Question 4208 Deck General

The correct answer is A) some right rudder. To back a right-handed, single-screw vessel in a straight line, you will need to use some right rudder. This is because the rotation of the single propeller on a right-handed vessel will create a thrust that tends to push the stern of the vessel to the right. To counteract this and maintain a straight backward motion, the vessel operator must apply some right rudder to steer the bow to the left and keep the vessel moving in a straight line. The other options are incorrect because: B) full left rudder would steer the vessel in the wrong direction, C) some left rudder would exacerbate the tendency of the stern to move to the right, and D) very little rudder would not provide enough steering correction to maintain a straight backward motion.