Softhearted

A good riding boat can make up for deficiencies elsewhere on the vessel -- and a harsh riding one can make even the most luxe boat feel like a dump truck. Try getting your crew to smile when they’re getting bounced off plush, French-stitched upholstered seats or wearing a beverage that splashed out of a can that had been snugly secured in a drinkholder. Women can be particularly difficult to make happy when the ride is rough due to the action imparted on their upper torsos. We skippers forget that. Not only do we have the wheel to hold on to, but we also usually stand while underway, which allows our legs to serve as shock absorbers.

A good captain is attentive to his crew’s comfort and the number one way you can soften the ride is simply to slow down. There are other, easily remembered techniques that can minimize the slamming and banging -- depending upon your boat, your experience, and the prevailing conditions -- without resorting to trawler speed. Here are five that work for me.

The A List. When headed out in winter winds in my flat-bottomed duck boat, I sometimes move gear on deck to induce a list. Why? This allows the jonboat to present the sharp corner of its chine to the chop. In certain conditions, the same technique can be used aboard cruisers that have hulls with moderate deadrise. Use trim tabs or shift gear to get your boat to lay over -- but only within the limits of conditions and your experience.

Level Headed. The opposite of creating a list can also work. If your boat is listing and landing on the flat panel of the hull instead of on its V-shaped centerline, the quality of the ride suffers. The solution is similar to that described above -- use trim tabs or shift crew and gear to keep an even keel.