Autoprop propeller noise at saildrive engagement

[Shardana]

Good morning everyone and I am happy to have joined this fantastic forum.
My first question concerns the Brunton Autoprop propeller. I fitted it on my Oceanis 46.1 with saildrive D60 three years ago and am very happy with it.
My only doubt is the timing of the gear engagement from the neutral position. It is somehow a loud noise and a bit of a brutal grip with the gears. It's always been like that from the start but this thought remains like a bug in my head, I'm afraid of damaging the saildrive gears.
I've had the engine speed checked at minimum and it's just right, about 800 rpm.
Does anyone have a similar problem? Or has anyone experienced unexpected wear on the saildrive gears?
Thank you in advance for any answer to my question.

 

[Ammonite]

Welcome to the forum. Have you checked the morse control to ensure the saildrive is going into gear fully before the throttle on the engine starts to move? If this isn't adjusted correctly the revs will start to rise before it goes into gear and you may be hearing the resultant clunk, which you don't want but has nothing to do with the prop. It's easy to check with one person watching the engine / gearbox and another at the helm. Alternatively, disconnect the gearbox cable and put it into gear by hand with the revs at tickover. There is a rubber bush inside the Autoprop that acts as a torsion damper in the event you hit something which can fail although this seems unlikely if its always been like this, unless the prop is second hand.

 

[Shardana]

Welcome to the forum. Have you checked the morse control to ensure the saildrive is going into gear fully before the throttle on the engine starts to move? If this isn't adjusted correctly the revs will start to rise before it goes into gear and you may be hearing the resultant clunk, which you don't want but has nothing to do with the prop. It's easy to check with one person watching the engine / gearbox and another at the helm. Alternatively, disconnect the gearbox cable and put it into gear by hand with the revs at tickover. There is a rubber bush inside the Autoprop that acts as a torsion damper in the event you hit something which can fail although this seems unlikely if its always been like this, unless the prop is second hand.

Thank you Ammonite, it’s a great suggestion and I’ll give a try next time I am on board.

 

[Daydream believer]

I expect that it is a throttle gear engaging issue.as #2 suggests However, when the brunton is idle the blades sit flat to the direction of rotation. They should immediately turn into the drive plane when first rotated. It may be, and this is a big may, that they need greasing because they are not turning immediately. This means that the sail drive is meeting the full resistance of the blades sitting square to the required rotation for a second or so longer than it should..aggravated by #2 above.

Just a thought if the prop has not been serviced. If it is not new when you bought it then you may not know about greasing. I suggest that old props should go back to brunton for service , new bearings, balancing etc.