30 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MARCH 2018
SEASEAMMAANNSHSHIPIP By Kevin FalveyByKevinFalveyAs a result, a listing boat
will generally ride harder, and
wetter too, because spray will
tend to get thrown vertically
rather than out to each side.
Listing also induces a turn
to the side in which the boat is
leaning. This, then, requires
more attention to the helm
and more physical effort,
especially if the boat is
equipped with cable steering
or is powered by a tiller-
model outboard.
A wrinkle involves boatsON THE
LEVEL
The use and abuse of a listing boatwith flat bottoms , which have
no water-slicing V shape to
speak of. Way back in the hey-
day of the Jersey watermen, it
was discovered that a listing
Garvey (the penultimate
flat-bottomed boat type) pre-
sented its chine corner to the
water in a way that tended to
smooth the ride. There’d still
be the steering issue to deal
with, but like boats them-
selves, techniques of seaman-
ship often prove a compromise
of one sort or another.I’ve seen baymen in my
local Long Island waters load
a skiff with bivalves so that
the gunwales were damn near
at the surface of the water.
This was on calm days with
little boat traffic,
and by experi-
enced profession-
als toiling for
their daily bread.
Still, listing, even
a little, would not
have been good.
Dipping a rail
might have proved tragic.
We recreational boaters
have to deal with what might
be called a “live load” and
therefore need to be at least as
careful. A small boat — and I
term most boats under about
35 feet as small — with a capac-
ity load of crew aboard pre-
sents the opportunity for the
skipper to exercise judgment,
experience and authority. If
everyone aboard rushes to one
side to see the whale, theshore side mansion or the cool
boat about to pass, bad things
can happen.
First of all, the boat’s going
to want to steer to one side —
and there’s a boat, a whale or
the shore nearby that must be
avoided. Second, the listing
boat is going to present your
crew with a slanted surface on
which to stand. Third, the
gunwale on the side of the
boat to which everyone rushes
will get lower to the water.
Add in an errant wave or wake
of just the right size and at just
the right moment, and all
three of the boat’s reactions to
the movement of live ballast
can be affected dramatically,
resulting in catastrophe. A
tragedy of just this sort
occurred aboard a small tour
boat in upstate New York
some years ago.I can’t tell you how to speak
to your crew. They are your
family and friends. And no
one can imagine the infinite
combinations of wind, weath-
er and situations. What I can
say is that good seamanship
dictates the need to load our
boats with care and see that
the load remains secure. That
holds true whether the load is
a cooler full of ice, bushels of
clams, or the people we care
about most.It should be obvious, I suppose, that
a boat running level across its beam
will ride better. When leaning to
one side — listing — a boat is con-
tacting the water on one of the two
basically flat hull panels instead of
a sharper V shape.
ILLUSTRATION: TIM BOWERIf everyone aboard rushes to
one side to see the whale, the
shoreside mansion or the cool
boat about to pass, bad things
can happen.