The steering difficulty is a consequence of the boat's lack of speed both for the rudder and weak directional thrust of the engine. To steer a sailboat you need to adjust your mind set. A car is steered by the steering wheel but a boat is steered by the rudder, wind, currents, drift, dock lines. Steering a sailboat is a planned maneuver, which requires previous knowledge of how the boat will react to different conditions, it requires observation of the current's direction and speed, of the wind direction and strength, of any fixed objects in the immediate vicinity. With all the data a primary plan is formulated as well as a contingent secondary plan. Then the plan has to be executed. Many a time you get just one try and many a time it does not go as planned so the things is to know what to do when that happens. Let's say you are trying to dock, understand that there are instances when it will be impossible, so have an alternate docking facility in mind until conditions change. Many a time I have dropped a crewmember at the dock so he can walk around and grab a line to pull the boat in while I stand in deck fending the boat from nearby boats and pylons. No sense standing behind the wheel or tiller on a boat with no steerage. Lines can help steer a boat by fixing a pivot point. Close quarters require slow speeds to avoid banging into something but it is contradictory to the fact that the ability to steer solely by rudder requires a certain speed. It is easier to back up a boat going against the current than it is to back up a boat going with the current; it is all in the speed differential of water passing by the rudder. Practice and observation are the keys to boat handling in close quarters. I have had a couple of trailerables with outboard engines and my preferred setup is to have the motor remain fixed in position and steer primarily by rudder compensating for the other factors. Docking does not have to be pretty just safe. Pretty will come with practice and even then the most experienced will provide dockside entertainment. The slower a sailor moves around deck the more experienced he usually is. Good luck and Practice, Practice.