How to drive a boat in rough water | Big sea throttle techniques explained | Motor Boat & Yachting

Mastering the art of driving a boat in rough water takes practice, a fair amount of getting it wrong and sometimes a very wet boat and clothing. Our resident boating instructor Jon Mendez shares his top tips...

► What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

► Remember to hit that LIKE button and subscribe if you enjoyed it :)

[MotorBoatYachting]

Credit to our camera man, Richard Langdon of Ocean Images, for shooting this with handheld and drone in very challenging conditions. We hope you enjoy it!

[quags]

Finally someone on some waves, most videos they are pretty weak. Thanks mate.

[ntndxmf]

The power up as the bow dips is a top tip, initially you naturally feel you should power down as the bow digs in. I did that once in some rough sea around Trinidad in a rib tender, it dug in proper and partially submerged boss and family and luggage went for a swim. learnt a valuable lesson that day, not least always wear a kill cord if I hadn’t I could have seriously propped them. Take care out their stay safe have fun ⛵💨

[mev]

The control and composure comes from being confident in your skills, but respecting the sea and conditions. A great lesson in how to stay safe whilst enjoying the experience. A brilliant video.

[rykehuss]

Helps when youre in a high-power RIB like that which has lots of responsiveness at the throttle. In normal boats that kind of throttle control is much harder because you have to be like 10 seconds ahead of the game

[gaycha]

This guy knows his stuff and puts it across very methodically and with calm logic. Thanks for the video. I’ve been powerboat ing offshore for years in various craft, but there is still much to learn and tips t pick up. I was fortunate to have a fast rough ride with Steve Curtis in a Honda powerboat over a 5-6 in a choppy Solent. Throttle control and anticipation was very impressive. Thanks.

[Alex-ggrt]

Always remember that driving like this will use significantly more fuel thus it is important to accout for this when calculating range.

[captainotto]

Trim high, power to control attitude, keep reserve power in case things go wrong, etc. With only a few changes you could just as well have been talking about a stabilised approach for landing an aircraft. It never ceases to amaze me how much crossover there is between Maritime and Airitime.

[shingnosis]

Nice.

Pro tip 1: On these throttle controls there is a button "1 lever", in rough sees I prefer that one and drive with the "palm support grip". More body support and better feel for the boat that way.

Pro tip 2: Fill up your tanks, fuel and water and consider adding ballast up front. 90% of boats will be more stable overall in heavy sees.

Pro tip 3: Get good ski googles and wax them with car wax. Visibility is much better in heavy spray conditions than sunglasses.

[DrCrabfingers]

Great video! There are endless videos on YouTube of boats entering and leaving Haulover Inlet in Florida where they have some quite severe swells at the entrance to the harbour. Not only is it fun to watch some beautiful boats, but one can clearly see the competence or complete lack of it of the skippers in trimming the boats and using throttle to ride waves in, or knowing when to keep the bow up. Very often boats nose dive into the water turning the cockpit into a jacuzzi, it's very funny to watch.

[doverivermedia]

VERY helpful video. I'm a reasonably experienced powerboater but, I'm always looking out for tips. Never too old to learn. Great job & thank you ... 🇬🇧

[alexandruolteanu]

Always a pleasure watching you, Jon. Thanks for another great video.

[gordongunn]

Excellent video. I feel I did that naturally but great to hear the analysis so one could teach a newer boater the confidence of handling rough seas. Well done. Cheers.

[billmarkelz]

Thank you for the lesson. This has been the best display of rough water boat handling I have seen.

[chrish]

Hi Jon. A real time lesson to keep safe at sea. Great video thanks 😊

[Markjt]

Great video, thank you. Next time single engine 6m rib in similar conditions please 🙂
Have a 6m rib with 175 Hp outboard which is used in the med. Weather & sea conditions can change pretty quick, have had a few nervous returns from early morning fishing (flat and calm early morning then very lumpy as temp and wind increases). Have had small boats for years, but still not too confident in the rough stuff.

[stephenb]

great camera angles and of course your expertise.thanks for being out there.there are plenty of people need your teaching expertise.im not one of the but its been too long without going to sea on my own.i think ill treat myself to it for my 50th.take care.;)

[dcastro]

Brilliant video Jon — thank you.
A public service.

[arimaoutdoors]

Wow you explained it perfectly. I always did something similar with the head sea. I liked how you said you might miss a couple waves and then you’ll be wearing it. Cheers!

[antoniobragah]

WOW John, you really go at it and make it look so simple. A big shout out to you and cameraman for going the length to film how it is done just like a professional instructor, really awesome and thanks a million there. Loved this video and how you describe everything.