
Should you record what you learn during motorboat handling practice?
Brief notes can be useful when you are learning a new boat. Recording observations about wind strength, tide, engine settings or particular handling characteristics can help you compare how the vessel behaves under different conditions on later trips.