See full version: S/V Violet Hour
Violet Hour is out of commission now for at least a month, all of August which is prime sailing season in Seattle. And will cost many boat bucks to repair. So this is a disappointing end to our trip, but there were many great moments before this – more to come soon! here
Our transmission was failing – the forward gear would no longer engage. But reverse worked just fine – meaning we could motor in reverse, but in forward could only go about ½ a knot – the speed gained from the prop spinning at about 500 rpm with the clutch slipping; and that would only work in windless, waveless conditions.
Even if the transmission had kicked the bucket when we were on the west coast of Vancouver Island we would’ve been pretty screwed. There are no major marine ports like Port Townsend there, probably few if any mechanics experienced in marine transmissions, and the boat would’ve been stuck there for months while we tried to fly parts in. here
If you need label info from the Hurth, I’m pretty sure mine would be identical and I could get it for you. [links]
After anchoring overnight at Port Townsend, we sailed all the way back to Seattle the next day, having a wonderful downwind sail with blessedly consistent 10-12 knot winds. Then came our last challenge – getting into Elliott Bay Marina without forward gear and a 12 knot wind blowing through the entrances! We could sail in, but sailing a 38 foot, 18,000 pound displacement boat into a marina you’ve never entered before is not so easy, nor necessarily a good idea when there are breakwater rocks and million dollar powerboats. After an hour of getting pushed by wind and current, when we were just about to try reversing in, the clutch miraculously engaged in forward and we made it in! here
I have heard both that it does and does not hurt the boat.
There have been a few instances in my show/competition skiing career that I have had skiers get tangled up in ropes resulting in them getting dragged by various body parts. This is the only case when I have slammed into full reverse at full speed. I have done it only twice, nothing broke either time, but those were desperate situations. [links]
I always pause in neutral when shifting from forward to reverse. Just get in the habit of pulling it up into neutral as you are getting close to where you want to be that way you can shift right into reverse when needed. [links]
Scroll down to the pics of the old shifter and the new install. It'll give you a good idea more
I would assume if yours is like this you can swap the shift cable to the other side and change your cable entry point more
With the 3 blade the boat would list a little to the port side. I would correct it with tabs. The 3 blade would blow out bad around turns and blow out the prop on take off getting on plane.
Awesome thx! Even though I have a different shifter than the one used on the instructions I can see now how the mechanism works and how to make it do what I want. Move the drive cable to the other mount, connect and go. here
One of the most common docking scenarios for larger, dual-inboard boats is the classic stern-to docking arrangement — better known as backing into a slip. It separates the men from the boys, but with a little prior planning, it turns out to be a fairly straightforward (or backward) easy move. more
Dual inboards or stern-drives offer boaters a great deal of control. By utilizing counterthrust (forward on one engine and reverse on the other), boaters can literally spin their boat 360 degrees in a little more than a boat length. The rudders or lower units (in the case of stern-drives or articulating drives like Volvo’s IPS) should always be amidships. The process works with dual outboards, though pivot maneuvers are more problematic due to their narrow set. more
B. As you near the point that you need to pivot, pull the starboard engine in reverse and slide the port engine into forward.
A. When nearing your slip, try to plan your approach so that wind and current will work with you, bringing the boat to the dock. Pull a little past your slip and then begin backing with both engines (always with your rudder amidships). here