Honda BF8 Saildrive Prop

[wicked]

I have a Honda BF8 long shaft outboard in a well on my Evolution 26. It pushes the boat along fine when it's fairly calm, but in a big sea it could do with some more thrust. Has anyone fitted a Saildrive prop to one of these engines and if so was it worth it?. Existing 3 blade prop is 9.5" Dia x 8 5/8" Pitch.

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[oldharry]

Putting a larger prop on will only slow the engine down and reduce the available power to push the boat.

The only way to improve performance in bad conditions is to buy a bigger engine.

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[ships_parrot]

I think you may be misunderstanding the situation a little. A saildrive prop for an outboard is usually the same size as normal, but a finer pitch (certainly on the Honda BF5 - I checked) there isn't space for a bigger prop.
Normal outboard props are designed to push light things fast, not heavy things slowly. When you try to punch into a head wind or sea, the normal prop just cavitates. A finer pitch prop is less likely to cavitate, but will rev faster for a given speed through the water (unless you count the effect of the revs rising as the normal one cavitates). Think lower gears..
Your point is probably valid for inboards that already have props designed for heavier things though.

In reply to the original post, I've been tempted by the idea myself, and will be interested to hear anything good or bad from anyone who's tried one before shelling out £50 for a new prop..

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[wicked]

I tend to agree with Ships_Parrott. I'll try contacting Honda and see if they make a finer pitched prop for the Honda. I'm just trying to find out if anyone else has done it and if it made any difference without causing the engine to over-rev.

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