My boat partner weighs about seven stone less than me (it isn't that I'm obese of course, he's anorexic), which can result in the boat drifting at an angle- not always desireable.To counter this I made an adjuster, which is attached to bow and stern with clamps, and the point of attachment for the drogue can slide along this rope to adjust the angle of drift.This seems to work quite well but some drifts require adjustment several times.Any hints on getting a true drift, bar me losing five stone?

__________________
Behold the fisherman
He riseth up early and disturbeth the whole household.
MIGHTY ARE HIS PREPARATIONS!
He goeth forth full of hope and when the day is far spent he returneth
Smelling of strong drink, and the truth is not in him

We currently use a wychwood para drogue and currently use two G-Clamps one for each angler as anchor points and adjust the drogue from there.On boats we fish there is outboard or electric motor & battery stern end plus usually the heavier member of the team so have to adjust accordingly but still will tend to drift across the wind sometimes.Sometimes use a landing net to straighten the boat also.Often the wind shifts quite a bit when the reservoir is in a bowl as often they are and it is I think more luck than judgement when you can drift an adjustment free passage.Seems like we encounter similar issues so I too am very interested to learn a better way to do it without going to extremes.

Mo fer ta learn JP

Boats will always tend to drift across the wind towards the stern. There's a great lump of metal called an outboard sitting there. One way of countering it slightly is to make sure the stern angler sits higher than the guy in the bow. That way he catches the wind more and acts like a sail which pushes the stern round more. Apart from that, use a paradrogue and g clamps and set it up as best you can. After that just accept it and get on with your fishing. After all, if you're spending time worrying about the way the boat drifts you're not concentrating on your fishing. Trout 1 - you nil. Some boats are much worse than others. The old Bewl boats were total horrors - I once sat and watched my boat drift sideways fifty yards before we had gone downwind five. Chew boats are quite good as are the Midlands reservoir boats.

One word; Ballast. Get the fat bloke at the front. If you're not using the anchor stow it in the bow and place your bags/boxes nearer the middle. If you're worried about the bow dipping under the waves in a good wind just get the big lad to sit on the middle seat while motoring between drifts.

With proper ballasting and a well placed drogue when necessary you can iron out a lot of yaw, not 100% but a lot.

Edit. Don't forget that when you're using a drogue the undertow can greatly effect your drift, especially near the shore. Less of an issue without a drogue but still applicable. In the case of undertow, put up with it. You've not got time to mess about when you're running in to the margins.

This is by far the best solution.With as said, Watching how you ballast the boat.
A tip though,If instead of 1 rope which the drogue slides along ,make it a loop.and instead of sliding the drogue along,you pull on the loop and this adjusts the position of the drogue. So can be a one handed operation taking seconds to complete. It does mean that you can only have 1 attachment. but this is more than made up for with the easy adjustment.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Thanks folks will do as you say and concentrate on the fishing.Just have to get on with it as my mate is to engines what Long John Silver is to ballroom dancing.Straight course is an impossibility and you should see him row.Like a whirling dervish.Think he has it worked out.He is there to just fish bless him.Good tyer of some sweet flies and nymphs though which does compensate

Yes, ballast would be useful Midlander, not just to adjust trim on a drift but to weigh the bows down when you're out alone. In a big wind the boat is hard to handle- too much hull out of the water,even when keeping your speed down.I said to Nathan at Pitsford it would be an idea to have half a dozen concrete blocks by the jetty for ballast, but maybe some clown would drop one from a height!

__________________
Behold the fisherman
He riseth up early and disturbeth the whole household.
MIGHTY ARE HIS PREPARATIONS!
He goeth forth full of hope and when the day is far spent he returneth
Smelling of strong drink, and the truth is not in him