New to v-drives

[Gasman]

Hello Sea Ray family I am not new to boating but new to V dries.... im coming from a 2001 290 sundancer with i/o's....'m in the process of purchasing and 2000 340 sundancer with inboards.... was wondering what is the difference in the way v-drives and i/o's drive steer at slow and high speeds especially docking any advice really appreciate it....

 

[Bt Doctur]

operated correctly I find that the I/O is a bit easier when docking but properly trained a twin inboard is a pleasure to put in a slip
On a IB, use the throttles to steer for small correction underway, when docking , throttles and shift only, no steering

 

[AFD]

V drives will give you better control around the dock as the power is transfered u der the boat, not 2 feet behind it. They are less efficient but better control and less than half the mintenance

 

[Stee6043]

You'll love V drives. I went from IO to my 340 with v drives and will never look back. Docking is a breeze. My first year I used nothing but the shifters when docking. At some point in the second year I became comfortable applying a bit of throttle while using the shifters. It gets easier and easier....

 

[rcknecht]

When turning with V-Drive, the only nuance to get used to, is you will to apply some throttle to your engine in reverse. When the boat turns at idle it will move slightly forward. When backing into a slip, I turn around, and face aft.. I shift the engines with my right hand... Just take it slow... V-Drives are much easier to handle than I/Os... Just don't mess with the wheel... The rudders are of very little use when docking...

 

[RollerCoastr]

When turning with V-Drive, the only nuance to get used to, is you will to apply some throttle to your engine in reverse.

this, this, this!

throttle to the reverse engine smartly kicks the stern aside without panic-inducing forward motion that results from throttle to an engine in fwd.

 

[Gasman]

So when backing in to my slip all I need is the shifters... when the throttle is all the way down and boat is in gear will the boat move.... Is is similar to putting a car in gear without pressing the gas

 

[Gasman]

Also at low speeds the ruddrers dont do anything????

 

[ttmott]

Also at low speeds the ruddrers dont do anything????樂樂樂

They do. Prop-wash over them direct the water flow and influence aft movement. They can be useful with props in forward and/or reverse for crabbing into a tight areas or compensating for winds.
Normally, however, it's suitable to center the rudders and maneuver with the props.

 

[JimG]

and they shift so much easier that I/O's

 

[bracketracer]

So when backing in to my slip all I need is the shifters... when the throttle is all the way down and boat is in gear will the boat move.... Is is similar to putting a car in gear without pressing the gas

With the obvious difference of letting the clutch out in a car, but yes, very much the same.

Also at low speeds the ruddrers dont do anything????樂樂樂

In my case, very little. And yes, the whole part about goosing the reverse engine to maneuver in tight quarters is excellent advice. In my particular slip, I wouldn't be able to get out and turned at dead idle speeds.

 

[Island Time Buffalo]

the only nuance to get used to, is you will to apply some throttle to your engine in reverse. ...

The single most important piece of advice I was given. Referred to as "Power the Down"...... whichever shifter is down, give that one the goose.

But I absolutely love the V's. I came from a single I/O to twin V's and holy crap...... what a difference.

 

[rcknecht]

The use of the rudders to crab is a 301 course... For your 101 and 201 training, I would leave them in the center... BTW, don't be afraid of using you pilings as pivot points, especially when it windy... This is the same method used with I/Os....

 

[Bt Doctur]

Practice,Practice,Practice around a buoy .Learn how each engine turns the boat in gear in forward and in reverse as a single engine,
then as both engines in gear changing the throttle settings and then with one in fwd and one in reverse ,

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

So far, you're getting the scoop on low speed handling which is truly a huge advantage over IO's IMHO. Regarding high speed steering, you will find that any inboard boat will NOT respond to turns nearly as quickly as IO's. Compared to each other, IO's on plane will out maneuver the same size inboard boat by a large margin. The tighter the turn, the more pressure will need to be applied to the wheel with inboards also - due to the nature of the rudders becoming less efficient as they are turned against the water flow at planing speeds. You just need to plan your turns a little more carefully knowing that you will need more space to do so than with IO's.

You will also get a higher top end speeds with IO's. They are just more efficient being able to adjust the angle of the prop to the boat's attitude as well as the lack of structures (prop shaft, shaft struts, rudder) that create drag. If top end speed isn't too important, IO's use less fuel at cruising speed too due to their efficiency.

Inboard boats are a bit better balanced for weight since the engines are not at the absolute transom like IO's. This can have an effect on handling when you have some guests sitting on the transom bench while you get up on plane. The less weight back there the better.

All being said, I still would go inboards for a 34' boat.

 

[Mittens]

I have no issues with my v drives, but I still think twin out drives allows more control. You can direct the props for reverse suction and stuff.

Butts slot more then some like

 

[Boater420]

I hardly have to use the wheel when making turns on plane, adjusting the RPM of each engine will naturally make the boat turn. For a port turn increase the RPMs on the starboard side and decrease the RPMs on the port.

 

[strange weather]

Hello Sea Ray family I am not new to boating but new to V dries.... im coming from a 2001 290 sundancer with i/o's....'m in the process of purchasing and 2000 340 sundancer with inboards.... was wondering what is the difference in the way v-drives and i/o's drive steer at slow and high speeds especially docking any advice really appreciate it....

You'll love the way the boat handles around the dock!

 

[Gasman]

Sorry for the long post......
Learning curve my be too much for me.... I took my new to me 340 out 3 weeks ago played around for a few came in and backed right into my slip pretty easy... went to move my boat to a new slip for the weekend tried 4 times could not get it had to pull to the side and ask a fellow boater to back me in.... he did it no problem (I'm sucking at this docking thing I'm thing in my head.... makes me never wanna take it out)..... So I get talked into taking a short cruse to another marina maybe .5 mile away.... pulled outta my slip no prob drove down no prob... started heading to the marina could not get in the marina slight wind after 2 tries I gave the wheel to a more experienced person on the boat he had no problem even paralleled paeked against the seawall ... when we left he pulled out for me i drove back to my marina and docked in my slip pretty decent.... ps also hired a captain it helped a little. Any advise would be great....
sorry for the long post

 

[Irie308]

I would say find an experienced captain (perhaps a dockmate) and go out not on a calm day but a day that has a bit of wind or current. This way you are exposed to different scenarios. We used to dock on a river with a pretty significant current. When we first picked up our 320 we went out with a captain and he showed us ways to use the current to get in and out of our slip. I've found the more times you dock (successfully or not) you learn something and build confidence. Also there is no shame in abandoning an attempt and trying again. I've seen seasoned captains abandon multiple docking attempts because they felt they were not lined up properly.