General Category - Pearson Owners and Enthusiasts > Boat Handling

Backing up my P323

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Blue Spray:
I am having some difficulty backing out of my berth (tight quarters) with my new to me Pearson 323 #135 A4 motor. Anyone have any suggestion or tips on how to do this with out making a fool out of myself. 

Blue Heron:
Best advise I can give you is to try to get a dock that allows you to back the stern to port when leaving the slip, so you are using the prop walk to your advantage. You may have to do what we did...We moved our dock to the other side of the pier this season so that we have an approach dock with a port side tie up. No problem getting off the dock now unless we have a fairly strong breeze coming from the North, which in our case pushes the bow down to port as we clear the slip,  causing us to have to manage a 360 degree spin in a very tight fairway.

Best of luck!

Chet

Coppifan:
Hi. My 1980 323 won't back up worth a darn. I'm jealous of the other skippers on my pier that back their boats in like a car. Mine backs to starboard, but I need it to back to port! I solicited help from the greater Pearson web a couple of years ago. Got lots of ideas..... The best one that works wonders is what we call our "warping line." I have an @ 60 foot line of 3/8th inch. I put the end loop around my aft port cleat, take a half turn around the stern piling and hook that end loop to the cleat near the winch. As I back out, the line feeds itself out, keeping an eye on it so that it doesn't get anywhere near the prop. When it reaches it's end, the bow has already cleared the outer pile on the other side and the line tightens, swinging the stern and bow around so that I'm pointing in the right direction. I let the line slacken and my wife quickly pulls the line in to the cockpit. Works like a charm! People on the pier watch, some thinking I have a bow thruster.

Dolce_Vita:
I have a 1977, Atomic-4 powered P323.  In reverse, the prop walk makes it back to port.
(I understand that the diesel powered P323s rotate the opposite way, and back to starbord)

What I've found is that getting the boat moving is crucial.  I generally start backing with
a high throttle setting while holding a good force on the reverse position on the "shifter"
lever to minimize any slip and get reverse going as quickly as possible.  As soon as the
boat stops moving forward, I immediatly reverse the ruder to oppose the prop walk. 
The boat ignores the rudder and starts backing to port until it gets a little speed and the
rudder starts to bite.  At that point, I back down the throttle, which reduces the prop walk
and lets the rudder take over,  allowing me to "back it like a car" from that point on.

What this means in practical terms is that whenever I need to back into somewhere, I need
to allow a little room to get a "running start".  It's kind of scary, as the boat starts to go the
wrong way, looking like its going to crash into the pilings.  The natural impulse is to immediately
back off the throttle, but that's exactly the wrong thing to do!  Wait until the rudder starts to
bite, THEN back off the throttle.  It's nerve-wracking, but it works.

My slip is tight, and there are pilings across from it.  This technique lets me back into it.
For getting out, I have two lines strung down the sides of my slip.  I use those to get the
boat moving forward by hand.  When the outermost piling on the starboard side is abeam
of the starboard winch, I take a line from the piling, pass it in front of the winch, and
hold it tight while putting the engine in forward at idle.  The boat cinches up tight to the
piling (I have stainless steel rub strakes on my toerails), and it pivots around the piling
neat as can be.  Once the turn is complete, I hang the line on the piling and we're on
our way.

Chelsea:
It is wonderful to hear that others have difficulty backing their 323's... I am a new owner of Chelsea hull #166 circa 1979.  Just got her last month and getting in/out of the slip is a challenge.  My previous boat is a Coronado with 10 hp outboard and it would back up well.  Chelsea on the other-hand leaves me wondering how I can change the prop to have more reverse power.  Has anyone attempted that change?  She is powered by an Atomic 4. 30 hp with a "Michigan" prop, 15x8 3-blade.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
 

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