Sounds like you have some prop walk.
Try using bursts of power instead of constant power.
There are some great video/web lessons that show how to use springers to exit the jetty.
There are some good techniques for approaching and docking.
You need enough speed for control, but not too much that it's hard to stop.

Remember, it's easier to fix fibreglass than bones.

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Yes, you have prop walk. A few things will help. First, do not put the helm over until you get some way on going backwards. If you do the rudder will just stall and won't do anything after that. Second, use a good shot of power in reverse to get the boat moving and then use the rudder. Kick it out of gear once you get it moving and that will take the prop walk out of the picture. As much as possible we try to plan ahead to make the prop walk work for us and not against us, but sometimes you just have to deal with it.

I don't know why Catalinas have so much prop walk but both of ours have had lots of it to port. My experience with 2 Benes (33 and a 41) and a Jeanneau (37) was totally different, they will back up perfectly and follow the helm with no sign of prop walk. The prop walk is a blessing when docking on port but a curse when backing, it is one of the very few things I dislike about this boat.

My compliments for backing all the way out when you believe it is needed. That's a great trick that many newbies (and even oldies) don't even consider.

Do a search on this Forum for 'prop walk' or 'docking' and review some of the earlier discussions on this topic. There is a lot here on the forum for you to digest.

Before you back out of the slip, and during your exit from the marina; then again, before you enter and as you traverse the marina on return, use this checklist:

1. What is the Wind doing?
2. What is the Current doing?
3. What Traffic do I have?
4. Do I have Steerageway?

Make this checklist a constant thing in your mind. I have seen boaters, both power and sail, intimidated by the expectation of the stress of docking or undocking that they forget to BE AWARE of what Mother Nature is doing.

Here is what I tell my students:

"Half of good close quarter boat handling is Being aware of the wind, the current and the traffic; half is Knowing what your boat wants to do when affected by wind or current; and the remaining half is Practice."

Lastly, make sure you have fenders...lots of fenders. I use SIX of them.

Blair, prop walk can be used to your advantage. It's great for turning in tight places. Like docking, and anchoring, it requires PRACTICE. Just go out one day and practice backing and turning. A Google on "boat prop walk" will turn up thousands of discussions about this subject. Most people use far too little throttle and complain about prop walk. Most of us have learned to use it to our advantage.

[QUOTE=blair;14869]

One of a few things about this boat that still puzzles me is the lack of a mid ship cleat. Garhauer has them, so it should be an easy fix.[/QUOTE]

Here are some ideas for you to consider:

[url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4921.0.html[/url]

and

[url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5445.msg33766.html#msg33766[/url]

Schaefer makes a Mid-Rail Chock / Cleat that suffices for me as a mid-ship cleat that I put on the outer/Genoa track that can be of use when using a spring line.

Cleat Length: 7-1/2", T-Track Size: 1-1/4" x 3/16"
Max Rope Diameter: 5/8", SWL: 4500 lbs
Material: 316 Stainless Steel
Brand: Schaefer
Model Number: 70-75

Yep, prop walk is a pain. I love my slip but it requires backing out to starboard when leaving and at times with wind and current conditions oppose this I throw in the towel and back all the way out the fairway.

Several weeks ago I was on my way down the fairway going forward, Jeff Berman said something to me as I passed that I did not hear. I put the boat in reverse to get back to him and wound up getting sideways in the fairway and was forced to do the back and fill thing usinig prop walk to spin the boat around and back out of the fairway as there was no room to straighten out the boat.

This incedent generated some thought process regarding the issue, I put together some thoughts, put them down on paper and started refining the idea. I have exchanged some drawings with a propeller manufacturer and may move forward with a disign.

My question to you is: What would you pay for a prop that eliminated prop walk?

Prop walk is a blessing and a curse. You have to think ahead and plan to maximize the blessing, and minimize the curse.

My slip is to starboard as I enter our marina and we have a short finger pier so I like to back in. Since propwalk pulls to port, rather than just pull up and try to back in to starboard while propwalk pulls to port, I go past my slip, make a 180 then as the stern comes abeam my slip to port, I go hard in reverse. Prop walk will start the stern swinging towards the slip as the boat comes to halt then starts to move in reverse, which helps line the boat up to the slip until there is enough way on in reverse to steer the boat the rest of the way in. This works like a charm and only requires minor adjustments for winds.

Propwalk can also be used to pivot the boat in barely more than its own length if you need to turn around in a fairway. Always start the turn to starboard, then shift to reverse after about 90 degrees of turn, or obstacles force you to stop forward progress. A blast of reverse will keep the stern swinging port helping complete the turn even with no forward way on. If the fairway is really tight, you can help pivot the boat with a burst of foward with the helm hard over, then going to reverse and repeat until pointed where you want to go. This technique has saved our bacon more than a few times.

For those occasions when despite your forethought and planning propwalk is going to work against you, learn to use and love spring lines.

You couldn't pay me to get rid of my prop walk, it has saved me on several occasions. Most recently, I was returning to my slip which is on the starboard side toward the end of the fairway. As I was starting my slow turn into the slip, I realized that some idiot friend of my neighbor had pulled his Whaler into my slip to stop and say hello. As I got closer to my slip, I was able to kick it into reverse and spin the boat back out to port and get outta there. After a few horn blasts, the idiot surfaced and calmly moved his boat, wondering all the while what the big fuss was about. :rolleyes: Prop walk is your friend once you learn how to use it.

Mike

You're right, Mike.

Propwalk is your friend - provided it is reliable and not too robust. On the C36 it is perfect. Use it and you'll learn to love it.

OK, I will rephrase the question.

For those of you that back out of your slips to port, how much would you pay for more prop walk? You could have a better friend.

There's no doubt the prop walk can be useful, and we certainly do make use of it. But having driven boats that back perfectly I would far rather have that than have to deal with the prop walk issue. I think the problem lies deeper than just a prop change though no doubt some prop designs seem to lessen the problem according to empirical evidence. If it was that simple to get rid of it I'd surely look at it.

Don't forget when your under power the boat pivots around a pivot point that is about 1/3 of the way aft from the bow when you trurn. The point moves forward asds you move forward and aft as you reverse. You have to consider this when moving and trying to turn.

[QUOTE=stu jackson c34;14867]Blair, prop walk can be used to your advantage. It's great for turning in tight places. Like docking, and anchoring, it requires PRACTICE. Just go out one day and practice backing and turning. A Google on "boat prop walk" will turn up thousands of discussions about this subject. Most people use far too little throttle and complain about prop walk. Most of us have learned to use it to our advantage.[/QUOTE]

You really can turn your boat in a circle's diameter not any greater the length of the boat when you get used to it. Prior to moving over to the marina we're in now, I always had to back out of the channel in reverse due to prop walk. Mine pulls hard to port. But as many have said, short bursts can minimize the effect.

[QUOTE=bstreet;14865]I don't know why Catalinas have so much prop walk but both of ours have had lots of it to port. My experience with 2 Benes (33 and a 41) and a Jeanneau (37) was totally different, they will back up perfectly and follow the helm with no sign of prop walk. The prop walk is a blessing when docking on port but a curse when backing, it is one of the very few things I dislike about this boat.[/QUOTE]

My C36 has very little prop walk - probably because I have an Autoprop, which I was pleasantly surprised was installed by the PO (they are expensive!). :)
That being said; any right-hand rotating prop will turn to port to some degree and as has been stated, you will learn to use this to your advantage given enough time. there have been many excellent responses on how you can do that.
Cheers,
Howard

OK, everyone loves prop walk. Yes it can be usable, as stated I tried to make an emergency stop and back up going down our fairway. I had not planned this stop and the prop walk soon got me sideways. I then enjoyed using it to my advantage as I needed to spin the boat around in a fifty foot fairway with some boats with dingies on their transom to limited the fairway to about 45 ft. Yes prop walk was good then but it is also what caused me to be in that situation.

The fact that I also need to deal with this everytime I leave my slip also leaves me less enamored with your friend Mr. Propwalk. Often I can give a quick burst of reverse and gain steerage but, about twenty percent of the time all efforts fail to get the stern to starboard and I wind up backing out the fairway.

I see my neighbors accross from me who have Mr. Propwalk as their friend as backing out of their slilps to port have their friend working with them not against them. I love my slip, it is at the cross dock to the outer dock, I get to meet lots of my neighbors. I could turn my boat around and back in but, that would eliminate any privacy in the cockpit and entry into the slip is easy enough to sail into down the fairway past seventy slips and get into. The midship cleat trick would help but, I singlehand a lot and it creates a bit of running around to control this midship cleat line while backing out.

The prop design I invisioned may be adaptable enough to allow prop walk at low thrust and counter prop walk at higher thrust. If you out there as a test market are an indication of demand, I guess I can table my idea.

Maybe an oar on a bracket to pivot from the rail into the water on the starboard side at midship to add drag to that side of the boat while backing. This may act like a midship cleat to pivot around. It could be hinged to collapse when motoring forward.

Rube Goldberg and the propwalk wars.

Except me Steve, I don't love prop walk. I would far rather have a boat that backs straight and does exactly what you tell it to do with the helm.

We got into a spot at a dock this year that was a huge problem, first dock beside a rocky shoreline, docked on port side, another boat in the slip beside us, wind blowing crossways down the fairway putting us onto the shore, prop walk will take the boat into the shore. A boat that backs to the helm would have been able to get out of that easily, not so much with the prop walk.

After six years and hundreds of dockings that haven't put a single scratch on our hull I know how to deal with it, but I would far rather not have to deal with it. Invent away Rube, I'm a fan.

BTW, I wouldn't trade our Cat for any other make of boat out there, prop walk and all.

I back into my slip every time. Trick is to have sufficient speed before final turn, and placing engine in neutral, therefore no prop walk in final approach.

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