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Bad seamanship. Even though we all see footage of sportfish boats backing down on a fish and filling the cockpit with hundreds of gallons of seawater, do you think it comes without a price? I've spoken to many marine architects/designers on this very subject, and they admit it is the absolute weakness to how those designs are put to use. Many have moved the engines forward, and even raised the beds to prevent flooding them out. But they weren't designed to be taking that much green water over the transom. (Nevermind what it does to an outboard hanging back there...) They all said they had to accept the shortfall of the design and hope the captain would chase from the quarter rather than dead back. OK for FAC, in the harbor, or 1-2 footers. But not when you are taking water up and over. One also said it loads the backbone of the hull, as well as putting huge pressures on the shaft connection, in a direction it was not primarily designed for.
Definitely one of the most uncomfortable actions on a boat for me.... Have you ever seen a square transom on an ocean going tug? No. Designed to back down in a sea........
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