Quote:
Originally Posted by genieskip
When a big wave hits you, you surge in the direction the wave sends you. If you are tethered by the stern you surge forward, the way boats are meant to go. If you are tethered by the bow, you surge backwards, and in big waves you do so very fast and hard. Your rudder can then be slammed against the stops if it is swung to one side, with great possibility of serious damage to it. That is the main problem with being secured from the bow.
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Genie - the rest of your post was great - but this part was a little off I think. People keep throwing this one around: that when chuting off the bow, the boat falls off the wave backwards with great force - slamming the rudder. Well if the chute is out there doing it's job you're only doing 1 knot leeward and waves are passing under you, just like with the JSD.
To be fair, if the above scenario were the case with a chute, then with the drogue in the same scenario the boat is going to fall forward off the wave and pitchpole.
So the rudder slamming argument doesn't hold up real well unless something has gone bad wrong. If the boat is being virtually held in place and the seas are passing under it as intended - one could make the argument that bow in is better for the rudder.
At the end of the day, if either of these devices is doing its job you're probably going to be in pretty good shape. Unless the monster falls on you. Then you're just screwed.