[QUOTE=OSVCaptain1977;120696]I have a question for some of you z drive guys… I have a little bit of z drive experience from my pervious employer… The company I work for just took delivery of their first z drive boat diesel electric, and we are working for Shell out of C port 2… my question is; what is the best method to back a 64 foot wide z drive vessel into a 72 foot wide slip? The reason I ask is because we have alot of people training on the new boat but only acouple have any zdrive experience… the only method I have seen is straight out at 90 and then using one to get moment and then putting back at 90 and zig zagging back and forth nearly hitting the sides of the slips going in… my previous experience tells me I should put one straight aft and one ahead and use the backing drive to steer my stern in and just tweak the heading with a little bow thruster, I really think this method would work but my captian doesnt think so. please give me your feedback… thanks[/QUOTE]
With diesel electric, there is no minimum clutch power, so no need to oppose forces with two drives - like some vessels do to avoid clutching in/out all the time to back in those slips. Hell, just use one drive to back in, 1%, 2%, whatever - no minimum power, and have the other to slow you down…a little bit of angle always can offset the fact that z-drives are not centerline. At little thruster is needed too, but always use the backing z-drive on the side that has the wind/current will minimize bow thruster. But, at the end of the day, if you have a decent Captain, he should advocate a little guidance - not instructions like he’s driving the damn boat with your hands, and more importantly, for you to do it the way that makes you most comfortable behind the wheel - as long as it’s done efficient and safe.