to much prop walk when reversing. Boat insists on stern pulling to starboard when in reverse - tough when in narrow alleys - any suggestions.
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Use the force, Luke.
Don't you mean the stern pulls to port? Most Catalina's have a right hand prop which pulls the stern to port in reverse. The trick is to use a quick burst of power from the engine to get stern way up to around 1.5 kts or more before the stern goes to far off. Then cut the rpm's down and the force of the water over the rudder will be more than the prop walk and you have steerage way. This is still much easier if you choose a slip in your marina to pull out to the port side instead of starboard. Later, when you master it, prop walk can be used to your advantage to manouver in tight spots you could not otherwise use. You can actually rotate the boat in little more than its own length. (In a clockwise direction) Gene
Don't you mean the stern pulls to port? Most Catalina's have a right hand prop which pulls the stern to port in reverse. The trick is to use a quick burst of power from the engine to get stern way up to around 1.5 kts or more before the stern goes to far off. Then cut the rpm's down and the force of the water over the rudder will be more than the prop walk and you have steerage way. This is still much easier if you choose a slip in your marina to pull out to the port side instead of starboard. Later, when you master it, prop walk can be used to your advantage to manouver in tight spots you could not otherwise use. You can actually rotate the boat in little more than its own length. (In a clockwise direction) Gene
It isjust part of the program
Luke: Once you get your boat moving it will back down straight as an arrow. the trick, as mentioned by Gene, is to get it moving. Start moving in reverse by aiming the transom slightly to starboard of where you actually want to go. Give the engine some throttle and as the boat begins to move back and to port back off the gas. The boat will then begin to behave as you want it to. I sometimes find my self in a position where I need to back down a long way. So I stand forward of the wheel, facing aft, and just begin to drive the boat as if nothing was different. It works amazingly well. Practice a few times in open water 'till you master the technique. As Gene said, "use the force". pjwalch
Luke: Once you get your boat moving it will back down straight as an arrow. the trick, as mentioned by Gene, is to get it moving. Start moving in reverse by aiming the transom slightly to starboard of where you actually want to go. Give the engine some throttle and as the boat begins to move back and to port back off the gas. The boat will then begin to behave as you want it to. I sometimes find my self in a position where I need to back down a long way. So I stand forward of the wheel, facing aft, and just begin to drive the boat as if nothing was different. It works amazingly well. Practice a few times in open water 'till you master the technique. As Gene said, "use the force". pjwalch
a slow hand
All sailboats prop walk, its a function of the fact that when a boat is in reverse, the water stream is not moving past the rudder... Two ways to kind of avoid it....Use the boats' momentum, by giving hard bursts of throttle and then neutral...that way, the prop is not trying to walk the boat, and you can use the sternway to steer...and two: if I really lived in an area with a need for a lot of backing, I would invest on a small outboard..
All sailboats prop walk, its a function of the fact that when a boat is in reverse, the water stream is not moving past the rudder... Two ways to kind of avoid it....Use the boats' momentum, by giving hard bursts of throttle and then neutral...that way, the prop is not trying to walk the boat, and you can use the sternway to steer...and two: if I really lived in an area with a need for a lot of backing, I would invest on a small outboard..
Reversing-blade prop helps -- nothing eliminates..
Hey, Bart-- A reversing-blade prop such as Autoprop provides remarkable reverse. Because the blades flip, the pitch is in the right direction so that the water does not slew off counbter-pitched blades like a fixed-blade prop and accerbate prop-walk. The remarkable reverse thrust enables the boat to back more rapidly so that RPMs can be lowered sooner and before much prop walk occurs. Of course, the Autoprop has other advantages such as feathering when sailing, providing impressive additional power at very low RPMs when motor-sailing, and more power (efficiency) in the mid-RPM range. Ernie April WindCatcher (C-42 #618)
Hey, Bart-- A reversing-blade prop such as Autoprop provides remarkable reverse. Because the blades flip, the pitch is in the right direction so that the water does not slew off counbter-pitched blades like a fixed-blade prop and accerbate prop-walk. The remarkable reverse thrust enables the boat to back more rapidly so that RPMs can be lowered sooner and before much prop walk occurs. Of course, the Autoprop has other advantages such as feathering when sailing, providing impressive additional power at very low RPMs when motor-sailing, and more power (efficiency) in the mid-RPM range. Ernie April WindCatcher (C-42 #618)
Make Prop walk your friend
The more you learn how your boat works and more more you learn how the prop walk works on your boat the easier it is to make prop walk your friend. Once prop walk is your friend, you can manuver the boat better than if it were not there. You can turn the boat in smaller circles, Doc easier and handle currents and wind better. You can "stand off" or walk sideways. In order to learn to sail, you had to learn the wind and how it effected you boat, the same thing goes for prop walk. Make it your friend, and don't motor without it! Bob
The more you learn how your boat works and more more you learn how the prop walk works on your boat the easier it is to make prop walk your friend. Once prop walk is your friend, you can manuver the boat better than if it were not there. You can turn the boat in smaller circles, Doc easier and handle currents and wind better. You can "stand off" or walk sideways. In order to learn to sail, you had to learn the wind and how it effected you boat, the same thing goes for prop walk. Make it your friend, and don't motor without it! Bob
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