Going Backwards

Retardedrocker · January 12, 2015

On Sunday,I had to take the boat for a pumpout (the first time) and it was pretty windy.

The expedition involved a fair bit of going backwards and the boat, basically, went wherever it wanted no matter what I did.

Is it just a knack, or is there a 'technique'?

I've got to say that I felt a bit of an idiot, because I see others belting up and down with no apparent difficulty.

Cheers,

T.

Sabcat · January 12, 2015

Going backwards in a narrowboat is hit and miss at best. Sometimes it just goes where you want it to, other times you're spending as much time in forwards trying to straighten it up as you are in reverse making progress.

**Athy** · January 12, 2015

On Sunday,I had to take the boat for a pumpout (the first time) and it was pretty windy.

The expedition involved a fair bit of going backwards and the boat, basically, went wherever it wanted no matter what I did.

Is it just a knack, or is there a 'technique'?

I've got to say that I felt a bit of an idiot, because I see others belting up and down with no apparent difficulty.

Cheers,

T.

So your boat really is a hooligan!

If it's windy, try to avoid any move involving reversing. If it's not windy, try to avoid any move involving reversing.

Ray T · January 12, 2015

Many factors involved:

Length of swim, length of boat, experience, prop walk, depth of water you are in at the time and as you have discovered the wind strength. I can get our 45 footer to go where I want in reverse in our marina where the water is 10' deep, the cut is a different matter however.

I'm sure others will be along with more reasons.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Ray T

b0atman · January 12, 2015

Afraid its down to your boats design but if going backwards needing to take stern left then put tiller arm over to right so that flow goes down right side of boat hopefully pushing boat in a left direction all directions are with steerer looking astern

Retardedrocker · January 12, 2015

So your boat really is a hooligan!

If it's windy, try to avoid any move involving reversing. If it's not windy, try to avoid any move involving reversing.

Damned right! I will try to follow your excellent advice.

Thanks to you all. I am short of experience and plan to take a helmsman course once Spring is on the way. In the meantime it'll be forward only.

Cheers,

T.

David Schweizer · January 12, 2015

As Ray has already stated there are a number of factors which effect reversing a narrowboat, but even the best designed hull will have problems in high wind. The working boatmen had a solution to this problem, which was to place someone on the foredeck with a pole and steer with that, I have done it and it really works. I have actually seen someone do it single handed, and is quite disconcerting to see a boat reversing past you with no one at the tiller, just a piece of string holding the tiller central.

Edited January 12, 2015 by David Schweizer

Proper Job · January 12, 2015

Try lashing the till to the central position and steering from the front of the boat with a pole with the engine going just above tickover in reverse.

Obviously if you have AN Other to be able to hold the tiller and operate the engine while you steer with the pole it makes life easier

edit: David beat me to it.

It's always good fun to see the expression on the approaching steerers face when they realise that 1. The boat's going backwards, 2. There no one at the helm

Edited January 12, 2015 by Proper Job

matty40s · January 12, 2015

Reversing is very easy, unless there are people watching, and it swiftly becomes impossible.

Leo No2 · January 12, 2015

Some boats do and some boats don't. Mine is much better with a wee bit of speed on; my friend Brian's boat (same builder) goes well at tickover. Depth of water - the deeper the better. And of course skill and experience. It always pays to look towards the fore end of the boat when reversing as it will, IMHO, give a much better indication of going off line than always looking where you are going BUT don't forget to look where you are going as well.

**Athy** · January 12, 2015

. It always pays to look towards the fore end of the boat when reversing as it will, IMHO, give a much better indication of going off line than always looking where you are going BUT don't forget to look where you are going as well.

Marty Feldman would have been good at that.

zenataomm · January 12, 2015

Another old trick is to tie a bucket to a good length of rope, attach the rope to your front stud and chuck the bucket into the centre of the cut.

With the bucket sunk it will drag and keep the front end in line ..... is the theory, it works quite well...... mostly.

MtB · January 12, 2015

Reversing in crosswinds is one of the few times a bow thruster can be well worth the money it cost.

MtB

cuthound · January 12, 2015

Best to use your bow thruster or if you haven't got one, I find the following technique sort of works, most of the time, depending on wind or gongoozlers.

1. Manoeuvre the boat in forward gear, so that the stern is pointed where you want to go.

2. Reverse slowly, keeping an eye on where you want to reverse to.

3. When the boat diverges from where you want to reverse to, engage toward gear to manoeuvre so that the stern is pointed to where you want to go. (done properly, you make the correction in forward gear whilst the boats momentum continues to carry it backwards).

4. Repeat 2 & 3 until you get where you want to be.

Edited to make the instructions even clearer

Edited January 12, 2015 by cuthound

Proper Job · January 12, 2015

Reversing in crosswinds is one of the few times a bow thruster can be well worth the money it cost.

MtB

Carinya has a tart button

I'm almost looking forward to my first excursion to the pumpout ;o)

MtB · January 12, 2015

Carinya has a tart button

I'm almost looking forward to my first excursion to the pumpout ;o)

Bet you can't get there steering using just the buttons, never touching the tiller...

MtB

Dalslandia · January 12, 2015

In reverse boats want to go up into the wind, with the tail post first.

with a bow thruster it is easier, use the rudder to counteract the prop walk and or wind, and steer with thruster.

Dalslandia is more then 3,5 meter high most of the boat length from water and up.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Dalslandia

Flyboy · January 12, 2015

Another old trick is to tie a bucket to a good length of rope, attach the rope to your front stud and chuck the bucket into the centre of the cut.

With the bucket sunk it will drag and keep the front end in line ..... is the theory, it works quite well...... mostly.

I think the bucket method is a bit of an old wives tale. Surely once the bucket is full of water all you have left is the weight of the bucket. A bucket weighing about a 1/2 kilo is not likely to have much effect on an 18 ton narrowboat.

Dalslandia · January 12, 2015

I think the bucket method is a bit of an old wives tale. Surely once the bucket is full of water all you have left is the weight of the bucket. A bucket weighing about a 1/2 kilo is not likely to have much effect on an 18 ton narrowboat.

I think it is more like a drag chute, but I have never tested.

ditchcrawler · January 12, 2015

I think it is more like a drag chute, but I have never tested.

A drogue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drogue

howardang · January 12, 2015

I think the bucket method is a bit of an old wives tale. Surely once the bucket is full of water all you have left is the weight of the bucket. A bucket weighing about a 1/2 kilo is not likely to have much effect on an 18 ton narrowboat.

You really need a hole in the bottom of the bucket for it to act as a proper drag, and watch out for the handle pulling off. OTT on canals as far as i'm concerned but each to his/her own

Howard

Ray T · January 12, 2015

A drogue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drogue

May work until it catches a bicycle frame or a supermarket trolly etc.

You may however get a good crop of fenders.

Dalslandia · January 12, 2015

A drogue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drogue

Thank's

slightly off track...

in naval terms, in Swedish, we have two buckets, but Google translated both to bucket, hink and pyts, the latter have a loop on the handle for the rope.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Dalslandia

Sea Dog · January 12, 2015

Mine steers astern comparatively well actually, or else I'm just lucky. I do seem to get luckier the more I do it though.

And if I had a bow thruster (which I wouldn't admit here!) being able to use it as a rudder if things went a bit would give me the confidence to reverse for fair old distances, which I happily do.

Also, it actually gets easier the faster you go, but I didn't say that and be careful where you try it!

**Athy** · January 12, 2015

in Swedish, we have two buckets, but Google translated both to bucket, hink and pyts,

Perhaps the difference is that John McEnroe never shouted at the umpire "You are the hink, man!"

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Going Backwards

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Retardedrocker

Sabcat

Athy

Ray T

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Retardedrocker

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matty40s

Leo No2

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MtB

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MtB

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