changing rudder

[Towman066]

I have a 1975 Trojan 25FT. when going in reverse it only pulls to port. Even when I shift in neutral let it set and then in reverse it still only pulls to port. The rudder on my boat is small I was thinking if a got a little bigger rudder if it might pull a little to starboard. If anyone could comment on this problem. Thanks for any help.

[captainmaniac]

With the single engine and 'right hand prop', it will always try to pull to port. There have been a few threads on the forum before about people trying larger rudders, or that talked about ways of fighting the prop-walk. I just tried using the Search function to find a couple of them but the multiple keyword search does not appear to be working properly (seems to do an 'any word' search instead of 'all words' even though I specified that). Might take a bit for you to find the right threads, but if you use the Advanced Search and click on Display results as 'Topics' , hopefully more likely threads will be easier to find.

[The Dog House]

I believe my F26 has a larger rudder, and it still will not turn to starboard in reverse. Having the wheel turned completely to starboard will allow me to back up in a straight line. Any other wheel position will result in turning to port in reverse. It's the nature of a single engine inboard. I think getting a rudder large enough to let you turn to starboard in reverse will result in the boat being to sensitive to wheel input at cruising speed.

[prowlersfish]

Its the nature of the beast . all single engine inboards will pull one way or the other depending on the wheel (LH or RH ) . To steer in reverse you would need a VERY large rudder like a sail boat . Even then you have to get a few knots of speed up in reverse before you get steering . If this is causing you majors issues a stern thruster may be the answer . When running a single screw I just figure what is going to do and compensate .

[Paul]

My F-26 has a larger rudder than the factory one however it still does not allow me to back up to starboard. What it does accomplish is it allows me to back up straight when the rudder is hard to starboard and only does this once the boat is moving backwards. When you first put it in reverse and there is no water moving across the rudder yet, the prop walk will always pull the back of the boat to port. (RH Rotation) I actually use this to my advantage when maneuvering in tight spaces. With the engine at idle speed and the rudder hard to starboard, I put the boat in reverse and let the back end rotate to port until it starts to move backwards. Then shift to forward which keeps this rotation moving, then when forward motion starts I shift back to reverse. If I keep doing this, I can spin the boat on a dime 360°. Once I'm facing the direction that I want to go, I straighten out the rudder and I'm on my way.

Hope this helps,

[K4282]

Pauls got the right idea, might I add shifting and steering in a fast but safe manner, I had to learn these tricks on my single screw inboard Silverton