Souther Boating

Don’t Rock the Boat!
Fin versus gyrostabilizers . By Arnie Hammerman

One of the pleasures of boating is being gently rocked to sleep by the ocean, but excessive rolling can ruin a boat trip.
Whether at anchor, or while running, rolling can be uncomfortable and cause motion sickness in some people. To better dampen a vessel’s natural roll and
steady the boat rapidly, specialized equipment is available.

This technology can smooth out that roll providing increased stability that adds safety and comfort aboard.
In recent times, there has been a lot of focus on gyrostabilizers as they don’t require appendages that stick out of the boat’s hull and are compact units that
can be used even on smaller vessels.

For larger boats, fin stabilizers are a proven way to dampen rolling and provide
benefi ts whether the boat is stationary or underway. There are other stabilizing systems available, including paravanes and rotor stabilizers, but gyros and fi ns are the most common in recreational vessels and were the focus in a recent test.

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