reverse

[patrick e. boole]

can anyone tell me why they say to put your transmission into reverse when sailing. or should you?

 

[Joe]

To save your transmission

The primary reason is to avoid having your prop spin the transmission while in neutral. This can happen due to the forward motion on the boat. Transmission spinning in neutral without the engine running can cause glazing of the clutches which may result in slipping and eventual failure. However, on my Catalina 30 I've checked this and while sailing in neutral my shaft does not turn. This may be due to the relative tightness of my packing, prop type, or some other reason. Bottom line, if while sailing in neutral the prop does not spin the shaft, should be no problem. If it does spin the shaft, shifting into reverse while sailing will stop it from turning. Hope this helps.

 

[Chris Bloor]

We put our transmission in reverse to save the transmission, yes, but also because in neutral, the spinning propeller is almost as loud as a motor when you go below! We starting doing it before we found out you're supposed to!

 

[Jerry]

Placing the gear shift in reverse keeps the prop from spinnig while your sailing.

 

[Art Friedson]

If you have a folding prop, putting it in reverse causes it to fold up, reducing drag. It gives your boat up to about .25 to .50 knots extra boat speed.

 

[Bob Kovich]

Reverse/Not always

While I agree that reverse is usually the best position for the transmission when sailing, different folding props require a different approach. The Autoprop I use on my Catalina 34 requires the transmission to be locked in Forward when sailing. The shaft doesn't turn but it allows the prop to correctly feather into the water. The manufacturer of the prop can give you the best advice. Certainly you wouldn't normally with a conventional prop want the transmission in Forward because it could cause the engine to turn over or damage the transmission.

 

[Kelly]

absolutely

This action locks the propellar shaft from moving, thus preventing wear of the transmission which is not properly lubricated when not driven by the input shaft. It also reduces noise and can reduce drag, especially if the prop blades align with the strut when stopped.

 

[Howie Gottlieb]

Sailing in reverse saves transmission

sailing in reverse puts less strain ontransmission clutches. Am jet enginemechanic. In addition it also locks theprop from turning which saves wear andtear on the cutlass bearing and shaftlog and associatied transm.parts. It also allows the boat to sail faster ifyou have a twin bladded prop and youposition the prop in the vertical posi-tion. Lots of pluses for this mode.