Going backwards without a reverse gear - how to?

[MissFitz]

The outboard on my Sonata has no astern gear so this weekend I tried turning the engine round to leave the berth in reverse. I didn't want to faff around locking & unlocking it when I needed to go forward again so lashed the tiller tightly & used the engine to steer. The boat certainly went backwards but I didn't seem to be getting much steerage. Is that normal or was I doing something wrong? Is there a better technique for reversing out of a berth without an astern gear?

Also, & this is a really dumb question but...... which way should I have been pointing the turned-around engine when going astern? I canvassed opinions from two very experienced sailing friends, one said in the direction you want to go, the other said the opposite. As per above, it didn't actually seem to make much difference in my case - but would be good to know which is correct!

 

[reeac]

Lack of steerage is probably due to the rudder, with its big under water area trying to keep the boat on a straight line.
Regarding direction to point the motor, remember that you will effectively be in "front wheel drive" mode with the motor pulling the boat along behind it so point the motor towards
where you want to go.

 

[VicS]

The outboard on my Sonata has no astern gear so this weekend I tried turning the engine round to leave the berth in reverse. I didn't want to faff around locking & unlocking it when I needed to go forward again so lashed the tiller tightly & used the engine to steer. The boat certainly went backwards but I didn't seem to be getting much steerage. Is that normal or was I doing something wrong? Is there a better technique for reversing out of a berth without an astern gear?

Also, & this is a really dumb question but...... which way should I have been pointing the turned-around engine when going astern? I canvassed opinions from two very experienced sailing friends, one said in the direction you want to go, the other said the opposite. As per above, it didn't actually seem to make much difference in my case - but would be good to know which is correct!

when going astern with an outboard with full 360 degree swivelling point it in the direction you want to go.

PS be careful if you have a power connection ( eg for battery charging ) to the OB) ..... dont ask!

The faster you go the more "grip" the lashed rudder will have and the more difficult it will be to steer with the OB.

Better perhaps to lock the OB and steer with the rudder

OB with reverse gear is the real solution!

 

[duncan99210]

Your description of going astern with a one way outboard matches how I do it on my Hurley 18, so you're probably doing it right. As to the engine: you aim the engine where you want to go.... So, the front of the engine is now pointing astern, aim the engine to where you want to go and the boat will follow it - sort of. The problem lies in the fact that you've lashed the rudder amidships, so that'll tend to try and keep the boat heading in a straight line.

 

[MissFitz]

Your description of going astern with a one way outboard matches how I do it on my Hurley 18, so you're probably doing it right. As to the engine: you aim the engine where you want to go.... So, the front of the engine is now pointing astern, aim the engine to where you want to go and the boat will follow it - sort of. The problem lies in the fact that you've lashed the rudder amidships, so that'll tend to try and keep the boat heading in a straight line.

Ah, I see - so maybe lashing the rudder wasn't such a good idea? But, again, advice from experienced sailing friend (but, I should add, not small boat/outboard expert) was that if I didn't lash the rudder it would fight the engine. Is that right? How do you manage it?

 

[Tranona]

steer with the rudder and the outboard if you can. You will probably need to experiment to find what works for you.

The basic problem is that you are trying to pull 24' of boat with a tiny (relatively) jet of water from the prop, most of which is hitting the hull rather than providing you with thrust and a rudder that is pretty useless because there is little waterflow over it as well as being the wrong end of the boat.

 

[lw395]

It's a Sonata.
To back out of the berth, untie everything else and heave on the spring that runs back from the bow.
Use the motor more for moving the blunt end sidewise.

 

[seumask]

On a similar slightly larger boat, the Hunter delta, I found that the rudder way more important once flow over it was established and you were moving through the water, before that then pointing the engine was clearly the most effective. If you can do both together which you could for a reversing turn to port then it went really well, but generally we just fixed the engine and used the rudder.

 

[ProDave]

When I reverse my boat out of it's berth, I steer by turning both the OB and the rudder together, and it goes where I point it.

 

[ghostlymoron]

When I reverse my boat out of it's berth, I steer by turning both the OB and the rudder together, and it goes where I point it.

Likewise but my current boat has a reverse gear but I lock the engine in straight ahead/astern and steer with the rudder.
With a 'no reverse' setup, you should point the engine tiller in the direction you want to go.

 

[ZoeImogen]

We used to have this setup on a previous boat (Hunter Horizon 23) as modern 4-stroke engines with stern gears didn't fit in her outboard well. You'll almost certainly need to use the rudder to steer, as the engine alone won't be powerful enough. (Although in our case, we couldn't turn the engine in the well by that much anyway)

Be careful with no stern gear as it means you have no way of stopping the boat in a hurry, and as the prop isn't inline with the rudder you'll also have no prop wash to enable steerage at low speed. It's easy to find yourself in a situation where your bow gets blown towards an obstacle or another moored boat and you either have to speed up and hope the rudder grips or kill the engine and pray that drag beats inertia.

An engine with stern gear is a worthwhile investment, IMO. School of hard knocks, and all that. If you only need it to get in and out of a marina, a Torqueedo is handy - small enough to fit in even the tiniest of outboard wells, just don't rely on it to get back home against the tide if the wind dies!

 

[Leighb]

With our long keel yacht we found that using the engine to reverse out of a berth was pretty useless!!
Best way was for the crew to hold the tiller more or less straight but slightly in the direction you want the stern to go and I pushed the boat backwards hopping on at the last possible moment.
This gives sufficient stern way to steer without propwalk messing things up. Only use the engine once clear of the berth.
With a much lighter boat that should be pretty easy?

 

[MissFitz]

Best way was for the crew to hold the tiller more or less straight but slightly in the direction you want the stern to go and I pushed the boat backwards hopping on at the last possible moment.
This gives sufficient stern way to steer without propwalk messing things up. Only use the engine once clear of the berth.
With a much lighter boat that should be pretty easy?

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that this will indeed be the easiest option, will give it a try next time we go out. Might have a play around spinning the engine & aligning the rudder when out in open water but suspect it will be too confusing & stressful in a confined space. Many thanks to all for help & advice, much appreciated as always.

 

[ghostlymoron]

A short blast of full astern throttle should do the trick on getting the rudder to bite. Low revs won't give enough umph.

 

[lw395]

Sailing boats just a little bit smaller, a big canadian-type canoe paddle is very effective at close quarters.
But strategic use of the warps looks better.

 

[VicS]

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that this will indeed be the easiest option, will give it a try next time we go out. Might have a play around spinning the engine & aligning the rudder when out in open water but suspect it will be too confusing & stressful in a confined space. Many thanks to all for help & advice, much appreciated as always.

Another thing you will find is that with the outboard set to one side , rater than being centrally mounted is that the boat will turn easily in one direction but less easily in the opposite direction. A far more pronounced effect than propwalk.

This also applies when going forwards. You will find that the turning circle under power will be quite small in one direction but much larger in the opposite direction.

The secret when turning the "wrong" way is to give it a burst of power to get moving and then throttle back

 

[oilyrag]

Note that swapping the standard prop on your OB to a 'sail power' prop will make an big difference, esp. in reverse..If you cannot get one for your current OB you should seriously consider trading it in for a motor with reverse gear. I traded my trusty 2 stroke Suzuki for a new Mariner 4 this year and am most impressed with it.

 

[Topcat47]

Most non reverse engines are sub 4hp with a short shaft.. My old Mariner 4 had a reverse. I passed it onto a mate with a Silhouette but he found the short shaft a problem in a chop so swapped it for a long shaft Johnson with a sail drive prop. You may find a short shaft 2.5/3.5 not quite man enough for a Sonata..

I agree with the advice to turn both the rudder and the engine when going astern. You'll still find situations where the wind takes the bow where you don't want it to go, whatever you do. Just practise for 5 minutes every time you go out, in sheltered waters at first. You'll soon get the hang of it and learn when it's best to warp her round on her berth rather than even try to back out.

 

[William_H]

I think OP will find he has good control of at least the stern of the boat with hopefully the bow following if he uses rudder and motor to steer with. The tiller and the part of the OB facing bow will both move in the same direction. If he had an engine with reverse gear the tiller of the o/b can be coupled to the rudder tiller giving superb control.
Now the real problem in going backwards is that the rudder is effectively hugely over balanced. So any movement from straight is magnified as a force trying to push the rudder to hard over. You need to control the tiller with a tight fist.
Practice will make perfect. good luck olewill

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I think OP will find he has good control of at least the stern of the boat with hopefully the bow following if he uses rudder and motor to steer with. The tiller and the part of the OB facing bow will both move in the same direction. If he had an engine with reverse gear the tiller of the o/b can be coupled to the rudder tiller giving superb control.
Now the real problem in going backwards is that the rudder is effectively hugely over balanced. So any movement from straight is magnified as a force trying to push the rudder to hard over. You need to control the tiller with a tight fist.
Practice will make perfect. good luck olewill

If you get up any kind of speed in reverse it's a good idea to straddle the tiller so that you can control it with your leg muscles if it gets out of hand.