| Boat: Bayliner Skagit Sunbridge 21'
Name: Danielle
Dock: Warren, RI (Narragansett Bay)
Year of manuf: 1978
Engine: Volvo Penta 8-cyl. 255 HP Gas Powered
Drive: Volvo 280T Stern Drive
Uses: General cruising (Block Island, Martha's Vineyard,
Fishing, towing ski-bob, skier, etc).
I've had this boat since last season and have had a lot of fun,
although I got it cheap and there was a great deal of work to do
in tidying her up, top-end recondition on the engine, etc.
Therefore, I now know a lot about the boat and its peculiarities.
Some of the issues I have encountered are:
Propellor size:
The manual says 21" pitch, 15" diam. I found that I could only attain
2800 RPM with this arrangement, maximum revs. The manual says I
should get between 4000 and 4400. So I tried 17" pitch and 15" diam.
and can now get about 3400 RPM. Maybe my revcounter is not registering
correctly, because the engine sounds (to my ear) to be revving quite
high at an indicated 3500 and the boat is certainly cruising well
at an estimated 30MPH (I have no speedometer). Anyone have any words
of wisdom on this subject? I'd hate to buy another revcounter just
to check this suspicion.
Handling at docking speed:
Awful. No matter how much practise I get, I always find it a challenge
to elegantly dock this little monster! It's usually a matter of
getting near to the slip and having a crewmember jump off and manhandle
her in. Also, she *never* cruises in a decent straight line at docking
speed.
Steering wheel position:
Terrible. It's low below the instrument panel and uncomfortable
for long cruises. The windscreen top is just at eye level, forcing
the pilot to crouch below to see under, or to sit on a number of
cushions to see over.
Everything else:
Fine.
Tally-ho,
Ray.
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| Re .1,
Ray,
Not uncommon problems. First a Bayliner is a light boat, add to
that the amount of boat above the water line and wind, etc will
play havoc on docking. You just need MORE PRACTICE in all kinds of
conditions. You might try getting some tips from that one guy in
the marina who never misses (it aint me).
Do you have "Tilt-N-Trim" on the Volvo?? The "Wandering" back and
forth at low speed is a result of a deep-v hull. Tilt your outdrive
up 10 deg and it goes away. Also, don't oversteer. If it swings
slightly to one side, it will come back on the next swing. If you
try to correct immediatly, you just add to the swing back and now
have more than you can handle.
These are some things that work for me. EVERY boat is different.
All I can say is try a few things and PRACTICE. You might also want
to get as much weight forward as possible to reduce the effect of
the bow swinging from wind (people, gear, etc).
You will be a PRO in no time!!!
Don
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