Even my 6m rib doesn't reverse in a straight line, but I guess that's something to do with the deep-vee hull..... it's also a nightmare to tow too
What I have found in 'sticky' situations, like when turning in the lock pits, unless some great power is applied, it's useless trying to do a 3 point turn cos it just doesn't work since the lock on the main engine is very limited compared to smaller engines. In this case, I can turn the boat on a sixpence by using the aux engine and going on a full 90 degree lock, and then everyone watches and wonders what the hell's going on
As for launching, I'm glad to not have gone for anything larger than 6m, since this is about at my limits for single handed launching - last weekend, I nearly lost the thing as the wind caught the boat with me trying to hold on for dear life.
On the tractor note, doesn't the JCB fastrack do something like 50mph? - that'd make an easy launch and recover on any beach, and still not breaking the legal towing limit on normal roads
If you do decide to tow however, remembering back to previous threads, isn't the max length somewhere around 7 metres for the tow?
I like the trailer side, cos storage in a boatyard is *much* cheaper than a marina, plus then you don't have to antifoul
-Alex