[Rhodes22-list] Prop swap

[Geoff Farrell]

Hi Rob. I've got the Yamaha 9.9 high thrust also. I haven't found that I
have too much thrust, although when I enter my slip I usually go to neutral
while still about 100 ft away from making my 90 degree turn into the slip.
Sometimes, depending on wind and currents, I may need to shift into forward
momentarily for some extra control. I like the fact that during the most
vulnerable part of my docking maneuver (making the turn) if I need some
extra propulsion I can just do a quick forward/neutral shift without also
having to worry about extra throttle- idle speed is (or at least has been)
enough to give me what I need. I also have the motor/tiller link, and, I
usually enter the slip with the cb down.

I did get into trouble once while I was backing out of the slip. There was
a strong wind abeam and before I could turn the 90 degrees (in reverse) to
head into the wind I started getting blown down the canal side ways.
Luckily my bow didn't touch any of the other boats in their slips. I was
able to recover using extreme rudder and a quick burst of strong reverse
thrust. Now, if there are strong gusty winds, I wait for a break in the
wind before backing out, and, while backing out I don't waste any time
making the turn while in reverse. I never just back out at idle speed any
more. As soon as I am confident that my bow will clear the dock I give it
some gas to get myself positioned perpendicular to the slip as soon as
possible.

So, I guess I'd have to say I like the high thrust because I can control my
slow-idle speed using quick shifts but if I need a quick burst of thrust I
can get that too.

Geoff