MAKING WAVES ///CAPTAIN’S TEST
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Are you a performance boater? Whether you’re an
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month’s Captain’s Test is for you. Drop the throttle,
hit the trim and tabs, and go! —John Tiger
(Answers on page 20)
HIGH-PERFORMANCE
BOAT HANDLING
PHOTO: COURTESY CIGARETTE RACING TEAM
- What does the term
“chine walking” mean,
and why is it a potentially
dangerous handling
problem at speed?
A. Chine walking
means the boat
moves back and
forth from fore to aft
excessively; this can
cause pitching and
potentially stuff the
bow into a wave.
B. Chine walking
means the boat
rocks side to side
at speed due to a
variety of reasons;
if left unchecked as
speed rises, it can
become excessive
and violent enough
to cause loss of con-
trol and potentially
barrel-roll (capsize)
the hull.
C. Chine walking is
when the boat
walks home without
engine power after a
rough day at sea.
D. None of the above - What could cause
poor boat handling at
high speed?
A. Crossing wakes at
the wrong angle,
at high speed, and/
or with improper
engine trim angle.
B. Engine/drive trim
elevated out too far.
C. Worn engine mounts
and loose steering
connections.
D. All of the above
E. B and C
- Trimming the drive
too far under at speed
can cause:
A. Poor tracking and
heavy bow steering.
B. Loss of speed and
fuel efficiency.
C. Potential for stuffing
the bow into oncom-
ing waves.
D. None of the above
E. All of the above - A good tip in learn-
ing how to handle a
high-performance boat
at speed without induc-
ing chine walking or
similar oscillation is to:
A. Increase speed and
positive drive trim
only in small incre-
ments as you master
and control the hull.
B. Gently put the boat
into a slight right-
hand turn to coun-
teract the torque of
the right-hand rota-
tion of the propeller,
thereby keeping the
boat on an even keel
as you raise speed
and trim angle.
C. Practice when
there’s a slight wind
chop to break up the
surface tension.
D. All of the above
E. None of the above - At high speed, you’re
approaching another
boat from behind and
want to cross its wake.
What action do you take?
A. Check the trim angle
and lower it slightly;
reduce speed.
B. Approach the boat,
then quickly cut the
wheel left, crossing
the wake immedi-
ately behind it.
C. Approach the boat
at steady, reduced
speed and level
trim, then cross the
wake at an angle,
giving plenty of
room between the
boats.
D. Approach at full
throttle, and trim
and jump their wake
to give a good show.
E. A, B and D
F. A and C
- After a full-throttle
pass, to slow down you
should:
A. Chop the throt-
tle suddenly and
swiftly.
B. Trim down slightly
and put the boat into
a sharp turn.
C. Reduce trim and
throttle gradually,
then as the boat
comes off plane,
check behind you
to ensure your
following wave does
not come over the
transom (typically
on smaller hulls).
D. B and C