Regal 26 FASDECK Owner's Manual page 164

BACKING DOWN
Inboard/Outboard (I/O) boats do not have rudders.
boat uses a steering system that directs the propeller
thrust, by turning the stern drive unit where the propeller
is mounted. Normally maneuvering the I/O boat is easier
than a similar single screw vessel.
If your boat has the steering wheel and stern drive straight
with the control in reverse, the stern will be pushed a bit
to port by the reversing propeller thrust.
to back to port can be eliminated by turning the stern
drive to starboard.
When the vessel begins to gather speed to stern, the water
passing by the lower gearcase housing will continue to
increase steering torque. If the helm wheel is turned to
starboard, and will direct the propeller thrust to port,
tracking the stern to starboard.
Wind and current will a ect how a vessel backs. Stern
drive boats tend to be light displacements and when
backing down in a strong crosswind, the bow will tend
to fall toward the windward.
problems.
Once increased headway is gathered in reverse gear,
the force of the lower hull moving through the water is
enough to track straight. When backing, the stern will
lead as it heads to port or starboard, before the vessel
is tendency
is may cause steering
actually starts to turn.
When the control is put in
forward gear position, the
stern is pushed to starboard;
the amount of push depends
on the hull design and the
amount of throttle advance.
See illustration.
STOPPING
e Remember that your boat does not have any brakes. It
uses reverse thrust from the propeller to stop. If the vessel
has headway, with the helm and propeller in reverse the
propeller thrust is directed backwards, past the lower
gear case of the stern drive.
Depending on how far the throttle is advanced, the
discharged thrust may not be strong enough to reverse
the water flowing by the gearcase. As the power is
increased, the propeller thrust becomes strong enough
to stop the ow of water past the lower unit, and, as the
throttle is advanced it reverses its ow more completely.
When water is owing past the gearcase, steering torque
is increased, but when the thrust stops the water ow, the
boat will not respond to the helm.
event and is overcome quickly when the water again ows
past the gearcase. Furthermore, added to the
14
Chapter 6
is is a short lived