Rolling Chocks

The motivation for the rolling chocks was to address the tendency the boat had of trying to turn sideways in a following sea. I think many square-sterned boats act the same way. Rolling chocks are also called bilge keels.

I also installed spray rails and increased the rudder size. I had previously repowered with 230 hp Yanmars and had switched to 4-blade 18x16 props from Reedville (original props were 16x14 3-blade); I can push lots of water past the rudders.

We have short-wavelength seas here so the situation is exacerbated when the bow digs into the back of the wave in front. The boat then pivots on its bow when the following wave grabs the stern. The spray rails prevent the bow from digging in as much as it would without them.

The results exceeded my best hopes. The boat tracks very well in anything up to about a 6' following sea with very little work at the helm. I found myself in a large following/quartering sea state last winter (I was really wishing I was somewhere else) and the boat did just fine.

The boat also rocks less when sitting in the troughs while fishing.

Please take a look at the attached document by clicking here.

Thanks.