Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 22-03-2010, 12:07   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Los Angeles,ca
Boat: Piver Victress 40 - Windhook
Posts: 30
No Reverse Steerage Common ?

My 40' trimaran doesn't steer in reverse. Rudder angle doesn't seem to make any difference. It's just a slow creep to port from what I assume to be the prop wash. Is this common in big boats and what do people do to work around the problem of not being able to steer in reverse ?

-tavis
dubhouse is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-03-2010, 12:41   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Anacortes, WA
Boat: Maine Cat 41
Posts: 325
Tavis, this is not uncommon. It varies from boat to boat. Typically as your sternway increases, some steerage control is regained. Often, once you get sternway, you can put the engine in neutral to gain a degree of steerage. Slowly add power in short bursts to increase sternway. Alternatively, you must give brief bursts of forward power with your rudder hard over to whichever side you need. The trick is to not use forward power so long or strong that you kill all headway. It's practice thing.

Some boats are real buggers and others not so much.
cchesley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-03-2010, 12:42   #3
Registered User
 
speciald@ocens.'s Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: On the boat - Carib, Chesapeake
Boat: 58 Taswell AS
Posts: 1,139
Yes! Until you get flow over the rudder in any boat, you will not have steerage. Response will be dependent on rudder size and speed in reverse. It is best to hit the trottle to get way in reverse and then coast.
speciald@ocens. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-03-2010, 13:09   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,933
Images: 4
LOL, that's what the bow thruster is for.
Joli is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-03-2010, 18:10   #5
Eternal Member
 
Chief Engineer's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North of Baltimore
Boat: Ericson 27 & 18' Herrmann Catboat
Posts: 3,798
The best way to figger this out....is to go to an area that is calm and practice and see what the boat does in reverse and various throttle speeds.
Chief Engineer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-03-2010, 18:21   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,959
Images: 4
Fin keel and spade rudder far aft ... otherwise you are in for a challenge. The other variable is the wind which blows the bow down (I suppose this is true for a tri?) so backingand turning into the wind is often easier, if you got the choice.

Some spade rudder tiller boats can turn the rudder 360. We could back into a slip without engine. Yes, showoff stuff, and it usually didn't entirely work out.
daddle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-03-2010, 01:44   #7
Registered User
 
FraidNot's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2009
Boat: Oceanis 411
Posts: 239
my mono seems to have no steerage in reverse until about 1.7 kts
This looks and feels surprisingly fast as my brain wants to go slow when going backwards!
__________________
FraidNot
FraidNot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23-03-2010, 02:06   #8
Registered User
 
drinky's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Gold Coast Australia
Boat: MARTZCRAFT 35 'JET LAG'
Posts: 70
Simple really. A burst of reverse to get moving then out of gear so prop walk is not there then a burst of forward to start the turn to where you want to go. I can turn my boat in its own length this way. As said by earlier posters it is all about practice to get the feel of your boat.
drinky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-03-2010, 00:23   #9
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Los Angeles,ca
Boat: Piver Victress 40 - Windhook
Posts: 30
Thanks for all the tips. Turns our part of the problem was probably this :
dubhouse is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-03-2010, 00:45   #10
Registered User
 
James S's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: May 2008
Location: We're technically refugees from our home in Yemen now living in Lebenon
Boat: 1978 CT48
Posts: 5,964
Images: 139
Uh....yeh....that might make a difference!
__________________
James
S/V Arctic Lady
I love my boat, I can't afford not to!
James S is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-03-2010, 01:31   #11
Moderator and Certifiable Refitter
 
Wotname's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: South of 43 S, Australia
Boat: C.L.O.D.
Posts: 20,305
Hmm.. I might agree with James S on this one - and how was it like going forward???
__________________
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangereous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence
Wotname is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-03-2010, 21:35   #12
Senior Cruiser

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Coos Bay, Oregon
Boat: Valiant 40 (1975)
Posts: 4,073
Is it those barnacles on the prop that are causing the problem???
s/v Beth is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
What language(s) are the most common? JB_in_Fla General Sailing Forum 23 09-12-2016 18:08
how common is pitchpoling? JB_in_Fla Multihull Sailboats 28 22-05-2014 22:59
Loss of Steerage Waves and Swell SkiprJohn Seamanship & Boat Handling 8 15-07-2008 18:22
Lost steerage way, puzzled rsn48 Seamanship & Boat Handling 5 04-09-2007 20:30
August 3 - Sailing in Steerage skipgundlach General Sailing Forum 0 04-08-2007 16:02

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 06:12.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.