Prop Walk Revisited

Don S/V ILLusion · Sep 28, 2012

Prop walk direction is related to the pitch of the blades which can be either right or left "hand" which dictates the direction the stern pulls. The type boat or engine is irrelevant.

Calif. Ted · Sep 28, 2012

While your boat is tied to the dock with engine running at idle put it in reverse, looking over the side if most of the prop wash is on starboard side you have a right hand prop and walk in reverse will be to port. If wash is on port side you got left hand prop and walk is reversed.

Stu Jackson · Sep 29, 2012

Another easier way to tell: When you are motoring in forward, do you have to keep your wheel to the right or left to go straight? Right is port prop walk in reverse, 'cuz the starboard prop walk is in forward.

Bob4203 · Sep 29, 2012

Same issues, but I go to port when backing....Try this.....throttle gently in reverse, once backing put gear in neutral, now you have better rudder control. I suddenly can go to starboard once in neutral. Keep doing this and you can master the problem easily with practice.

Bob
'88 Mark II

jrowan · Sep 29, 2012

I have the same engine as yours the 5411 on our 1980 C 30 and our prop walk is the opposite of yours! We walk to port on the stern. Bob makes a good point, that is after you run the engine long enough in reverse so that water is washing over the rudder, then you can indeed steer the boat in the direction that you want to go in neutral. Hence you will negate the prop walk, at least temporarilly. Althugh if you have strong current running against your stern, then running in neutral is not an option as the current and strong windage can push you off course. We reverse out of our slip that has minimal distance between boats. I have found that running a slip line around a piling helps. I also have my wife/ first mate push with her boat hook off of the outer piling pushing the bow out into the fairway also help a lot. I feel for the single handers out there. Having a crew is indespensable.

dj2210 · Sep 30, 2012

I backed mine out the other day due to wind coming straight down the fairway. I was amazed how great it tracked in reverse once some speed was obtained. This was the first time I had to do it cause usually I can back out the slip and get the nose into the wind. My slip is a u shaped floating dock and I park bow in. Sometimes I can use prop walk to move the stern over to get the dock lines.

shipwreck66 · Sep 30, 2012

Mine walks to port, which, with a north wind as we have from now till spring, makes things a little easier. The north wind will balance out the prop walk and I just go back, go neutral, let the wind push the stern around, and back to forward. Took me a while to figure out the sweet spots, still screwy with a strong south wind.

rbmcintire · Oct 1, 2012

foolproof said:
Hello All:

I have seen tons of threads on prop walk, but I have never seen my concern addressed.

I have a 1976 Catalina 30 that I believe originally came with the Atomic 4, but was at some point re-engined with a Yanmar 11hp diesel. I love the little "putt putt" diesel...runs great and has never let me down.

When I first got the boat in the water, I had read everything I could about prop walk and was prepared for it. However, the boat never reacted the way it was supposed to. The more I've gotten used to the boat, the more I am convinced that the stern actually walks to starboard. It doesn't matter which way the wind is blowing or how the boat is parked...as soon as I put it in reverse and give it a little power the sterns starts heading to the right. I am getting used to it now and maneuvering seems to be getting better.

Does anyone else have a set up like mine and notice the same thing? At first I thought I was crazier than I actually am, but, as I said, I am sure that mine walks to starboard. Just wondering if I'm all alone with this phenomenon.

Mike

The Yanmar you have must be CCW rotating in forward gear. If your shifting lever is "up or forward" and you look at the shaft turning (from a standing aft, looking-forward perspective), you should see this. Your prop would necessarily be left-handed and your prop/stern will walk to starboard. Despite what some pundits claim, it's all right to be a "lefty". You're every bit a C-30 owner as they are.

Rob

anchorclanker · Oct 1, 2012

Ive been reading of this prop walk phenomenon since joining, and never experienced it. At least so I thought. It suddenly dawned on me that I learned to deal with it when I was young out on small boats with outboards and dealt with it all my life to the point I guess its second nature.

I remember having trouble docking boats when I was little, and learned watching my uncle kick his motor in and out of gear and coast, and that slow was better than fast. Give it a good jab of power and quick back to neutral, steer. Another jab, back to neutral, steer. Small short jabs of power dont give the stern enough time to walk before the thrust accelerates the boat. Also, heavier boats have more mass, and thus, more momentum. Harder and takes longer to accelerate, harder to stop, and they coast farther without slowing. It can work for you, or against you, depending whether your ahead of it, or behind it. That stunt Capt Ron pulled with Wanderer wouldnt have come out so well if the motor had quit when he needed reverse.