backing a 30 for new owner

[skeetaro]

I am the proud owner of a 1979 Catalina 30. The boat sails and run great. I have had a 26ft Columbia for years, and could use the tiller and outboard to move in and out of dock easily. Now I am learning to use a diesel and wheel, and am not as comfortable. Any secrets from you veterans?!

 

[Dan C30]

no secrets

just practice! I have found backing and docking to be much easier with my C30 than my old C25 with outboard and tiller.

 

[agolden]

backing on a 30

The secret to backing a 30 or any other size is headway. Depending on which way your boat walks, give yourself enough room to gain speed and headway. Then cut back on the the throttle, and backing down stearage will be easy.

 

[Calif. Ted]

Put in gear, give it a little throttle to get boat

moving, then take it out of gear. When backing propwalk wants to make the stern move to port. The longer the prop turns the more it wants to walk, so to back straight give it a little throttle with some starboard helm and take out of gear right away. If you want to swing the stern to port faster just put in reverse at idle and leave it there longer. Basically that's it, propwalk, use it or compensate for it. You can actually spin your boat in it's own length by quick back and forward bursts while changing helm hard over from one side to the other. Using the propwalk, left for reverse and right for forward. This is for standard right hand props.

 

[Rodger20098]

My Take

I also have a new to me Catalina 30 and I am learning a lot about backing up. Here are some things that I will throw into the mix. If you have an Atomic 4 engine be aware that in reverse your prop is turning 1/2 or maybe 1/3 the rpm’s as the engine that will add to the prop walk a lot. No mater what engine that you have I would get on with a lot of power to get the boat moving and if it is going in the right direction leave everything alone until you are clear of the dock. I find that full deflection rudder i.e. full rudder to port or starboard tends to stall the rudder and not much happens. Try smaller deflections. It has worked well for me. And lastly, I don’t hear much about that roller headsail but the wind on it can over power anything that you do with the rudder. Prop walk can be your best friend, with this boat you can turn a 360 using just prop walk and forward deflected rudder, try it, it's really cool. I back into a lot of slips because it is easier to get under way in forward gear. Here is what I do, with the boat going dead slow and pointed at the slip I put it in reverse wait for a count of three and put the helm hard to starboard. The prop walk will turn the boat 180 on the keel. At about 3/4 the way through the turn move the helm to center, as the prop starts to bite you will be able to steer with the rudder. Hope that this helps.