Driving in reverse

[miquelkumar]

I've been trying to understand how my 25D reacts in reverse and only find that the wind dictates how it reacts in reverse. I'm currently on a mooring and dread the day I have to back in and out of a slip.
Any suggestions or should I install an inflatable rubrail.

[rtbates]

Welcome to the world of the full keel with cutaway forefoot. What you've found is what it is. The bow blows off wind. The stern crawls to port when in reverse. No biggie. It just takes a lot of practice. And don't even think of backing into a slip. Do all of your manuevers in forward and use reverse as little as possible.

randy 25D Seraph #161

[barfwinkle]

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[Russell Skinner]

Now you know why you've seen so many CD's bow in at the slip! I tell my crew that I have no control in reverse (not actually quite true) so they will stay in position to fend me off when a little puff of wind comes along. Maneuvering at the dock is not Cape Dory's strong point. The board has a bunch of stuff on how to back up in the archives, but as far as I can tell it's predicated of a windless day with no current.

[Bruce Dart]

One answer to the CDs lack of manuverablility in reverse is the use of spring lines. There are several threads in the archives on this topic.

[Jay Kanavos]

One answer to the CDs lack of manuverablility in reverse is the use of spring lines. There are several threads in the archives on this topic.

I back into my slip in Boston Harbor all of the time. It isn't always pretty, but before I leave, I position a spring line and a bow line such that the crew can easily pick them up with a boat hook. My father-in-law (previous owner) had it down to a science. Yes, the wind will always take you where you don't want to go, but I believe that the key is getting lines positioned ahead of time such that when you get them, you're all set and just need to pull yourself back into the slip.

Jay

[Mark Yashinsky]

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN your reverse movement. Dont be bashful to use spring/warp lines. Even those w/ modern fin keels are amazed at the ease I can get out of a slip, when the wind is the wrong way (wind they dont want to even go out in!!). Know how much she will swing in reverse and set up for that, so in the end you are pointed correctly. USE FORWARD THRUST. W/ the prop ahead of the large rudder, busrts of forward w/ the rudder, can quickly correct your angle, even while going in reverse.
And of course, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

[Neil Gordon]

Contrary to common belief, the boat doesn't actually do what it wants when in reverse. It always reacts the same way to the same conditions.

Your boat will go in reverse, it just won't steer in reverse. The bow will blow downwind. Plan accordingly.

The best way to pull into a slip is to throw your dock lines ashore. Naturally, it helps to have someone there to catch them. Most marinas are pretty cooperative if you call on the radio and tell them you need assistance.

If the wind is against me and there's no help, I put fenders out and gently raft up against my slipmate. I tie on to him, have a beer and pull the boat over to my side of the slip later.

If the wind is really against you and blowing hard, ignore the slip and find a safe place like the gas dock or whatever.

Leaving is easier because the boat is tied up while you plan. If you plan right, it won't get harder when the lines are let go.

Spring lines work!!! Experiment, remembering that the only real objective is to turn the bow into the wind and in the direction, more or less, that you want to go. For me, sometimes that just means backing out of the slip while holding the bow on the last (or is it the first?) cleat, much the same as if I was on a mooring. When the wind is on the port bow (for me), I cast off the bow line and the wind takes the bow up the fairway. If I need more room, I can hang from my slipmates bow, which puts me a bit further out in the fairway.

I some conditions, it may be impossible to leave the slip safely. Use the time for cleaning and polishing and plotting and planning.

[bobc]

Even when the wind isn't a factor, I find that it can be difficult to get the pointy end going the right direction in the limited space I have to back.

One trick that I use with my CD27, which works well when I don't have a crew, is to walk the boat out of the slip about half way and get the stern pointed the right direction, give the boat a little bit of a shove, and then step on. With this technique I can usually only have to go into reverse once. If the wind is blowing, I may have to switch between forward and reverse a few times before I get spun around.

If the wind is really blowing, I leave the headsail off until I'm out of the slip. (That's one of the advantages of a hanked-on sail.) It doesn't take much windage at the bow to completely eliminate any illusion of control you might have in reverse.

[Ed Haley]

Backing out of a slip with a CD may be hard at times but there is a way to "coax" the stern into going in the direction you want. It takes practice with each CD but most sterns will respond to a "1 sec burst" of reverse applied many times as you back up. If you have a tendency to walk to port as I have when in reverse, put the rudder about half-way to starboard as you start to apply reverse. Then give 1 sec. burst of throttle to the prop (returning to idle each time) and you'll see the stern swing slowly to starboard even if it started to swing to port. If you need to correct, use forward for a burst or two with reverse rudder. After a while you will gain confidence and it will become old hat.

[RIKanaka]

Anyone with some pointers for driving in reverse specific to the Typhoon? That hinged motor bracket sure makes things interesting. I mistakenly gunned the outboard trying to back out of a slip and the little 2 hp Honda flipped out of the water 90 degrees.