New owner of a 340 and need advice

LaRea

CnC said:

9. Definitely need to work out the battery/power situation because my wife and I went on our first trip without others to help the day before yesterday and after sitting for a couple hours on anchor the engines wouldn't turn over. Luckily there seemed to be enough juice to start the generator and got them going. was not looking forward to calling for a tow on out first solo trip out?

The starter batteries definitely should not die after two hours on the hook.  Do you know how old they are?  If they are regular lead-acid batteries, remove the plastic caps on the top of each battery and check the water levels.  If low, top them off with distilled water and see if that helps.  But I'd bet they are just too old and need to be replaced.  

CnC

Thanks LaRea!

Willhound

Aqua_Aura said:

You could turn them off however there shouldn't be any draw on them so I don't think it would make a difference. 

Depends how things may have been wired by a previous owner. Best practice is to figure out which switch setting isolates your starting batteries and then them off when anchored. Then no worries. A lot of us also carry a rechargeable battery pack for emergencies. Under $100. Can also be used to charge phones etc. Or to open the hatch if you get a total electrical failure. Not likely...but. 

Aqua_Aura

I couldn't get my hatch to open with a battery pack or with a battery on jumpers last year when I launched the boat after the mechanic had it, they must have drained it. I had to pull the pin and lift the hatch then I took my truck battery and started the engine. Never did figure out why it wouldn't open. 

Aqua_Aura

When we first got the boat we had an issue with the starting battery dieing at anchor kinda like you mention CnC. I took it out and had it tested and it was bad. Once we replaced it we haven't had an issue. 

Black_Diamond

Just a note on turning the batteries off: if you have Mercury outdrives they need the batteries on to have the Mercathode operate (anti-corossion). 

Handymans342

@CnC are you sure you want to own a boat???😀

aero3113

Black_Diamond said:

Just a note on turning the batteries off: if you have Mercury outdrives they need the batteries on to have the Mercathode operate (anti-corossion). 

I never thought of that! On my 242 I always turned the batteries off (didn’t have a Mercathode system). On my 330 I decided I will always leave the switch on, good thing I’ve been doing that. LoL!

Aqua_Aura

I have Volvo and I forget what they call there system that's like Mercathode, it's in freshwater so not much if any corrosion. I'll have to check if it's on with batteries off, I've never thought about it. 

DanD2

Here's what I tell new owners of twin screw boats.....movement is the same as a zero turn lawnmower or bobcat with the exception that you need to account for wind and current.

LaRea

CnC said:

3. Backing 12' beam up without using the steering wheel is super challenging. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Having a hard time understanding how wind affects this

There's a common myth that when docking with twin engines, you should never touch the wheel.  That's nonsense.  With twin engines, you can still do all of the same things you did with your single-engine boats. 

I use the wheel all the time when docking.  For example, to move the stern to starboard, I turn the wheel starboard and bump one or both engines into reverse for a moment.  

Spend some time practicing.  Do it someplace away from other boats, like near a buoy.  You'll get the hang of it.  

LaRea

I should clarify:  boats with twin inboards can use "prop-walk" to move the stern side-to-side without touching the wheel.  For those boats, sure -- dock using only throttles.  

But you probably have Bravo 3 outdrives with counter-rotating propellers, which don't have prop-walk.  You need to learn how to use the wheel when docking.  

YYZRC

Agreed with @LaRea - there's too much talk online about the importance of being able to dock twins without using the wheel.  There are no prizes for technique, and what works best for you is all that matters. 

I opted to have a bow thruster installed to reduce the stress of docking.  It was expensive but I feel so much more confident docking now (even though I don't always need it).

Ian

YYZRC said:

Agreed with @LaRea - there's too much talk online about the importance of being able to dock twins without using the wheel.  There are no prizes for technique, and what works best for you is all that matters. 

I was taught not to use the wheel and with practice, that’s how I do it now - throttles only, I rarely touch the wheel to dock. Chatting with someone today about this and he uses one engine only and wheel. So the very last statement is key - do what works for you.

CnC

Handyman342: Yes my wife tells me that do in fact want to own a boat. She says she knows what's good for me? Oh wait, maybe she said if "I" know what's good for me I better learn to like it? Or something along those lines. In all honestly I loved my bassboat and tournament fishing and refused this cabin cruiser idea for years whenever she brought it up. I only now wish I would have started this adventure a long time ago. I'm loving it

raybo3

@icoultha I use only 1 engine almost every time.  Forward and neutral are your best friends 

CnC

Never occurred to me to even try the one engine/steering wheel thing? Would the dock side you plan to back in on determine which engine you would use?

Dream_Inn

LaRea said:

I should clarify:  boats with twin inboards can use "prop-walk" to move the stern side-to-side without touching the wheel.  For those boats, sure -- dock using only throttles.  

But you probably have Bravo 3 outdrives with counter-rotating propellers, which don't have prop-walk.  You need to learn how to use the wheel when docking.  

What about stern drives with single props, you know, those B2s!   

I always love the challenge of docking and look forward to it each time.  & yes, I've gotten on my friends boat and docked their boat in extremely tough situations (did that once this year after him trying 3 times).  You've gotta know those winds and current before you enter down a narrow long entrance to the slip.  

My favorite is leaving a pier with hard cross winds keeping you against it.  I always leave in reverse, knowing I have complete control to be able to move away from dock with my bow thruster, then reverse allows me to also have complete control of the stern without touching or pushing off the dock.

LaRea

Suppose you want to move the stern to starboard.  You can do either of these:
Wheel to starboard, bump engine(s) in reverse
Wheel to port, bump engine(s) in forward

If you only use one engine, like @raybo3 said, it's easier to control because there's less thrust.  And it doesn't make a huge difference which engine you use.  

Pat310

When I went to 31’ with twins from a 19’ bow rider in a narrow spot I was a bit nervous mostly about hurting someone else’s boat.  Found an instructor in a local boating publication and got a 3hr lesson on close quarters maneuvering. Best money I’ve spent on a boat. I have no problems backing in by myself and find the twins so much easier. He taught us two methods. Using shifters and what he called point and shoot using steering wheel and different engines thrust. Money well spent especially for your dock neighbors 

YYZRC

@CnC are you still around? Long time!!

TickledPink

CnC said:

Wondering if someone could assist with several questions I have regarding our recently purchased 2001 Rinker 340 Fiesta Vee? 

When I first got my FV 250, I literally bombarded everyone here with questions and everyone has been incredibly helpful 🙂

MH342

I’ve always done no-wheel docking, but like others said, mostly because that’s how I started  and I stuck with what works. There are 2 benefits I found to the throttle only method .. 1) I find the wheel just adds one more thing to try to do. I face backward when backing into the slip and I find the visibility is better and the throttle method is more intuitive.  It’s difficult to reach around for the wheel and keep track of where it’s pointing.  2) you get another dimension of movement with throttles over steering wheel because you can pivot the boat from the helm … so it gives you more maneuvers in the toolkit. 

No matter what you decide … 1) practice is most important. 2) Always bump the throttles. And 3) if you go throttle only … always double check the wheel is centered or things will go sideways quickly (pun intended)

Good trick that helped me with throttle-only docking. 
https://youtu.be/F2TNpfvn6QA

MH342

CnC said:

6. Water system. There is a water inlet on the port side for a garden hose at the stern opposite the fresh water tank on Starboard. Is this simply for flushing out the system or a separate water source for shore to save your fresh tank water?

Note, sometime there are engine flushes but I don’t think that was OEM for Rinker. Most likely it’s the city water hookup. Some docks have city water hoses which you can hookup to your boat like shore power. That connection will supply your water system downstream of your freshwater tank and pump, so you could run directly off dock water instead of refilling your tank. It will not fill the tank.  that is done from the fill port on the side of the boat. Also, never leave city water connected while you are away because it’s an infinite water source that can sink your boat if there is a leak. 

MH342

CnC said:

7. Trim tabs look to be hydraulic. These are used only to initially plane out the boat and then out drive trims take it from there??

The tabs should be used to adjust the boat attitude/angle, not the drives (more on that below).  For tabs … every manual says not to use the trim tabs for planing … and every boater I know does  I’ve found my 342 planes OK without them and much better with them. I drop them all the way down, then throttle up into plane.  I’ve also found at speeds above 30-32 mph, it’s better to have them mostly up to reduce drag (like 30% down), but at lower speeds it’s more efficient to leave them down 50-70%. Despite the added drag I think it helps lift the hull out of the water, reducing the water line and actually helping efficiency. I will also use them to correct a list (like with a wind across the beam), or to adjust the water spray across the bow. 

Drive trim should not really be used to adjust the angle/attitude of the boat because the most efficient position is when the prop is perpendicular to the water surface. In that position, all the thrust is going into your forward momentum. Any other position is adding engine load and wasting thrust either up or down. The exception is going on plane … keep them tucked in (down) all the way to use the thrust to help lift the back of the boat. Once on plane, lift the drives a bit (I’m usually at 1/16-1/8 from bottom).  You’ll notice the engine sound “lighten up” and your speed and RPMs go up … 100 or 200 RPM. That’s the efficiency gain of the same amount of gas pushing you faster than it was when they were down. Play with that a bit until you hear cavitation and get loss of speed. Just before that point is the most efficient drive angle. 

Also, since your speed and trim tabs will affect running angle, it’s sort of an iterative process of trim tabs > drive trim > throttle > repeat if you really want to dial it in. 

LaRea

One of the best mods I made on my '03 342 and '07 370 was rebalancing by adding more chain to the anchor.  Before that change, I needed 20% tabs at cruise.  After -- no tabs, or maybe a little when heavily loaded.  It also helps me stay on plane when going slow in rough water.  

Rich_

If you use the water connection at shore, be sure to turn it off if you leave the boat. Having a water line break while on dockside water will possibly be more water than a bilge pump wil keep up with and can sink a boat. 
If your flame arrestees are the metal mesh type you can pull them and use compressed air to clean as well as something like carb cleaner on them. As far as fuel consumption, it is 14000 lbs of boat, fuel consumption is going to be something you learn to live with, especially if you run fast.