Understanding prop walk

Owners of long-keelers will generally be well aware which way their boats kick in astern. A right-handed prop should induce a kick to port, whereas a boat with a left-handed prop should kick to starboard.

Because prop-walk often pulls the boat one way or the other almost immediately, and the long keel makes it reluctant to change direction, it can seem as though you’re trying to fight the inevitable.

Using neutral

One trick, applicable to boats of any underwater configuration, is to build up speed in astern and then knock the engine out of gear. The rudder is then no longer fighting the prop-walk and, with sufficient water flow over it, will start to have an effect. Longkeelers often respond to this technique, though again in a marina there isn’t always enough space to make use of it.

Multi-point turns

Another approach is to use reverse gear simply as a means of going astern, and to do your steering in ahead. Engage reverse, go astern as far as space allows in whichever direction the boat pulls, and then use full lock and a burst of ahead to bring the bow round using prop-wash over the rudder. With the stern pointing in the right direction again (or offset to allow for the prop-walk), go astern again and repeat the process.

No matter what you do, there will be situations in which the boat simply won’t respond. Long keels mean limitations.