Vagabond under motor-power

Posted By: Rod M. WWP-19 "Spring", Nimble Vagabond "Loligo" S. Gulf Isl
Date: 3/17/07 6:22p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Vagabond motoring characteristics (pic) (Rod M. WWP-19 "Spring", Nimble Vagabond "Loligo" S. Gulf Isl)

Hi Jim, Mark and Greg, Wouldn't you guess, Mark, that this is my first powerboat. We are getting a little long and stiff in the tooth, especially me, so we decided to try a power craft. I've had a good many sailboats with auxiliary power (mostly O/Bs), but this is the first pure motor yacht. In no wind conditions (rare!) she does OK but, as you might expect in so light a boat, is very sensitive to weight trim and crew placement. Under most conditions I have seen, she behaves a little better at higher speeds. However, I would prefer the combo of 5+ kt @ 3000 rpm, rather than 7 kt @ 5000 rpm -- for reasons of noise, wear and economy. A local guru suggested that I trim the motor forward of vertical, as this should bring up the bow and reduce the ability of the bow forces to steer the boat. This is counter-intuitive to me, but I have moved ballast aft and will give it a try (especially since I have a lot more ability to trim forward (four more holes) than aft (one hole remains.) Some folks have told me that this fighting of the helm is a small boat feature that is common (even in such deep-Vs as C-Dory, which we considered, except for price) but I sure don't see signs from outside observation. As background, we had a Nimble 24 yawl whose sailing characteristics did not impress me; my main complaint was ferocious weather helm, which I was never able to balance out well. In light winds, my choice was jib&jigger for balanced helm, but that can go only so far. Under full sail, easing off the mizzen was a help (don't strap that puppy down, even if it is tiny) but no solution. Ted Brewer -- help! Well, I'll keep plugging. Thank you for your input. Rod McNabb ~~~ __/)~~~