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Tfitch03

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6 hours ago, Tfitch03 said:

Update, I repaired the prop and bought a spare to have. I took the family out a couple times last weekend and the kids had a great time! Boat handles great although it is going to take me some getting used to in reverse. You can tell from the picture that he is not having a good time! Question, where do yall attach your anchor rope?

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Usually to the cleats.  Your boat seems to have those.  Occasionally to the prop (well, my dad's done that, not me).

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11 hours ago, Tfitch03 said:

Boat handles great although it is going to take me some getting used to in reverse.

 

6 hours ago, REHinH20 said:

just remember that a "little back and a little forward" will spin you around nicely

@Tfitch03 as described above, see #4 below...works great in tight quarters.  The info below is probably a bit overkill, but sometimes it helps to know the why and how.  Hat tip to @JB-FOOT and other posts collected from this forum for this tutorial.

 

Propeller-Walk-6.png

 

BACKING UP (the most difficult maneuver with an inboard)

What makes an INBOARD turn is a combination of prop thrust and water passing around/against the rudder which in turn diverts the water and pushes the boat in the desired direction from the rear (STERN) of the boat!  The more power you give it, the more water force acting on the rudder and the better it turns WHEN GOING FORWARD!

However, when you go in reverse you are not pushing water past the rudder any longer but instead the water thrust from the prop is now going towards the bow of the boat.....initially leaving only prop thrust to do your turning....that is why the boat wants to back up in only straight back or towards a favored side at first!  See the Prop Walk graphic above.

So, for the rudder to be effective it MUST have water flow across it in order for it to do its job.  If you back up slow and long enough, eventually enough water will pass it to start finally directing it to the desired opposite side, but usually by the time that happens, it is too late!  You are probably already way off course or have hit something....like the dock.

There has to be a better way, and there is!  There are 4 basic methods for backing up.  Let’s explore them:

❶  MANUAL POINTING.  Now the easiest way to back up is to remember this simple rule: start with your stern facing the direction you want to go  BEFORE you put it in reverse!  This is the trick I use anytime I back away from the dock.  You do it by physically pushing the boat in the desired direction from the opposite side of the boat using a dock, another boat, or even an oar!  Use whatever is available.  Remember it doesn’t have to be you: USE YOUR CREW! This very basic but easy method works every time so long as are mindful that once you go into REV the stern will react as usual, turning towards its favored side, so take that into account when pointing the boat.  However, you didn’t buy a boat to drive it this way, so let’s look at another method…

❷  BURPING.  Put the boat into reverse momentarily and right back out again, and then put it back into reverse and right back out again with the rudder straight back.  Do not give it any throttle, only idle reverse.  What is starting to happen is rearward velocity; water is now passing over the rudder but without much of the undesired prop walk (providing you are not giving it any gas.)  Now that the boat is starting to back up rather straight, turn the wheel in the direction you want to go in reverse and leave it in gear.....you should start slowly turning in the desired direction!  Don’t be throttle-happy...just be HAPPY. ;) Note that this only works if you don’t have a dock or obstruction directly behind you, but it does work.

❸  STERN THRUSTING.  Use the rudder to rotate the stern to port.  This works well for starting at a dock and you are docked to starboard (right side).  You now know that your boat’s stern wants to naturally move to starboard (right) in reverse, but in this scenario we need the stern to move towards port (left.)  The concept here is to use a momentary bit of forward thrust against the rudder to point the stern in the direction you want.  Start by TURNING the wheel to the RIGHT if you want to back up toward the LEFT.  Now put the boat in FWD momentarily and then IMMEDIATELY putting it back in neutral.  Repeat this 2 or 3 times, if you do it correctly, the stern of the boat will go LEFT and the boat will not have moved forward much at all...the key here is IN AND OUT OF FWD GEAR.  If you must, use a short dash of REV to stop the forward momentum.  Using this method, the stern will swing outwards away from the direction the steering wheel is pointed.

Now that your boat's stern is now pointing to the PORT or LEFT side, you can return your wheel position back to FULL LEFT (and only after you have moved the wheel full left) and engage reverse and quickly back out following using the above burping procedure.  Be mindful that if you put it back in FWD gear while the wheel is still turned to the LEFT, you will negate EVERYTHING you just did.

❹   STANDING TURN.  The combined use of prop walk and rudder deflected propeller wash is an approach known as a standing turn.  While this is not a true “backing up” maneuver, mastering this will allow you to essentially turn around in very close quarters so that backing up is not necessary.  You are simply rotating the boat to point it in the proper direction so you may then engage FWD and drive normally!  You will find this is especially helpful for making those very tight turns in marinas or near other boats/obstructions.  The standing turn is a powerful variation of stern thrusting, but is always towards your favored side, in this case the port side, or to the left (counterclockwise as viewed from above.)  This maneuver takes full advantage of prop walk by leveraging its tendency to push the stern towards starboard in reverse.  This maneuver is also known as a “back and fill”, an old sailing term referring to trimming the sails so as to alternately fill them with wind and release the wind in order to maneuver in a narrow space. 

NOTE:  A single screw boat can be turned in just over a boat length, but only in the direction that prop walk will facilitate. Prop walk is mostly noticeable in reverse and pulls the stern to one side depending upon propeller rotation.  This example assumes a left-hand prop.  With a few exceptions (such as Correct Craft), most modern recreational inboards are left hand (LH) rotation which has a tendency to push the stern to the right/starboard when in reverse, resulting in a left turn.  Attempting a standing turn in the opposite direction fights prop walk and will fail.  To use prop walk to your advantage you must be certain of your favored side!

To initiate the standing turn, first put the steering wheel (helm/rudder) hard over to port (LEFT) and then go into FWD.  As soon as the stern starts to swing starboard but before the boat has much forward momentum, go into REV and add a momentary dose of power.  This will stop the forward speed and prop walk will continue to push the stern starboard.  As soon as the boat begins to go backwards, go into FWD.  Repeat this cycle as necessary, with the steering wheel hard left at all times.  There are two key components to making a standing turn: timing and controlling turning momentum.  Prop walk is most effective with power so as soon as forward momentum starts to develop, place the gear back in reverse and add a little bit of power.  While idle reverse may induce some prop walk, a dose of power really improves the effect.  The here goal is to develop rotational momentum without building either forward or backward momentum.  There will be a lot of back and forth with your gear/throttle lever, but you will turn (rotate) while essentially standing still!

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