How to Drive a boat with RD (non pg)

[RiverDave]

This is a series of videos I recorded earlier this summer for fun and informational purposes. It doesn’t really fit the “pg / industry” narrative so we added a YouTube channel to our YouTube called “after dark” This particular series is six or seven episodes.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I will update with more episodes next week!

RD

 

[SkyDirtWaterguy]

You need to make the environment more realistic though Dave! Put a bunch of drunk people and about 6 kids on the boat and have the stereo cranked up!

 

[Havaduner]

Thanks Dave! I watched, then had my wife watch with me. "Don't be in a hurry, don't fucking panic! "

She also loved the part where you pointed out guys with twins sawing at the wheel!

 

[Havaduner]

You need to make the environment more realistic though Dave! Put a bunch of drunk people and about 6 kids on the boat and have the stereo cranked up!

Watch video #2!

 

[RiverDave]

You need to make the environment more realistic though Dave! Put a bunch of drunk people and about 6 kids on the boat and have the stereo cranked up!

Then you wouldn’t hear the instructional.. lol

 

[SkyDirtWaterguy]

Watch video #2!

I get it!

 

[Jefftowz]

I see a tshirt in the RDP future. “ Everybody wants to be the boat captain until it’s time to do captain shit”

can we please do a video on single engine? I have the worst time after 30 years of boating, getting my boat in a slip.

 

[Swain]

This video will put Tres Martin out of Business lol.

 

[Shlbyntro]

only thing I would change in the first video, and you actually kind of touched on it in the 2nd one, is: under no circumstances does the boat get untied from the dock until after the engines are started and warmed up.

also fenders and ropes are tied to the boat before approaching said dock, and not removed until away and clear of the dock.

lastly, unless you are the person(s) responsible for ropes and fenders, everybody keeps their f*cking asses in their f*cking seats until I say they are good to move. You can get your bags, flip flops, hats, whatever other bs after the boat is stopped and safely tied up. It drives me batty when people are bouncing all over the place on the boat while Im trying to dock.

more than 1 way to skin a dog tho, thats just my system

 

[Boat 405]

everybody keeps their f*cking asses in their f*cking seats until I say they are good to move. You can get your bags, flip flops, hats, whatever other bs after the boat is stopped and safely tied up. It drives me batty when people are bouncing all over the place on the boat while Im trying to dock.

For some reason everyone always wants to stand up right as I'm pulling up to the dock, even my wife, and every time I say sit down until we are at the dock or I say so.

 

[2Driver]

LOL

 

[Wizard29]

The clown who owns the American Legion boat down in Newport needs to watch the part about how boats actually do have brakes.

We were in the Newport boat parade with my little boat and that guy was behind us. 40' to 50' yacht/fishing type boat. The parade stopped for a Balboa Island ferry crossing, so of course we stopped behind the boat we were following. He and his companions start yelling from the bridge, "Hey, we're drifting into you! We don't have brakes! You need to get out of the way!"

He was "directly" informed by my passengers and I that the parade was stopped and the solution to his problem would be to put his controls in the "R" position.

That was just weird. How do you get behind the wheel of a boat that size and not know how to control it?

Maybe he needs River Fuckin Dave to tell him.

 

[HNL2LHC]

Thanks for the videos Dave. Shared them with the family.

 

[RiverDave]

I see a tshirt in the RDP future. “ Everybody wants to be the boat captain until it’s time to do captain shit”

can we please do a video on single engine? I have the worst time after 30 years of boating, getting my boat in a slip.

I just need a single engine boat to do a video real quick. There are some very easy things that people don’t realize.. for example when floating the initial “blast” when you put it in reverse is the most affective for rotating the boat.. after that initial blast the direction of the drive does very little..

 

[ahavasu]

Love it!

 

[stephenkatsea]

Person(s) handling line(s) should not jump to the dock. They should wait until they can calmly step across.

When tied stern to the current and departing, the bow line comes off first, a short straight across stern line comes off last. The opposite is true when arriving. When maneuvering in current, current will prevail 99% of the time over the wind. When approached correctly, current is mother nature's bow or stern thruster. If approached incorrectly, it will F you up in a heart beat.

Prior to taking off any lines, a quick check of forward, reverse and neutral.

 

[2Driver]

I just need a single engine boat to do a video real quick. There are some very easy things that people don’t realize.. for example when floating the initial “blast” when you put it in reverse is the most affective for rotating the boat.. after that initial blast the direction of the drive does very little..

That would be good. Your vid’s are very easy to watch. I know from experience a single drive pontoon in a little wind can be a handful. So is docking into a slip that is perpendicular to a swift current like the slips along the river.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

You want to talk about a bitch to remember, my OB cat spins the props in, and my cruiser spins out, so they are opposite in effect to the way they maneuver the boat in reverse. I fuck it up on the regular! Luckily my skills are superior to most so I can unfuck it pretty quick and easy.

 

[Icky]

Was that a long Island ice tea

 

[ChrisV]

thanks for the video. hahah Last weekend I took my mach 22 with twins out to practice parking and shit is fucking hard.

 

[warpt71]

I see a tshirt in the RDP future. “ Everybody wants to be the boat captain until it’s time to do captain shit”

can we please do a video on single engine? I have the worst time after 30 years of boating, getting my boat in a slip.

Thats because its a jet! Ask me how I know lol

 

[RiverDave]

Person(s) handling line(s) should not jump to the dock. They should wait until they can calmly step across.

When tied stern to the current and departing, the bow line comes off first, a short straight across stern line comes off last. The opposite is true when arriving. When maneuvering in current, current will prevail 99% of the time over the wind. When approached correctly, current is mother nature's bow or stern thruster. If approached incorrectly, it will F you up in a heart beat.

Prior to taking off any lines, a quick check of forward, reverse and neutral.

I gotta be reading this wrong or.. it’s always bow into the current and the stern line comes off first or things are gonna get difficult

 

[RiverDave]

You want to talk about a bitch to remember, my OB cat spins the props in, and my cruiser spins out, so they are opposite in effect to the way they maneuver the boat in reverse. I fuck it up on the regular! Luckily my skills are superior to most so I can unfuck it pretty quick and easy.

Shouldn’t make much difference in off plane maneuvering..

 

[just_floatin]

(Video 2) When pulling up to a dock - “forward to neutral and turn the key off. . That was awesome.

 

[stephenkatsea]

I gotta be reading this wrong or.. it’s always bow into the current and the stern line comes off first or things are gonna get difficult

That would be correct for a single engine. A twin engine vessel has no problem accurately backing into the current. If you desire to tie up starboard side to the dock, first tie off your stbd corner (stern into the current), the current will do the rest and move you into the dock.

 

[Shlbyntro]

my old 35PC was a turd when trying to manuever, it still had outward turning props but the keel protruded nearly to the bottom of the props in the center. every time you tried to turn it with the sticks, it would slip side to side. you ultimately had to use rudder and both sticks to make it turn in a stationary position.

also noteworthy on a different similar size cruiser, I replaced the 300' anchor rode with all chain and it completely changed the low speed handling charwcteristics of the boat. It actually made it noticably easier to turn on a dime as the ass end of the boat would pivot around the nose where the chain was held when driving it with the sticks. it also planed much easier.

at the end of the day, every boat is different and will have its own handling characteristics but RDs video is a great general rule of thumb to start from

 

[bilz]

That was cool! Single engine please.

 

[rivermobster]

I see a tshirt in the RDP future. “ Everybody wants to be the boat captain until it’s time to do captain shit”

can we please do a video on single engine? I have the worst time after 30 years of boating, getting my boat in a slip.

Basically you do Exactly what Dave said...

You "bump" the throttle and let the boat drift! You can still steer the boat, even when the stick in in netural.

Make Very short, quick adjustments with the "bump" and let the boat drift into a slip.

Now if you're in the current in Parker, there is a whole different program for that!




Nice vids Dave! Pretty obvious someone pissed you off that morning!!!

 

[stephenkatsea]

Shouldn’t make much difference in off plane maneuvering..

It does. When going forward an outboard turning prop/single engine, turns clockwise when viewed from astern. When in reverse, it turns counter clockwise and will "swim" the vessel to port when backing.

 

[WTR&PWR]

We have a place at the springs and man when the wind blows it’s a nightmare getting into some of those spots. I’ve seen a few boats by the launch ramp slips with the biminis up get pushed to the point of playing bumper cars.

Quick tip- if it’s windy out the Bimini down before launching/retrieving or getting in a slip.

 

[bocco]

Need one on parallel docking. Then repeat all three with single engine.

 

[RiverDave]

That would be correct for a single engine. A twin engine vessel has no problem accurately backing into the current. If you desire to tie up starboard side to the dock, first tie off your stbd corner (stern into the current), the current will do the rest and move you into the dock.

I can’t imagine why anyone would want the stern into the current.. nightmare.

 

[lenmann]

I really like a lot of the recent RDP video content, but I gotta say these are my favorite.

I was laughing my ass off watching them and the wifey had to come over and see what the deal was, she was laughing too.

Educational and very entertaining, well done sir.

 

[stephenkatsea]

I can’t imagine why anyone would want the stern into the current.. nightmare.

On a twin engine vessel it is not a nightmare and very do able. There are times when situations dictate you need to tie a particular side to the dock. The operator of a twin engine vessel should become comfortable backing into the current. Or Don't . . . and limit which side of your vessel is tied to the dock. Visualize approaching a dock on your port side, with the current coming at you, if you need your stbd side tied to the dock, you will turn around and back into the current, tie a short stbd side stern line to the dock, followed by spring, bow etc. Be aware, if you're in a Tidal Current the direction of flow will change with the tides. Direction of River Current is typically in one direction. But, there are exceptions. Foxes is a good example of that. Local knowledge is vital. Even The Mississippi has areas with counter currents.

 

[lakemadness]

It's not called a rope. It's called a line.

 

[RiverDave]

On a twin engine vessel it is not a nightmare and very do able. There are times when situations dictate you need to tie a particular side to the dock. The operator of a twin engine vessel should become comfortable backing into the current. Or Don't . . . and limit which side of your vessel is tied to the dock.

Someone pulls up to any bar on any river with the stern into the current, the people at the bar look over and say “Fuckin idiot”. Then when said person enters the bar they congratulate them on their first boat.. lol. Seen it a million times..

RD

 

[HNL2LHC]

I see a tshirt in the RDP future. “ Everybody wants to be the boat captain until it’s time to do captain shit”

can we please do a video on single engine? I have the worst time after 30 years of boating, getting my boat in a slip.

Right!!?!?!?! Do it in the Springs as well. Remember me on that cold December morning. LOL. Good thing that there were a lot of open docks that morning.

 

[RiverDave]

It's not called a rope. It's called a line.

And it’s not a bouy it’s a fender etc.. just a few short years ago ain’t wasn’t in the dictionary either..

If I made a coastguard video nobody would watch it

 

[Ace in the Hole]

I just need a single engine boat to do a video real quick. There are some very easy things that people don’t realize.. for example when floating the initial “blast” when you put it in reverse is the most affective for rotating the boat.. after that initial blast the direction of the drive does very little..

I won’t be up for a few weeks but you can use the x-flight and my riviera slip for a video if you want.

 

[ltbaney1]

lastly, unless you are the person(s) responsible for ropes and fenders, everybody keeps their f*cking asses in their f*cking seats until I say they are good to move. You can get your bags, flip flops, hats, whatever other bs after the boat is stopped and safely tied up. It drives me batty when people are bouncing all over the place on the boat while Im trying to dock.

more than 1 way to skin a dog tho, thats just my system

absolutely. i will tell you if i need you to move / do something. i appreciate you wanting to help, but if you dont know what your doing or what the plan is, you are simply in the way.

 

[bk2drvr]

Do a "do's and don'ts" night run video through the gorge to Pirates/Topok?

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Loved it. Never been in a twin-engine. Good info, and much different than the jet I owned.

 

[GreenEnergy28]

Good stuff right here. "it's still a fucking Pontoon!"
No matter how many times we launch or dock, my wife gets anxious. She stresses out over everyone around us and projects that stress onto me. Any chance you can make a video for the wives with anxiety... "your job is to shut the f up and chill. That way I can do my job" LOL!

 

[D19]

Good stuff right here. "it's still a fucking Pontoon!"
No matter how many times we launch or dock, my wife gets anxious. She stresses out over everyone around us and projects that stress onto me. Any chance you can make a video for the wives with anxiety... "your job is to shut the f up and chill. That way I can do my job" LOL!

I try to get a few drinks into mine if possible. That usually mellows her out. Lol

 

[stephenkatsea]

And it’s not a bouy it’s a fender etc.. just a few short years ago ain’t wasn’t in the dictionary either..

If I made a coastguard video nobody would watch it

Interesting. Believe they were ropes in video #1 and lines in video #2? Totally unimportant. Similar to a helper trying to tie a line from your boat to a cleat on the dock exactly the correct way. I appreciate their help and ask them to just get it secure without putting a knot in the line. If needed, I make corrections later.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

The clown who owns the American Legion boat down in Newport needs to watch the part about how boats actually do have brakes.

We were in the Newport boat parade with my little boat and that guy was behind us. 40' to 50' yacht/fishing type boat. The parade stopped for a Balboa Island ferry crossing, so of course we stopped behind the boat we were following. He and his companions start yelling from the bridge, "Hey, we're drifting into you! We don't have brakes! You need to get out of the way!"

He was "directly" informed by my passengers and I that the parade was stopped and the solution to his problem would be to put his controls in the "R" position.

That was just weird. How do you get behind the wheel of a boat that size and not know how to control it?

Maybe he needs River Fuckin Dave to tell him.

I call it Driving While Persian in Newport

 

[RiverDave]

We have a place at the springs and man when the wind blows it’s a nightmare getting into some of those spots. I’ve seen a few boats by the launch ramp slips with the biminis up get pushed to the point of playing bumper cars.

Quick tip- if it’s windy out the Bimini down before launching/retrieving or getting in a slip.

Or you could just learn how to drive.. the odds of me putting biminis up and down just to idle a boat around are about zero.

 

[RiverDave]

Do a "do's and don'ts" night run video through the gorge to Pirates/Topok?

Now that could be a good one!

 

[FlyByWire]

Now we need one for us poors with only a SINGLE 400.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

I just need a single engine boat to do a video real quick. There are some very easy things that people don’t realize.. for example when floating the initial “blast” when you put it in reverse is the most affective for rotating the boat.. after that initial blast the direction of the drive does very little..

Um can you please go back to using the term "Bump"

Super videos Dave.... You should next do some on Launch/ De Launch proceedures at a ramp. Thats where all the real fun goes on right! This was a great start and hey look at you... you had hair under that hat all this time. Handsome fucker.