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Charlie · 11-06-2019, 08:41

Just hauled my boat. Things look good. While the yard did the bottom I did the maintenance on my Max Prop. Replaced the Zincs. Replaced a ball valve. Walked through the boat with the surveyor. Smooth as silk. Had projects I needed to get done at work. Left Wednesday. Yard splashed the boat on Thursday. Picked it up Friday night. Started the engine. Turned over fine. Checked the linkage as SOP. Clicked into gear fine. But wait. Transmission in reverse. Boat goes forward. Transmission in forward. Boat goes in reverse.

I did one of two things: 1)mounted the blades backwards or 2)placed the cones for a right hand propeller.

I live on the boat. Had to move from yard to my slip. A 20 minute motor.

I am taking friends to the ball game on Friday. Going to sail there. Tie up at South Beach Harbor and Saturday going to have to motor home early (before the wind fills).

Is this going to cause any problems running the engine in reverse for 1.5 hours?

I can try to get a noon hang and fix it or have a diver change it. But it will be time consuming.

chris14679 · 11-06-2019, 08:58

Blades backwards wouldn't do that, must be set up right-handed. Unless the morse cable to the gearbox has been connected backwards or something?

Shouldn't do any harm to run in the gearbox in reverse for a couple of hours if you take it easy.

Make sure to put pen marks next to the letter-settings you use in the maxprop manual, that way you won't get confused and if you need to add or subtract a degree of pitch then you'll know what it was set to last time.

**JPA Cate** · 11-06-2019, 14:37

Charlie, have it fixed before you go. One's habits for driving the boat are just so ingrained that having that backwards will make you crazy, and you will react by habit and muscle memory if something goes wrong.

It is okay to use reverse for long periods, but to me that isn't the real issue.

Ann

Compass790 · 11-06-2019, 19:15

We were using our transmission in reverse ( put r/h prop on on purpose as it was free) for more than 2 months fulltime aboard but I know the Kanzaki transmission would not be harmed by this. We may be using this setup for a year or 2 yet. Cannot say if it's the same for your transmission as would need to study it
Not to say that JPA Cates warning did not apply to us but never enough to seriously threaten our boat or others.

Bill Seal · 11-06-2019, 19:53

I put the shift fork on my Volvo MSB in backwards once

.made it interesting getting out of the slip.
It's a simple fix.The notch goes to the front, stupid !!

**Wotname** · 11-06-2019, 19:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie

......

Is this going to cause any problems running the engine in reverse for 1.5 hours?
...........

While not knowing the gearbox model, the ratios will most likely be wrong for best performance however this isn't going to damage anything longterm.

RaymondR · 11-06-2019, 21:56

Years ago I was travelling from Cooktown to Cairns and at the Hope Island anchorage found I could not get forward gear. No problem, I'll clear the anchorage going astern and sail to Cairns and get it fixed.

All went OK and I got to the vicinity of the nav channel into Cairns harbour when the breeze died. Dropped the pick for the rest of the night then started up the nav channel in a very light breeze the next morning.

Unfortunately as I approached the land the breeze died again because of the wind shadow and I was obliged to drop the rag and motor. That's when the trouble started. The nav channel is very busy in the mornings with tourist boats going out to the reef and it created chaos when I reversed up the channel on the correct side for my direction of travel whilst going astern.

Is there a day shape for vessels reversing up channels under power?

**StuM** · 11-06-2019, 22:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Is there a day shape for vessels reversing up channels under power?

No,

But you should have been repeatedly sounding three short blasts on your "means of making an efficient sound signal".

And possibly three flashes of a bright light aimed at any approaching vessel

clownfishsydney · 12-06-2019, 01:23

A feathering prop? I have two Autostream feathering props and back in early 2017 the mechanic put them back on wrong (a matter of aligning some dots from memory) and this simple thing made them run backwards. You can change underwater but too hard. We swapped the linkages so that they worked correctly, but the forward prop angle meant we had to use a lot more revs to make same speed. Fixed it up when we hauled at the end of the year.

LittleWing77 · 12-06-2019, 03:39

Charlie,

Thanks so much for sharing your Knucklehead award with us. It's put a smile on my face - and StuM's response about appropriate sound signals.

He's right, of course - but the mental image!

What a bunch we sailors are. What an amazing, unique, indescribable bunch.

Hands across the water to all of you out there,
And Fair Winds of course,
LittleWing

Charlie · 12-06-2019, 05:57

Thanks for all the comments. I needed a good laugh. @ Chris Thanks for the reply. @Ann I agree with your assessment but am not going to have time to change the prop before the trip.@Compass glad to know it can be done for extended periods. @

Charlie · 12-06-2019, 06:08

@ Bill. Thanks for sharing your story. @Wotname yes the ratios are not optimized but at least It works @Raymond Great story @StuM. Thanks for the laughs @Clownfish. Yes ratios do throw it off.

@Compass just looked it up I have the same transmission.

Need to get it fixed is the real solution. Since my dockage is starboard side to this will actually make it easier. Will do it right next week.

WindyIles · 12-06-2019, 08:32

Hi - a quick thought: can you see the propshaft inside the bilge to confirm whether it is spinning in forward or reverse?
(i) if spins prop clockwise in forward, but goes aftwards, then propo problem;
(ii) if spins prop anticlockwise in forward when it shouldn't, then prop ok but the gear control linkage is in the wrong way round.
Any help?
Regards
Richard
Plymouth UK