Reverse steering

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Jul 31, 2012
1
Beneteau 321 Mt. Sinai Harbor
I am totally frustrated with my inability to steer to starboard in my Beneteau. Bought a new three Blade folding Martec two years ago hoping this would help but to no avail. as I am on a mooring I have little need to back in or out. However, I asked an experienced sailor to give it a try and still no/slight response to starboard. No problem to port.

Anyone out there that can comment. Really would appreciate some advice.
 
Jun 25, 2012
942
hunter 356 Kemah,the Republic of Texas
I am totally frustrated with my inability to steer to starboard in my Beneteau. Bought a new three Blade folding Martec two years ago hoping this would help but to no avail. as I am on a mooring I have little need to back in or out. However, I asked an experienced sailor to give it a try and still no/slight response to starboard. No problem to port.

Anyone out there that can comment. Really would appreciate some advice.
Try turning helm the in the direction you want to go. Shift from neutral into forward. Then qucikly juice it. Then quickly throttle back so you can go back to neutral Quickly. Repeat as necessary. Same theory when reversing at slow speed. Use the prop walk and wind if any to your advantage. The key is short burst.
Example I have two boat neighbors. One a full keel Island Packet and another a Tashiba. They saw me come into my slip one day in my hunter. I came in bow first stopped just short of slip. Spun boat around in its on length and backed in. It was always a big deal when ever either one of them would leave or come back to there slip. They remarked they could not do that because of full keel. I said yes you can it just takes a little knowledge, patience and practice. I said I could do it. They begged to differ. So the bet was on.
I won!:yeah:First try each boat!
Give it a try, Don't give up you will be giving docking lesson to your neighbors in no time .
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,077
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Prop walk is your friend. Make sure you have enough water flowing past the rudder to minimize prop walk. Full keel boats have an inherent design feature than makes it difficult to turn in tight spaces - trying to fight physics is always a tough challenge but any fin keel is manageable.
 
Aug 4, 2010
3
Hunter 27 Fairhaven
I have Bristol 29.9 and had a lot of trouble with reverse steering last year, first year with the boat. I was told to get a running start to get plenty of water passing over the rudder and it worked great when I put in this year. I was put in several hundred yards from my slip and backed all the way around, right into the slip turning mostly to port and finally to starboard into the slip. No wind that day though, waiting to see what that has instore for me.
 
Oct 25, 2011
576
Island Packet IP31 Lake St. Louis, Montreal
Onecoolair has got it right. What i woudl add is practice, practice practice and patience.

When we first got our IP, backing up has a high stress affair and I could not back up without loosing control for more than a boat length. Now backing up is not a problem, most of the time.

Keep at it, you will get it.

Matt

P.S. Check out http://www.his.com/~vann/KrgStuff/manuvrng.htm This is a discusion of slow speed maneuvering and backing with large single screw trawlers (Krogen 42). Very applicable to sailboats as well
 
Oct 26, 2005
2,057
- - Satellite Beach, FL.
A good way to practice coming into a dock is with a (10-12'x 2x6 or 2x8) board (simulated dock) that has been painted a bright color so it's easy to see in the water.
Put it in the water in an area that is protected from current and then practice coming alongside in forward and reverse.
 
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