Ep 29: Pro Tips: Dealing with Propwalk

[@derekec]

I've been a power boater off and on nearly 60 yrs, continuously though for the past 10. I've got formal training and been the go to person at many clubs and to handle many conditions. I don't feel omnipotent or superior but confident that "I can do this" even if I feel a bit anxious. But....with my first season owning a 26,000 lb 34ft long keel I have been humbled over and over. I've tried everything I can think, every option recommended and I can confidently say "I am on a passenger on a boat with a mind of it's own and which varies with wind/maybe current conditions". The only thing that saves me is a spring line but even after I've momentum and starting in the correct direction, the boat again does what it wants. Even in forward. I just make sure I have the space and then complete the turn in the direction it's going. Sometimes I can't complete the turn and have to reverse, deal with the direction and then forward again to complete. It's a nightmare at times. I find bursts of power only exxacerbates the push on the hull. I generally prefer power just beyond idle to overcome inertia but even then sometimes neither does anything. Sometimes it even pulls uncontrollably to the opposite side than expected. I have extra windage with a large wheelhouse which I suspect is the root

[@ctndiaye1]

Wow. Thank you very much. The aerial views are especially helpful to me.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

You're very welcome

[@tmhudg]

Really well done. I've sailed tons of small boats but have only done a handful of bareboat charters of larger boats and even then I'm basically just picking up moorings. I only ever dock at the end of the charter. Figured I should probably learn more about prop walk just in case so went looking for vids. This is great - explained the concept and gave great examples of how it can hinder or help. Extremely well put together - thank so much!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

You’re very welcome. I’m delighted that you found so much value in it. Should make a huge difference on your next charter. Thanks for taking the time to reach out 🙏

[@gordonreid5603]

My video Marco. Much appreciated.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Any time!

[@lawts78]

What an absolutely amazing video. Many thanks 👍

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jond4532]

Very well done, Sir.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you kindly!

[@ardagulcil]

The best video on this topic. Thank you.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Wow! Thank you for the comment Arda , I appreciate the support!

[@JeffBruton1]

This is an exceptionally well produced video. I have a Cape Dory 28 in San Francisco. When you visit the Bay Area, I will loan you my boat for the full-keel challenge edition. Some points that might be included: prop pitch is much more a factor that diameter, the gear ratio’s in Fwd and Reverse are likely different and will have an effect on shaft RPM, keep your morse cables well lubricated and adjusted so you can reliably shift fwd ev quickly, deploy an extra fender or two for the docking maneuver when appropriate (especially in a cross-wind docking scenario).

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you for the very kind and encouraging comment Jeff. I love San Fran, in fact it was the landfall for my first offshore cruise. I was delivering a 70 foot steel boat from Vancouver. We arrived at sunrise, it was epic! Will definitely look you up next time I’m in the area.

[@debdoyle119]

Excellent explanation of using prop walk. I use it to dock my full keel double ender every time.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks for the comment Deb. Good work! Full keel double enders can be a handful

[@jackphillips5524]

Awesome video, best one I have seen yet the explains prop walk.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Hey Jack, thanks for the great comment.

[@antknee8695]

Very articulate video with great graphics. Thanks!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Glad you liked it! Thank you

[@aquavitasailing2855]

If anyone out there is learning on a tiller steered boat, you will find these concepts EXTREMELY easy to learn, because you have an immediate visual indicator in the cockpit, of EXACTLY where the trailing edge of your rudder is pointed.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Very good point. Thanks Aqua Vita

[@rogerazevedo4094]

Very well explained. Can be daunting when you start doing it.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Absolutely! Thanks for the comment

[@keithlittlebury2986]

That was flaming brilliant! 😊👍

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Wow! Thank you so much 😊

[@bobgaysummerland]

Thank god for this video. I have a 47’ propwalk monster. Thanks!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

My pleasure Bob. I take it the video helped you. I appreciate the kind comment.

[@bobgaysummerland]

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine it did. I have a swan 47 that sticks her butt to port every time I reverse. At 36k pounds it’s pretty annoying. The bow line off and canting the stern is a jewel of info. I’m port tied.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

@@bobgaysummerland Happy I could be of assistance. That is a beautiful boat. Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can be of any further assistance.

[@m.o.b.4190]

Thank you for great education videos

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you M.O.B. Glad you're enjoying them.

[@anesthesiabeyond8519]

Wow! The best illustrated and explained video out there! Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge 🙏🙏🙏 Liked and subscribed!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

You're so welcome! Thank you for the great support

[@NANA-SAILING]

Danke!!! Super erklärt!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Bitte!

[@stevendiraimo3315]

Great video thanks I appreciate the explanation

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Glad it was helpful!

[@johnbee7729]

Thank you for this. It will be worthwhile to remember during my upcoming sail8ng lessons.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you John. I appreciate the kind comment.

[@mrpmessina]

Another very useful lesson. Thank you so much.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

My pleasure Paolo! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mrpmessina]

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine I can’t wait to get my day skipper course completed and get started. Your tutorials are immensely appreciated, especially the tremendous amount of work you put into these clips and edits. They are quick, concise and punchy. Very effective.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Good work Paolo! Keep it up. You’re going to love it. Thank you for the incredibly kind and encouraging comment. It's people like you I make these videos for!

[@mrpmessina]

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine definitely very much appreciated. I see there are 2 online course on your website. Do you offer a complete theory course or prep course for the day skipper course? I truly enjoy your explanations and level of detail. It is a great feeling when you complete a tutorial without any follow on questions. Your tutorial are perfect and set the right expectations. If you ever thinking of doing a complete prep course online, please let us know. I’d be glad to join and learn more. Once again thank you very much for the great clips.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

@Paolo Messina Actually we only have one course for sale online and that’s a docking course. I’m hoping to make my learn to sail playlist into a complete prep course.

[@kayakamy2618]

Excellent explanation, thanks. Would love a similar video for full keel boats! Obviously very different forces at play but hopefully calculable for the individual boat. Some theory for working on this would be great. Nice clear series, thank you!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you Kayak Amy. I appreciate the kind feedback.

[@mitchellparker1250]

Yer same

[@dougmowatt5805]

Excellent video! This video came to mind when I got into a little situation the other day on my boat. Remembered the pivot routine, used it and it worked great! Thanks mate! I sail the same waters as you and our tracks cross the beers are on me. Keep those videos coming!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you so much Doug. I'm absolutely delighted that one of my videos was able to help you while out on the water. You mention we sail the same waters, where are you and what is your boat

[@ajmalmian3653]

Excellent explanation . Can I respectfully suggest that when pivoting you only provide a forward burst for one or two seconds otherwise you run the risk of the boat going forward but the reverse thrust needs to be four or five seconds . The propeller is much less effective in reverse.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you for the kind comment. Yes I absolutely agree. Good point.

[@DougRutherford1]

Nice clear explanation. Now to practise. I have gotten myself in trouble a couple of times but managed a somewhat graceful exit.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks for the kind comment Doug. Hope the video helps you with your practice.

[@DougRutherford1]

@@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine Time on the water solves all

[@EastboundandUp]

Great information, thanks!

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the comment.

[@johnnya9001]

Nice description but I would like to see practical application using a full keel boat.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you for your comment John. Full keel boats generally do not steer well in reverse hence the advancement to fin keel spade, rudder nor are they the majority of boats out there. Having said that I have a friend who owns a Whitby 42 and I'm hoping to get out on it and do some video of maneuvering a heavy full keel boat.

[@yorugayoruga9511]

Thank you❤

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

You're welcome 😊

[@1kfarrel]

Thank you for this helpful video. Now I want to know how to get out of a botched docking operation, where propwalk is a factor. Specifically, what do you think my options would be if I back out of my slip and suddenly the wind picks up on starboard? For example, I was turning the bow through the wind as I backed out and everything was good at first, but then the wind picked up on starboard and cancelled the turning momentum. As I run out of room to backup, the wind actually begins to turn the boat in the other direction. Now I'm 'slipping' down the fairway, as you described at the end of the video. It's a situation that is difficult to abort, and I know that I'm not the only one.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

You do indeed describe a common situation. Without knowing more details it is difficult to advise. Such things as the type of boat, the underwater configuration, amount of thrust in reverse etc. One thing I have recently picked up on with my private instruction is that people are very hesitant to use power. In situations like the one you describe you sometimes have to use a lot more power than on a calm day. The key is to use the power judiciously. Use short bursts but get the boat moving. Wind on the bow and prop walk is always problematic and really the only way to deal with it is to get the boat up to steerage way as fast as possible and then you might have to go faster than usual. I assume you have a diesel engine. Don't be afraid to use power when you need it. I would recommend that you go out in the open and practice transitions from forward to reverse and reverse to forward and see how long it takes you to get control. Try reversing at a faster speed than you are used to but remember that the pressure on the rudder will increase so be careful to hold the helm very securely and do not use a lot of rudder. Hope this helps. UI would love to hear how it goes for you.

[@Misteribel]

@1kfarrel the suggestions given here are excellent, but this sounds like you turned from the slip with your bow in the wind. If there's room, turn with your stern in the wind, otherwise you can suffer the windvane effect you described. If you must turn with the bow in the wind, tot can keep control of your boat with a spring line, or two, depending on the situation. "Harbor manoeuvres step by step" from Lars Bolle has tips on how to make this manageable. His explanations are agonist as good as from this channel, with similar top down pictures, I can recommend having the book on board.

[@sailinghelipilot]

Great video thanks, what if I have a boat with twin rudders. How does that effect turning with it in forward since the rudder is not behind the prop? Thanks again

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Good question! Thanks for the comment Phillip. I have limited experience with twin rudders as they are quite new. What I found is that I did not get quite as much effect but I still did get some. The boat I was on had a sail drive mounted fairly far forward. The spread of the wash reached both rudders and with the twin rudders I found that the boat was much more responsive even at slow speed and I did not really miss the effect of the wash on the rudder. Also with the saildrive prop walk was minimal

[@MrBobreid]

Hope this'll help.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Me too Bob. Feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance.

[@petersrightbut8297]

Starts at 1:20

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thank you

[@TexanWolverine]

its weird.. the blade is going to the right on the bottom.. but to the left on the top.. and doesn't cancel out the prop walk or paddle wheel effect.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Yup! I try not to think too much about it, keeps me up at night :-)

[@viarnay]

but what produces prop walk?

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

The sideways resistance of the blades like a paddle wheel and the further back the prop is mounted the longer the lever and the greater the affect.

[@chezdelta9102]

I came across this video while researching the cause of prop walk and I concluded most sailing instructors don’t understand the cause. The sideways forces counteract each other so they are not the major cause. It suddenly made sense when I found course materials for freighter skippers. It’s the upward force of the prop that has the biggest influence. Water pushed upward on starboard strikes the hull, pushing it to port. The water spirals away from the prop in a cone shape. In forward most of the cone misses the hull so there is only a small effect and the water is thrown against the rudder which has a large effect so prop walk is minor. But in reverse much more of it hits the hull and the rudder has very little effect. That being said, the cause of prop walk isn’t that important. And this video does a pretty good job of explaining its effect on steering and what to do about it.

[@kentwood2914]

You didn't describe what a right or left hand propeller is...since at the same time you showed the propeller in reverse turning left while you said, "if you have a right hand propeller." It's one of those training things where you have to assume the student understands half of what you say and maybe only sees the visual or hears the words that don't agree with the visual. This is the third prop walk video in a row i've watched where the details about the way the propeller turns is no clarified.

[@CarpeDiemSailingMagazine]

Thanks for the comment Kent. Yes you're right! I always find it a challenge to determine what the base of knowledge is. When it comes to props and prop walk I came from the point that most people understand what right and left props are. So to be clear a right hand prop turns clockwise in forward and counter clockwise in reverse and walks to port. A left hand prop dopes the opposite. Most props are right handed