BROWSE POWERBOATING ARTICLES

Watch a powerboat catamaran fail to retrieve a mooring ball and hit another boat. Learn step-by-step tips to avoid this mistake and moor safely every time.

Ferrying is a technique whereby you can maneuver your boat in high wind and current easily.

Maintenance is an important responsibility for a boat owner and skipper of a vessel. Here we discuss hull and stuff onboard maintenance.

Gasoline is a common fuel choice for many recreational powerboats due to its availability, ease of use, and suitability for high-speed performance.

As noted earlier, diesel engines are sturdy and highly reliable, and operating them today is straightforward.

In this module, we'll explore the various hull designs that are commonly used in large powerboats, typically those greater than 26 feet in length.

Crew ("Man") Overboard (MOB) is fortunately relatively rare, but chances are that in your sailing career, it will happen.

Studying a harbor layout does very little good without understanding the symbols and what they signify. It pays to learn the symbols found on nautical charts.

Jet propulsion engines, while more commonly associated with smaller, high-performance powerboats and personal watercraft, have found applications in larger vessels, including powerboats over 26 feet and even large ships such as ferries.

A navigation chart, whether electronic or paper, is your friend. It is the primary source of hazard information. Symbols on the chart can give you the information to plot a safe journey.

Heading Into Waves (Bow-on or Head Seas) Reduce Speed: Slow down to minimize the impact of hitting waves head-on.

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This knot is used to secure a line to a pole, post, or piling. It’s more secure than a clove hitch and won’t slip under load.

Inverters are devices used to convert 12-volt DC battery electricity to AC 110-volt or 220-volt electricity. Special electronics in the device take constant level current and turn it into an alternating sine wave-shaped current.

To tow a vessel, form a “bridle” from the rear cleats on the rescue boat.

Wind coming into the slip channel and your boat is stern-toThis is best handled by steering out of the slip...

You can use prop walk to turn your boat in a tight marina by applying forward and reverse gears at appropriate times, leaving the helm locked to starboard.

Aids to Navigation include buoys, lights, lighthouses, and markers, among others.

The history of navigation is fascinating and dates back as many centuries as we can imagine.

Outboard engines have traditionally been associated with smaller boats, but advancements in technology have led to the development of high-horsepower outboard engines that are now commonly used on larger powerboats, including those over 26 feet.

There are many reasons for anchoring your boat: Emergencies.

Essentially, spring lines are just long dock lines.

Ensuring that your boat is in the same place you left it is a very important skill. There are also other factors to consider: depth under keel and surrounding area depth, tidal currents, low tide depth, other boats in proximity, wind speed and direction changes, type of bottom, and length of stay. All factors play into your anchoring decisions.

Sound signals are defined and prescribed in the Navigation Rules for International and Inland Waters. Sound has an advantage over light signals, in that it can be used when vision fails.

Like a water bucket, batteries have a specific storage capacity and must be refilled/recharged when their contents of energy are depleted.

Thanks go to Mr. Rudolf Diesel who years ago in Germany cleverly invented an engine that today bears his name the diesel engine.

Electric engines are becoming an increasingly popular choice for large powerboats as technology advances and the boating community becomes more environmentally conscious.

Perhaps the most important use of DC power on a vessel is for starting the engine. Thus, it is prudent to always assign one “isolated” battery or bank of batteries for the sole purpose of starting the engine and assign another battery or bank of batteries to “the house”.

Finally, there is something called a “sea anchor.” These can be a variety of devices used to slow down a vessel caught in high winds and turbulent seas.

While water can be dangerous, so can the stuff that lies below it. Thus it is important to know, for sure, how close it is to fragile stuff on the bottoms of out boat such as the propeller and rudder if fitted.

There is one situation where you are just going to have to suck it up and admit defeat. Propwalk wins this game today and you have to come back and fight another day.

The long-line-ashore is a useful mooring method. It is mostly used in the Mediterranean as a customary way of mooring a lot of boats along a shoreline.

There is a really cool universal law out there that states: “For every force, there must be an equal and opposite force.” When you are docking, if your boat pulls on a line attached to the dock, the line pulls back on your boat.

OK, now that you're an expert at maneuvering the boat under power outside of the marina, it is time to bring the varnish and gel coat in close quarters with its sworn enemies - the docks, pilings, and other boats.

Putting out fires quickly is essential. The sooner you find the source the quicker the fire can be extinguished.

Sailing has been around for thousands of years. Electronic Communications has been around for less than 100 years (not counting the telegraph).

The rules make it very clear: safety is paramount, and you must always maintain a safe distance from other vessels.

To be prepared and understand electrical power usage on a modern vessel, it is important to learn a few basic terms and concepts.

Here again, we are discussing catamarans and twin-drive monohulls for the sake of their similarity and non-duplication.

Mooring a vessel means attaching it to a float that is firmly and permanently anchored to the sea bottom.

After safely and securely anchoring your vessel, there are certain factors to contend with - most are common sense.

Dressing appropriately for weather conditions is an important but often overlooked topic. Weather in the marina may be considerably different from weather beyond the marina and conditions can drastically change during your venture.

Fuel consumption in inboard engines on large powerboats varies based on several factors, including engine type, horsepower rating, boat hull design, and operating speed.

The sheet bend is used to join two ropes of different thicknesses or materials together.

We'll first start it outside the marina and next to a buoy. Use the buoy as a reference and your imagination, for now, to create the docking scenarios below.

Fire in the engine compartment is a real risk. The risk is heightened with gasoline fuel (petrol) because of the flammable nature of the vapors.

The rudder used with inboard drives or turning the pivot drives with outboards and stern drives can be a big help because it can change the direction of the thrust force at the stern of the boat.

You have to admit that both sailors and truck drivers are probably the best in the world at tying knots.

The source of DC power is usually one or more marine-grade batteries, normally 12 volts each. They are similar to automobile batteries, except sturdier—and of course more expensive.

Fighter pilots are familiar with the term VIF-ing. VIF stands for "vectoring in flight." It means that you can move your plane sideways, up, or down while in flight.

Dedicated electric generators on board boats are usually only reserved for large boats because of their weight and size.

An emergency bilge pump(s) is a very significant electrical device on any vessel. This pump is used to pump out water that may collect, for whatever reason, in the bilge.

The Stevedore knot is another stopper knot. It is less likely to slip undone than the Figure 8 and is used to prevent a rope from slipping out of a device or from running through a block or hole.

Larger Powerboats are equipped with a variety of engine types, each offering unique advantages and performance characteristics.

Solar panels produce DC power and are used to charge the batteries. A relatively small solar panel such as 1 square foot (0.1 m2) can produce...

Understanding and utilizing propeller walk (or "prop walk") is an integral part of learning how to reverse a boat with a single inboard engine drive type, so we’ll go into an in-depth discussion of prop walk here.

Electric storms are frightening. On inland waters, they can arrive very quickly, especially on a hot sultry day.

The bowline knot creates a secure, non-slip loop at the end of a rope. It is commonly used for securing a line to a post, cleat, or ring.

Below is a brief summary of how locations are commonly expressed on different surfaces.

Typically, people own their own monohulls but they will charter a cat on a vacation.

Lights are installed on some ATONS. The lights are usually alternating on and off on some consistent interval to distinguish one ATON from another.

Wind blowing you off the dock Plan a fairly steep approach so that you are facing more into the wind.

Sailors are forever measuring stuff. This brings us to the subject of navigation units. As we all remember from the good ol’ school days, measurement is the process of comparing something with an established standard.

Stopping a boat safely and efficiently under power is a crucial skill for any competent boat operator. Different scenarios call for different techniques, and knowing how your boat reacts under each maneuver is essential for safety and control.

The word "catamaran" originates from the Tamil language, which is spoken in southern India and Sri Lanka.

Batteries are a vessel’s major source of power for many essential functions both when in the slip and while Boating.

The deep-V hull is one of the most popular designs for powerboats, especially those used in offshore and high-performance boating.

Inboard engines are a popular choice for larger powerboats, particularly those over 27 feet.

VHF (Very High Frequency) radios are a primary source of radio communications between vessels and shore installations.

CloudsClouds can give a relatively easy and quick look at what might be coming in the future weather

This is a big page with a lot of text. BUT knowing that the biggest killer in boating is drowning, it is just a good idea to take special notice of this page.

When a powerboat is moving forward you'll notice that it turns more easily in one direction than the other, this is due to a dynamic effect called propeller torque or propeller-induced torque.

Satellite communications are an essential tool for boaters, providing reliable connectivity even in the most remote ocean areas where traditional communication methods like cell phones and VHF radios are not effective.

When it comes to dinghy operations, the following is a dangerous attitude: “It’s only a short distance ashore—jump in, she’ll be right!”

The figure-eight knot, or stopper knot, is used to prevent a rope from slipping out of a device or from running through a block or hole.

Sterndrive engines, also known as inboard/outboard (I/O) engines, are a popular choice for powerboats, particularly those in the 26-foot and larger range.

This is where the rubber meets the road—or, in this case, where the gel coat does not touch the big bad hard concrete wall.

Trim tabs are an essential tool for improving performance, efficiency, and comfort while motoring.