If you've got a real nasty prop walk, you may never be able to back
straight.
Some things to try:
1. If you are going to be backing any distance, keep your hands off the
throttle, just use enough "astern" to get her moving in that direction,
with a bit of right rudder (try varying angles). Figure she will not go
perfectly straight, but may travel in a "sine wave". Just use enough
"astern" to keep her moving astern.
2. Looking at your rudder, in the pictures, it's no wonder, that once
you got her going to stbd, especially if you had a lot of right rudder
on, she would want to keep going .... that rudder becomes like a big
"skeg" and will pull her over ..... generally means you have too much
sternway on.

otn

Lady Sailor wrote:
It's been 33 years since I had my last baby and I have no intention of
walking down that road at this stage of the game.

Now, stop obsessing about my love life and tell me how we can make our boat
back up straigt.

Lady B.

"Simple Simon" wrote in message
...

Yes, boy have I been dumb! But, I figured it out . . .

Lady Sailor is fat because she's pregnant. As soon
as Schoonertrash found out, like a good sailor, he
skipped town because he knew he wasn't even IN
TOWN when the Lady became pregnant. So, Lady
Sailor cabbaged onto Fulmoron and got him drunk and
married so her little one (*******) would have a secure
home.

Mike, I sure hope you have lots of money to share.

Trash - you are a real sailor!

Bwwwahahahahahahhahahahaha!

I've found the opposite to be true. To counter prop walk - when forward motion
has stopped put the boat in reverse and rev the hell out of the motor to get it
moving backwards past the prop walk speed then immediatly back off the throttle
and keep enough revs to back the boat straight to where ever you want to go.
S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster"
Trains are a winter sport

In truth, there is no "prop walk" speed ..... it is always there. What
you describe is getting enough sternway on that the larger rudder on
your sailboat becomes, somewhat, effective.
Don't get me wrong, this does work, but it has limitations, in that you
may have more way on than you want, and steering astern like this
becomes very sensitive, where, if you should use too much wheel, the
boat may, as was described, take off in that direction and be hard to
correct.
By limiting the "asterns" and keeping the sternway low, you may not go
as straight as you'd like, but you have more time and can more easily
correct, the errors. On my "Contessa", this worked well .... and in fact
if I got too much sternway on she'd let me know, as it would take two
men and a boy to hold the rudder straight.

As in most cases, what works for one may not work for another, but I
generally find I can make slow and easy work more often, for me.

otn

SAIL LOCO wrote:
I've found the opposite to be true. To counter prop walk - when forward motion
has stopped put the boat in reverse and rev the hell out of the motor to get it
moving backwards past the prop walk speed then immediatly back off the throttle
and keep enough revs to back the boat straight to where ever you want to go.
S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster"
Trains are a winter sport

Barb,

otn is on the right track. Some vessels are real pigs in reverse. I have
problems when I have the Folding prop because I have to hit high RPM to
get the blades to open.

When I back out of the Slip, I hold the stern in place with the stern
line until I start to make sternway then I throtle back. Remember You
have a neutral gear. Use it to correct sternwalk, once you get some way.
Use reverse in short pulses and correct in neutral allowing for the next
stern walk under power. KEEP RPM LOW, correct in neutal, curse that cut
away stern and prop and keep trying

Ole Thom

On Thu, 14 Aug 2003 22:04:15 -0700 (PDT), (Thom
Stewart) wrote:

Barb,

otn is on the right track. Some vessels are real pigs in reverse. I have
problems when I have the Folding prop because I have to hit high RPM to
get the blades to open.

When I back out of the Slip, I hold the stern in place with the stern
line until I start to make sternway then I throtle back. Remember You
have a neutral gear. Use it to correct sternwalk, once you get some way.
Use reverse in short pulses and correct in neutral allowing for the next
stern walk under power. KEEP RPM LOW, correct in neutal, curse that cut
away stern and prop and keep trying

Ole Thom

I think your approach is their best bet, Thom. My boat has an offset
prop shaft tot he port side with a right turning prop designed to
neutralize prop walk. For the most part, it does an admirable job,
but I will admit that backing is a bit different until there is enough
speed to maneuver. If prop walk is a problem, shifting to neutral is
the best remedy. Some boats are much worse than others, though
Mine is great once I get up to speed.

Neal,

While I'm talking about your mental outlook on problems, get your head
in tune to reality.

Things that really have meaning in life aren't concerned with
appearances. Happiness; is that a thin thing or shout?
What does LOVE look like? Please tell me what contentment looks like?
Pride, knowledge, accomplishment, satisfaction, joy, fear, failure, hope
and hopelessness; are any of these things have a thin or a stout
appearance?

In one of your lonely moments give some thought to these things and see,
in your Opinionated Mind if you can give a visual description of these
things

Let us, "DRINK TO THAT!"

Your Obese, 77 year old Buddy,
Thom

Neal,

Just what the Hell are you talking about?
Your boat doesn't even have a fixed prop. Your vessel doesn't even have
a fixed motor! Your boat isn't even a true Aux. On a true Aux, with the
Prop mounted "Abaft the Rudder" as in a off set shaft, Reverse is a
bloody Nightmare.

Get a true Auxiliary with a decent fixed engine ad learn what the hell
we are talking about. A sailboat with a decent mounted inboard engine
and a proper designed sailing hull can have problems in reverse.

A garbage scow can go forward or reverse equally well but it sails lousy

Loser! Fat people look stupid and gross.

They look stupid because they are too stupid to
lose weight which is proven to harm them and
decrease their quality of life. They demonstrate
they have no pride in their health and abuse
what God gave them. Fat people get in the
way of normal people. They ruin the view.
They got fat because they ate more calories
than they expended.This means they are either
lazy or gluttons or a combination of both. Fat
people have no redeeming qualities.

Fat people look gross because they ARE gross.
Obesity is not a disease; it is a failing of character.
There is no excuse for it. To make a body three
or four times the size it is supposed to be is to
make a mockery out of being a human being.
It shows everyone else a defective body with
a defective mind within the blubber.

All those other things you talk about giving an
appearance to sounds like you have been going
to some wacko, liberal, tree-hugging class or
something. The bottom line is appearances
matter. People don't like ugly things. Fat
people are ugly things - stupid, ugly things.

S.Simon


"Thom Stewart" wrote in message ...
Neal,

While I'm talking about your mental outlook on problems, get your head
in tune to reality.

Things that really have meaning in life aren't concerned with
appearances. Happiness; is that a thin thing or shout?
What does LOVE look like? Please tell me what contentment looks like?
Pride, knowledge, accomplishment, satisfaction, joy, fear, failure, hope
and hopelessness; are any of these things have a thin or a stout
appearance?

In one of your lonely moments give some thought to these things and see,
in your Opinionated Mind if you can give a visual description of these
things

Let us, "DRINK TO THAT!"

Your Obese, 77 year old Buddy,
Thom