How Do You Drive A Small Boat?
Driving a small boat provides an exhilarating experience, much like driving a car for the first time. As with that first driving experience, there are rules to obey and facts to remember. The physical process of driving a boat is similar to that of driving a car, with a steering wheel to control direction and a throttle to control speed. The biggest difference you’ll notice comes from the lack of brakes, meaning that you anticipate your need to slow down or stop. Learn what the controls, knobs, levers, switches and dials make the boat do by asking instead of experimenting. Some are obvious, like the steering wheel. There are no brakes. Turn the steering wheel to change directions. Look in the direction you plan to turn before you make the turn; there may be an object, a shoreline or another boat in your way. Push the throttle–the vertical lever next to your hand–forward to go forward. Pull the throttle backward to go backward. Neutral is the middle position. Observe the Navigational
