Be patient with me, I'm the new (to nearly everything) guy!

I am under contract for a 38' Fu Hwa and the survey is set for Thursday. I know you guys can't give me every question to ask, much less the answers, but I want to find a community that can help me learn. First things first, how do I learn to pilot the thing? A little background-I've driven powered boats for 35+ years (ski boats, v-bow, mostly small craft), and have sailed many 18' Cats. I owned and sailed a daysailer in Michigan for a couple of summers. I would like your input on which Association (USPS, BoatsUS, etc.) [or one that I don't know about] would provide the best hands-on training for someone who needs the basics re-instilled (or learned since I didn't have formal boat education until this year. A friend wanted to prove to his co-owner that I had taken a safety/training course, so I took the Florida course). After closing the sale, I plan on motoring from Biloxi to New Orleans so if you know that neck of the woods, any local insight would be great. I am not afraid, but not fully confident either. My biggest concerns are the Rigolets, grounding in shallows, using the radio to get a drawbridge or two opened, and docking. I don't want to be the most disliked person in the marina. Unless there is something seriously wrong at the survey, this is probably a done deal, so I need to drive this sucker within a couple of weeks. Any help or advice will not be ignored and will be appreciated.

Goodgaea said:

First things first, how do I learn to pilot the thing? A little background-I've driven powered boats for 35+ years (ski boats, v-bow, mostly small craft), and have sailed many 18' Cats. I owned and sailed a daysailer in Michigan for a couple of summers . . . I am not afraid, but not fully confident either.

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Congrats on your boat purchase, and welcome aboard the TF. To me, you sound like someone who has the right combination of experience and caution, such that you're going to do just fine. You'll be surprised at how soon you develop a feeling for how your new-to-you 38' Fu Hwa responds to power and helm inputs. Bridgetenders here in Florida usually watch on VHF channels 09 or 13, but their hailing channel should appear on a signboard posted so that approaching boaters can see it.

Welcome and hey at least you're asking some of the right questions. Before you sign for that boat, have you confirmed you can acquire boat insurance? I think the consensus nowadays is to secure the insurance before buying the boat. I only bring this up because it may lead to your question about training. Many years ago when I bought a boat, we only got insurance based on a requirement that we hire a training captain and be given 1 week of training on our actual boat.
We were happy to do it because we wanted to learn as much as possible. What wasn't required were other things we did anyway; such as USPS on-line, and the local state vessel driver license training.
Also once you have a marina in mind in which to keep it; they in turn often require boat owners to have minimum liability insurance; sometimes $500k or $1 million depending on the location. the boat insurance market has been hammered lately, partly due to the storms in the gulf (Ian and others), so its a tough market.
I think that Fu Hwa has twin engines(?)... unfortunately it will not handle anything like ski boats or other outboards you've experienced.
I'm sure others here will chime in but just thought I'd get it started with my two cents. Best of luck to you and let us know how things progress.

Sounds like you have some on the water experience and know the rules of the road. That’s a good start.

I am not experienced with your area, so I don’t know if this is an inland water trip or an open ocean trip. None the less it is not an extensive open water trip so the Predict Wind app should help you stay out of any bad weather.

When we moved up to a larger boat, we hired a captain for a couple days of training. It wasn’t cheap, but worth every penny. Ask your surveyor if he has any contacts in the area. My experience is that the local professionals all know each other and who does what well. Congrats on the new boat!

Check on insurance from a broker that has experience with marine insurance. Do that TODAY! Find and hire a Captain to spend at least a week with you for training. A 38' boat is a small boat so it shouldn't take too long to get where you can handle it.

I hired a captain do the first move of our new boat with me aboard. Then I took it out on cruise one calm sunny day for about 3 hours. Then we took her on a four day trip to our home marina.

Welcome aboard. Check with Peter Ricks at Novamar insurance. He is awesome to work with.

206-350-5051

Blissboat said:

Congrats on your boat purchase, and welcome aboard the TF. To me, you sound like someone who has the right combination of experience and caution, such that you're going to do just fine. You'll be surprised at how soon you develop a feeling for how your new-to-you 38' Fu Hwa responds to power and helm inputs. Bridgetenders here in Florida usually watch on VHF channels 09 or 13, but their hailing channel should appear on a signboard posted so that approaching boaters can see it.

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Thanks, I'm excited

sledge said:

Welcome and hey at least you're asking some of the right questions. Before you sign for that boat, have you confirmed you can acquire boat insurance? I think the consensus nowadays is to secure the insurance before buying the boat. I only bring this up because it may lead to your question about training. Many years ago when I bought a boat, we only got insurance based on a requirement that we hire a training captain and be given 1 week of training on our actual boat.
We were happy to do it because we wanted to learn as much as possible. What wasn't required were other things we did anyway; such as USPS on-line, and the local state vessel driver license training.
Also once you have a marina in mind in which to keep it; they in turn often require boat owners to have minimum liability insurance; sometimes $500k or $1 million depending on the location. the boat insurance market has been hammered lately, partly due to the storms in the gulf (Ian and others), so its a tough market.
I think that Fu Hwa has twin engines(?)... unfortunately it will not handle anything like ski boats or other outboards you've experienced.
I'm sure others here will chime in but just thought I'd get it started with my two cents. Best of luck to you and let us know how things progress.

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It costs more than I expected, but I held off the survey for a week until I could get a reliable (though not yet in writing) policy. The seller and broker are aware that is a must. Thanks

sledge said:

Welcome and hey at least you're asking some of the right questions. Before you sign for that boat, have you confirmed you can acquire boat insurance? I think the consensus nowadays is to secure the insurance before buying the boat. I only bring this up because it may lead to your question about training. Many years ago when I bought a boat, we only got insurance based on a requirement that we hire a training captain and be given 1 week of training on our actual boat.
We were happy to do it because we wanted to learn as much as possible. What wasn't required were other things we did anyway; such as USPS on-line, and the local state vessel driver license training.
Also once you have a marina in mind in which to keep it; they in turn often require boat owners to have minimum liability insurance; sometimes $500k or $1 million depending on the location. the boat insurance market has been hammered lately, partly due to the storms in the gulf (Ian and others), so its a tough market.
I think that Fu Hwa has twin engines(?)... unfortunately it will not handle anything like ski boats or other outboards you've experienced.
I'm sure others here will chime in but just thought I'd get it started with my two cents. Best of luck to you and let us know how things progress.

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I'm learning, the marina I chose in NOLA has requirements and that is why it costs so much more than I expected, not too bad on liability but has to include salvage and spill, etc. This is a single engine with 135 hp Perkins 3500 hrs. and a Bow Thruster, so I hope that helps with handling

Congratulations and welcome aboard TF
I'm a long time member / instructor USPS / now America's Boating Club. Many chapters offer on- the- water portions of many courses. The courses are many / varied and generally instructed by experienced & knowledgeable boaters.
The additional benefit to membership is you gain an instant network of knowledge & similar interests by other members.

As for learning to drive it, hiring a captain is certainly an option. Is there a local Power Squadron chapter near you? The Power Squadrons often offer boat handling courses with real, hands-on experience. When my wife and I first moved up from a ski boat to a twin engine cruiser, we took a PS on-water course and were taught how to handle a larger yacht (48 Grand Banks) hands-on.

After that, the best way to learn how to drive the boat is ... drive the boat. Take it out in a calm, clear area and spend some time "worrying the buoy". Find a buoy or throw a float out in the water, and practice maneuvering the boat in to approach it in different ways from different angles. Try moving up and gently touching the bow and then stern corner on it, then moving away. Pull up on the side as if it was a dock. that sort of thing. Especially focus on low-speed maneuvering in different conditions. "Don't go any faster than you are willing to hit the dock" is the rule here.

Take your time, play around with the controls, see what the boat does when you do different things. That will help you get a feel for how it will respond. After you get a basic comfort level, then take it out further. Before you know it, you'll be an expert captain.

"Don't go any faster than you are willing to hit the dock" is my new mantra. Words to the not-so-wise!! Is that copyrighted?

Goodgaea said:

"Don't go any faster than you are willing to hit the dock" is my new mantra. Words to the not-so-wise!! Is that copyrighted?

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That's a good theory, and something to keep in mind. But reality is more nuanced. Sometimes you need to be a bit more aggressive, to overcome wind and/or current. That boat has a lot of momentum, and you can use it to your advantage. With the thruster and the rudder, you won't have any problem putting it where it needs to be. Practice using both.

Find an experienced friend or dock neighbor, or hire a captain. Practice various maneuvers in open water, then alongside docks or buoys, then into and out of a slip. Keep challenging yourself and it won't be long before you can handle almost anything with confidence.

Goodgaea said:

"Don't go any faster than you are willing to hit the dock" is my new mantra. Words to the not-so-wise!! Is that copyrighted?

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Yes a common phrase, though I've heard the more general version "Don't go any faster than you're willing to hit something..." meaning other boats as well as solid objects.
Perhaps you buy an older but classic boat and you know you only have X $ thousands into it so you figure maybe you can get a bump here or there... but its important to remember when entering say a new marina, the bigger concern might be those other yachts. You might be moving down a fairway with crosswinds or current and passing very close to yachts worth a half million, a million, or more.... yikes, you definitely don't want to bump into them...

I keep my boat in Madisonville La.I would suggest a captain for training or at least hiring him for the trip to NO,La. I can strongly suggest Ronnie Long a captain living in Lacombe La. His number is 9852644128. I will try to contact you directly thru Mainship forum to offer additional info such as my knowledge of the waters between Biloxi. and NO, La

Be one with the boat.

I have been through the patch of water between Biloxi and NOLA a few times on my own and another's boat, and assuming you have adequate charting, hopefully a chart plotter or other electronic device, it is hard to get into shallow water trouble. The first bridge is the CSX railway bridge has a vertical clearance of 11 feet and as of 2022 monitored VHF 13. If you have a good waterway guide, there probably will be a telephone listed. RR bridges are sometimes left in the raised position when no trains are expected in the near future. Next is a 66-foot high road bridge. Third is a 72.8-foot road bridge. The final pair of side-by-side bridges must be raised for you. First is the Highway 11 Bridge (tender monitors VHF 13) which may be currently restricted to opening only one of its two spans (ok for you to pass that way), and second is the Norfolk Souther RR bridge which does not have a local tender like the Hwy 11 bridge does but is reachable by telephone at 265-353-3918. You may well find other vessels standing by to get through which means you just hang with them and follow through when the bridges open. I have waited there an hour or two in the past. Before departure, I'd call the two RR bridges for any late-breaking information about restricted hours of opening, if any. After that, it's a pretty clear shot to the marina area of NOLA.

Boat handling tip for you:

Using the conventional method of heading into an alongside berth (like most fuel piers) bow first in a single-engine vessel (even with a BT) can result in a humbling experience, especially if you don't have a nimble and experienced deckhand handy with the use of a spring line and fenders and aren't able to put the side of your vessel to the pier where astern prop-walk pulls the stern to the pier. I have a similar arrangement to the Fu Hwa with the exception that unlike it, my prop tunnel negates almost all prop-walk. There are times I wish I had some prop-walk to assist in mooring. In essence, I have learned the technique of mooring alongside by getting the boat stationary a boat length ahead of an alongside berth before using the BT to aim the stern where I want it to go and then clutching the engine astern with rudder amidships. Your prop-walk may dictate that you use some rudder to counter act it or just start with boat alignment off to one side letting the prop-walk pull the boat over to the correct alignment. I don't leave the astern power on long, just enough to get some sternway, and I just face astern and use the BT to steer the boat. Then with wheel hard over toward the pier, just touch the engine ahead to stop the boat and give the BT a bit of help as you use it to push the bow in. When I worked in the oil patch, I learned to pull our 180-foot offshore supply vessel with twin screws and a bow thuster into our mooring alongside a pier between two other OSVs by pulling up beside to the vessel forward of our berth and then using the BT to push our bow out until the stern was pointing to the after end of our berth just forward of the vessel in the berth astern. Then we clutched both engines astern for a couple of moments before going to neutral and drifting aft adjusting if necessary with the BT before pushing hard toward the pier with the BT as our bow cleared the vessel ahead of us while coming ahead slowly with the outboard main engine which stopped our movement astern and landed us as light as a feather against the pier. And remember, when mooring or in a marina fairway, "slow is pro."

Good
Understand there may be a duty cycle limit on your bow thruster, meaning it might not be a good idea to just hold it on for extended time. Ask about that or review docs on the thruster duty cycle. You'll be fine, have fun!

Yes, everybody needs to read their BT manual. Excellent point. My SP-55 bow thruster allows 2 minutes of continuous run time; although I cannot for the life of me imagine a situation with this boat where that amount of run time would be doing me any good. 2-5 second spurts are all I ever need. The hydraulic BT I had on the 3,000-ton OSV was powered by an eight-cylinder Detroit Diesel with unheard of power and no time limit.

There are a number of good educational organizations around, but I'll put in a pitch fopr the USPS, now going by America's Boating Club. They (we - I'm a past Commander and certified instructor) have over 100 years experience in training power boat and sail operations with especially good courses in navigation, piloting and close-quarter operations. Contact your local squadron or find them at United States Power Squadrons.

Goodgaea said:

I am under contract for a 38' Fu Hwa and the survey is set for Thursday. I know you guys can't give me every question to ask, much less the answers, but I want to find a community that can help me learn. First things first, how do I learn to pilot the thing? A little background-I've driven powered boats for 35+ years (ski boats, v-bow, mostly small craft), and have sailed many 18' Cats. I owned and sailed a daysailer in Michigan for a couple of summers. I would like your input on which Association (USPS, BoatsUS, etc.) [or one that I don't know about] would provide the best hands-on training for someone who needs the basics re-instilled (or learned since I didn't have formal boat education until this year. A friend wanted to prove to his co-owner that I had taken a safety/training course, so I took the Florida course). After closing the sale, I plan on motoring from Biloxi to New Orleans so if you know that neck of the woods, any local insight would be great. I am not afraid, but not fully confident either. My biggest concerns are the Rigolets, grounding in shallows, using the radio to get a drawbridge or two opened, and docking. I don't want to be the most disliked person in the marina. Unless there is something seriously wrong at the survey, this is probably a done deal, so I need to drive this sucker within a couple of weeks. Any help or advice will not be ignored and will be appreciated.

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Check out this YouTube channel. Lots of great info, even if on the other side of the world.