"R.W. Behan" wrote...

Can't tell you why your transmission is getting stuck in reverse, but I
would heartily recommend PUTTING it in reverse while you're sailing. That
isn't boat-specific, it is common-sense specific. An auto-rotating prop,
whether on an airplane or a boat, creates drag that is equivalent to towing
a disk of the prop's diameter, and that's a LOT of drag. When you "freeze"
the prop by shifting to reverse (the equivalent of feathering an airplane's
propeller) you lower the drag to what is caused by the area of the prop's
blades--probably a third or so of the area of the prop's diameter.

Not quite...

Feathering an airplane's prop also includes turning the blades within the hub so
they are faired into the air stream, more like the folding/feathering props
available (at high cost) for sailboats. Simply stopping the prop will slightly
reduce drag, compared with autorotation, but will not reduce it anywhere near
that of a feathered prop. There is still the turbulence created by the unfaired
blades, and that creates drag.

OTOH, putting the prop in gear may reduce wear on the transmission, shaft seal,
and cutless bearing...