Wow, I really have a hard time getting any steerage while backing. I have a cutaway forefoot keel on a Pacific Seacraft 27 (Orion). Early Thursday morning the basin was clear of the usual kayaks and paddle boarders and other traffic that makes such an undertaking a bit dicey. So we took the boat out on a discovery run... first to the pump out dock and then to the lifeguard dock, and along the way past several minor buoys... All the while trying reverse under power, or bursting and trying to change course in reverse. (coming to a complete stop and checking against a reference to verify the stop)

Going forward, the boat is very controllable, while not exactly spinning on a dime, I can turn inside of my own wake. But reverse... it was as if I had no steering control what so ever. I tried backing off the pumpout dock, and there was very little prop walk... She just went straight back. So then I got out in open water in the basin and tried to reverse back into the same dock... no way, I could never get any steering control while backing. I tried getting the boat moving and then steering while not adding any more "go" to the engine (bursts of power)... nothing, I could not change direction.

I got the boat going backwards in a circle... I could not get out of that circle... So I figured, perhaps, it is "walking" in that direction... so I tried a circle in the other direction... couldn't break out of that.

What it seems is happening is I can start out in a particular direction, and the boat will continue that direction, but I can't change it. So I can go backward to the right, or to the left, or straight, but once moving, I cannot change course.... when backing.

Forward, no problem.

So any of you old salts have any suggestions? (other than "avoid reverse;" that is pretty much what I do now... avoid reverse)