Flexofold Vs Autoprop Propeller

Halo

Halo

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Dear All
I have a Legend 33 Bilge with a Yanmar 3YM30 with sail drive.
Over the winter I am going to replace the fixed 3 blade prop with a folding or feathering prop. I will want to use my existing Ambassador Stripper
Looking at the info available the most sensible alternatives appear to be Flexofold , Autoprop and Kiwi
Any experiences - good or bad that would help me?
Thanks in advance
Martin
 
I have a FlexOfold and am delighted with it. You need to read the Yachting Monthly prop test report before considering anything else.
 
Seconded. I bought a FlexoFold 2 blader following the Yachting Monthly Tests where this brand scored highly. I got it from Darglow Engineering. It gives better forward drive than my previous Radice fixed 2 blader and, contrary to received wisdom about folders, better stopping and reversing too.
 
Halo said:
Dear All
I have a Legend 33 Bilge with a Yanmar 3YM30 with sail drive.
Over the winter I am going to replace the fixed 3 blade prop with a folding or feathering prop. I will want to use my existing Ambassador Stripper
Looking at the info available the most sensible alternatives appear to be Flexofold , Autoprop and Kiwi
Any experiences - good or bad that would help me?
Thanks in advance
Martin
Click to expand...

Have just had a 17" Kiwi fitted (36' steel ketch, Perkins 4108) but not yet back in the water. Another yacht owner in the marina speaks highly of it but recommends annual maintenance.
Although 'plastic' the quality is good and it feels robust and well made and the ease of pitch adjustment a great idea because you can fine tune it to your particular boat/engine combination.
The good price left some money in the kitty for other goodies for next season!

Alan Pollard at http://vectamarine.com was very helpful.
Ian
 
Another vote for Flexofold. On a Volvo saildrive performance is virtually identical to the fixed 2 blade. Darglow will put the drive holes for the Stripper in the prop - as will Kiwi and Bruntons if you go down that route. However, if you go for a 2 blade folder you will need to change the rotating cutter to 2 blade - the fixed cutter is the same.
 
MoodyNick said:
ie this one
Click to expand...

Actually the ybw prop report was rather inadequate in my view. It didn't attempt to measure drag while sailing, nor motoring efficiency of the prop, which are the two most important parameters to cruising sailors.

It did, however, measure parameters which are important to people who spend all their time in marinas or aground - ie static forward thrust, reverse braking thrust, and propwalk. Hardly a "comprehensive" test...
 
Ric said:
Actually the ybw prop report was rather inadequate in my view. It didn't attempt to measure drag while sailing, nor motoring efficiency of the prop, which are the two most important parameters to cruising sailors.

It did, however, measure parameters which are important to people who spend all their time in marinas or aground - ie static forward thrust, reverse braking thrust, and propwalk. Hardly a "comprehensive" test...
Click to expand...

It would be enormously complicated to carry out the kind of tests you suggest, particularly trying to establish a base and control of the environment for each prop.

The test they used of bollard pull is a standard test and is a good measure of potential motoring performance. There are so many factors that affect all round performance in a range of conditions and any attempt at comparisons using just one boat would not be particularly useful.

The authors of the report, which included some recognised experts in the field were quite clear in the limitations of the "tests" that they did carry out. However, the relative performances of the different props reflect what people experience for real - as the many posts on these fora on the subject support.
 
I've got a Kiwi at the moment but am about to change to a Flexofold 3 blade. The Kiwi has a lot going for it but I'm disappointed with the forward thrust. I decided to change to the Flexofold after reading the YM test and talking to Darglow at the SBS. If you do decide to chose a Flexofold don't forget to tell Darglow as they need to modify the main body of the prop.
 
We have had Autoprops on present and previous boats and have been well pleased with them. They are excellent for motoring performance, and are especially brilliant for motorsailing, since they are self-pitching besides feathering. They are the best props on the market for these purposes, or at least among the very best.

But they have the worst drag under sail of any feathering or folding prop.

So it all depends on your priorities, whether they would be good for you, or not. The Flexofold will be much better under sail.
 
billmacfarlane said:
I've got a Kiwi at the moment but am about to change to a Flexofold 3 blade. The Kiwi has a lot going for it but I'm disappointed with the forward thrust. I decided to change to the Flexofold after reading the YM test and talking to Darglow at the SBS. If you do decide to chose a Flexofold don't forget to tell Darglow as they need to modify the main body of the prop.
Click to expand...

Did you try adjusting the pitch of the Kiwi prop to see if you could improve the forward thrust?
 
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