It just won't go backwards ....

[tonyb]

We have now owned White Rabbit for about 2 months and everything is going fine. She has a good turn of speed and turning circle. The Tohatsu 9.8 2 stroke pushes her along well (although 2 L per hour is a bit thirsty).

In the past I have owned a Maurader 24, Endeavour 28, Columbia 34, Sonata 6 etc. Some with inboards, some with diesels. They all went backwards and were steerable.

White Rabbit has a mind of her own and will just go where ever she wants. I have tried doing it slowly, fast, in no wind and tide, windy conditions and always the same.

Who out there has some hints as to going backwards. (I only want to do it sometimes not all the time)

Tony
White Rabbit
Mk III

[Dolphin]

G'Day Tony,
I have found the same with an inboard and offset shaft on Felicite.
I found that you don't turn the rudder more than about 10degrees and chase it like backing a short box trailer. Also don't oversteer, make small adjustments. It will only go back straight, if I try to turn it a lot it just goes fully to that side.
Other than that Grasshopper there are many things in life we must accept, death, taxes and Top Hats only go forwards. Its a lot like the coat of arms, The Kangaroo can't go backwards and the Emu wont go backwards. If you try and push an emu it will push you over.
At least you have an outboard and thus some turning ability at low speed.
Hope it helps.
Greg.

[Miker]

The best hint I can give is don't go backwards. Unless you need to reverse out of a pen or something.

I have an 8hp Tohatsu 4 stroke and at 1/2 throttle its at boat speed, or close enough. Burns about a litre an hour.

When mooring, I just do it slowly, when berthing at a wharf, same thing. Nothing happens quickly, just snail your way in. I've not really found a reason to want to reverse very much.

The other thing is to work out which way the prop walks, sometimes that helps in sidling up to the wharf etc.

Michael

[Tales]

I thought it was just me!
Actually, I steer the outboard with the tiller and it works a treat.
Cheers,
Tom

[karl010203]

Ours doesnt like going backwards either...

In saying that - turning the outboard in the well does help - but in reality you unless there is water over the keel you have limited control...

If trying to go stern first into a marina berth I will either do it one of two ways depending on the room available.

If there is plenty of room - ie more than a couple of boat lengths to the side of the berth - I will normally go in to the marina bow first and only steer forward and reverse straight in... if it is not lining up I will go forward out of the berth and then come back again... I dont even try to steer in reverse... only straight back.

If there is limited room I will actually motor in reverse from some distance out of the marina... if you have momentum and water over the keel it is no dramas... and if things go horribly wrong you can simply whack it in forward and motor out...

Hope this helps...

I also have a theory that despite conventional yachts where the thought is that "wind is king" in the instance that you have opposing wind and tide, I reckon with the full keel we are impacted more by tide, with our keels caught easily by running current at slow speed. What does everyone else think?

[Tales]

Kark,
Agree with all that you wrote.
When reversing out of the pen, I set the outboard over to counter the prop walk.
Regarding tide, I have had nasty experiences at Queenscliff moving about in the marina with wind against tide and now only do so at slack water.
Cheers,
Tom

[fullandby]

I have a diesel with prop in front of rudder. My boat has a bias to going to starboard in reverse even though the prop walk should pull it to port. I count myself lucky if I can just keep it straight, forget about steering it.
I have to back out of a tight marina berth and have learnt a few tricks.
If there is no tide and there is wind blowing, when reversing the boat will always line up with the wind, stern first, within about 2 boat lengths. At least this is predictable and so I keep backing into the wind until I am clear and then go forward. Fortunately it turns fast in forward.
If there is no wind and I cant keep it straight, I just let it back in a big loop to starboard until I am pointing the way I want, then go forward.
I envy the fin keel boats nearby who can back into their marina berth like a car. But then they dont have the other attributes of the tophat.

Cheers,

Bart

[storm petrel]

My prop is offset behind the keel and like everyone else I find it it is difficult to steer when moving slowing in reverse. But all long keel yachts have the same problem. I agree with Bart that this is a sacrifice I am willing to make for the seakindliness that the long keel provides. I just try to avoid situations where I need to 'reverse park'. I guess I am a traditionalist at heart and like Chichester I prefer sailing and hate having an engine on board but realise that on today's crowded water ways it is a necessary evil.

"There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Cheers,
Mark