Prop Walk

[Don Guillette]

I'm not sure how many of you mates have a problem making prop walk your friend. I had a problem with it until I figured out exactly what was happening and how to make it work for me. A Catalina sailor was frustrated with prop walk and if you pop on over to the Catalina site and go to the "ask a Catalina owner" section and check under "Prop Walk" you'll see how simple it is to make prop walk work for you.

 

[monkeybars]

is this unique to fixed prop and rudder boats.ive never noticed any odd behavior from and outboard motor, but have heard people swear that they get it from their outboard.i think their hallucinating personally.

 

[Benny17441]

Outboards have a relatively small prop so the prop effect or walk is minimized but in those boats where the outboard engine is offset from center there is a push to one side frequently mistaken for prop walk.

 

[Don Guillette]

Every prop, regardless of size, has prop walk. The larger the prop the more pronounced the effect. The paint stir devise you atttach to your electric drill has prop walk!!

 

[McZube]

I'm just beginning to get a handle on it on our '84 H31. Even under moderate headway, the boat will do a full 180 before making sternway.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I'm just beginning to get a handle on it on our '84 H31. Even under moderate headway, the boat will do a full 180 before making sternway.

I'm not sure I understand. You are going forward and you put the boat in reverse and it makes a 180? (Assuming this is in flat seas, no wind, little or not current?)

The trick to using prop walk to your advantage is the throttle. You really have to goose it to make the boat begin to start working/moving in reverse under control of the helm, because unless you do there will be little or no water movement over the rudder, and the prop walk will continue. Most folks who complain about prop walk, as compared to learning how to use it, do not move the throttle above idle, hence, the continuing move to port without going into reverse.

Good luck. Look at it this way: since you have to practice to learn how to use it, you get to use your boat more often.

Find an open stretch of water and spend a half hour working on it, it will happen. Take the boat out of gear while moving forward and wait til it almost stops. Engage reverse at idle and your stern will move to port. Increase the throttle until you can use the rudder to seer, then back off the throttle. You should be able to go straight in reverse, using the throttle, for miles... It's like docking, do it a few times instead of just at the end of the day, and you'll be a better more relaxed skipper.

Have fun.

 

[Bigjer40]

I'm just beginning to get a handle on it on our '84 H31. Even under moderate headway, the boat will do a full 180 before making sternway.

Same with my 1984 H27. Aft end goes to port!

 

[Bigjer40]

I'm not sure I understand. You are going forward and you put the boat in reverse and it makes a 180? (Assuming this is in flat seas, no wind, little or not current?)

The trick to using prop walk to your advantage is the throttle. You really have to goose it to make the boat begin to start working/moving in reverse under control of the helm, because unless you do there will be little or no water movement over the rudder, and the prop walk will continue. Most folks who complain about prop walk, as compared to learning how to use it, do not move the throttle above idle, hence, the continuing move to port without going into reverse.

Good luck. Look at it this way: since you have to practice to learn how to use it, you get to use your boat more often.

Find an open stretch of water and spend a half hour working on it, it will happen. Take the boat out of gear while moving forward and wait til it almost stops. Engage reverse at idle and your stern will move to port. Increase the throttle until you can use the rudder to seer, then back off the throttle. You should be able to go straight in reverse, using the throttle, for miles... It's like docking, do it a few times instead of just at the end of the day, and you'll be a better more relaxed skipper.

Have fun.

Boy have I tried working on this. Even with the old Westerbeke at about 2000 rpm and steering to starboard, she wants to go to port. Which in my slip is ok, but if I ever need to back to starboard (which I pre-plan and avoid) I am screwed. I will have to try and find a nice open area to really put in some time (hard to find still open water on the Columbia River).

 

[Don Guillette]

I'll bet, but maybe I'm wrong, that instead of clockwise right rotation like a Catalina, you have counter clockwise left rotation. Therefore just reverse what I indicated (do the opposite). I'm really not sure of this but I think if you back out of your slip in reverse, with the RUDDER CENTERED and instead of shifting to FORWARD to get the stern to swing to starboard what you might try is goose it while in reverse to get the stern to swing to starboard. Try it and let me know how you make out.

If it works you definately have counter clockwise left rotation, which doesn't matter as you can still make prop walk work for you..

 

[Steve W]

Stu nailed it. The issue is to get water flowing over the rudder. As mentioned, if you don't get much above idle in reverse you WILL end up going to port and (if you've got the space-eventually do a 360 in reverse. If you give it some throttle to get water flow over the rudder and then throttle back you can back straight for miles...

 

[Bigjer40]

Maybe I will throw bow line off bow and get RPM's up release and then release when I have steerage.

 

[Bob 04 H260]

is this unique to fixed prop and rudder boats.ive never noticed any odd behavior from and outboard motor, but have heard people swear that they get it from their outboard.i think their hallucinating personally.

try backing up and steering only using your rudders, don't turn the outboard and see how straight your boat backs up, then you will know how much prop walk you have............

many sailboats with outboards have the outboard fixed straight ahead and can only steer with their rudder, a very different situation than what you are doing with your Mac......

Bob