How To Hold Your Boat Steady

MBY’s definitive guide to boat handling. Don’t forget to watch the accompanying video tutorials at mby.com/howto

- Jon Mendez

Many people find skippering a motor cruiser challenging. The shallow hull form has limited grip on the water and combined with high windage, the boat can feel hard to control at low speed. This gets worse as the wind gets up and on good sailing days, many motor boats stay in the marina because their owners are intimidated by the conditions.

All good boat handling comes from being able to balance the boat against the elements. By elements, I mean what the wind is doing above the water and what the tide or stream is doing beneath it. Master this skill and you will be a calmer, safer boater and buy yourself the time and space to plan any subsequent manoeuvre.