View Single Post
Old 09-08-2012, 10:36 AM   #4
psneeld
Guru
 
psneeld's Avatar
 
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,151
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjsemo1 View Post
My wife and I are looking to buy a single screw trawler. We took her for a sea trial and I was surprised about the amount of prop walk she had. In reverse, the stern would go to starboard and the bow to port. She had a bow thruster, but would not compensate for the prop walk. I’ve been sailing for twenty years on quite a few inboard sailboats, but have never experienced this amount of prop walk before. This is our first time on a trawler.

Is there any way to compensate or correct this situation, or should I be looking for a twin screw boat?

This boat is in the Great Lakes.
If this is the first single screw boat besides and outboard/IO, I strongly suggest you find a single screw boater willng to ride along a couple times or spend a couple hundred for a few hours with a capt who is well know in your area with single experience. Most say it's the best money spent on the water for them.

If that's not your cup of tea, there are hundreds of articles on just the prop walk issue, and hundreds of articles describing the use of a spring line/planning ahead to compensate. The trouble with trying to explain it here, is everytime you do it, the conditions are just a hair different and people may start the process a little different or finish it a little different...so in a forum..it's is hard to think the process from start to finish if between on Capts posts, there are 20 more saying something slightly different.

Don't think that singles are hard to manuever, especially if you have even an underpowered thruster, it'll just take time or some lessons. Most singles have good rudder control and are quite maneuverable.

Sometimes adjusting approach speed is all it will take to help negate the prop walk. I have found that in most docking situations, a strong influence by something, either wind, current, prop walk etc is a great help or hurt depending which way you need to be. Someimes all it takes is thinking outside the box to make that hurt and major help in docking.
psneeld is online now   Reply With Quote