maxprop v autoprop

boatmike

boatmike

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Having just acquired a rather nice Moody 35cc I am interested to change the fixed 2 blade prop for something a bit more efficient. I have previously had a Brunton autoprop which I found did what it said on the tin but was disappointed that the miniscule anode on the nose didn't last very long. Looking at the maxprop however it doesn't seem much better, in fact very similar. however my previous experience was saildrive related and the Moody is of course a shaft drive so supplementary shaft anodes are possible which may improve things. In addition the Brunton sales pitch seems to indicate annual out of the water maintenance to check bearings etc and the maxprop not so much. I am thinking the Brunton will be more efficient due to finding the "right" pitch for every sea state etc but of course more expensive......... Hmmmmm!! Anyone have any experience with either on a Moody 35 or 346 or similar? If so what are your thoughts???
 
Maxprops are very expensive because of features that most people will never use like the ability to set the pitch when assembling. A Featherstream is very much less expensive and arguably better made with stainless blades. Still have the ability to change pitch if required and have different pitch forward and reverse. Bigger, longer lasting (potentially) anode as well. A shaft anode does not really help as the prop anode is to protect the mix of metals in the prop rather than the prop against the shaft. Being attached to the prop body the prop anode will erode in preference to the one on the shaft.
 
+1 for the Darglow Featherstream.
Less expensive than a MaxProp and in my experience, more reliable too.
Had one fitted on my previous boat and it changed my sailing: faster under sail and more economical under engine.
Good grip astern too.
It was the first bit of kit I installed last year on my current boat.
 
My boat came with a MaxProp, leading a neighbour in the boatyard to approach me when he was lubricating and reassembling his.

I was quite impressed with it - as the others have said, the manual contains an alignment table so that you match up sets of numbers to achieve the desired pitch. I believe you can also pitch it either way, which I thought might be useful should I ever need to replace the boat's engine &/or gearbox. (Unfortunately the gearbox in my boat is not known for its longevity, nor is there a drop-in replacement.)

I liked the design of the MaxProp - it was a complete mystery to me when I first started looking at the disassembled parts, but it quickly made sense. The components are fairly big and simple and I can't imagine maintenance is needed often.

My boat seems to go both forwards and backwards just fine.
 
Koeketiene said:
+1 for the Darglow Featherstream.
Less expensive than a MaxProp and in my experience, more reliable too.
Had one fitted on my previous boat and it changed my sailing: faster under sail and more economical under engine.
Good grip astern too.
It was the first bit of kit I installed last year on my current boat.
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Interesting.... I am impressed by the look of it and like that its British but a bit concerned by the Yachting Monthly report that it sometimes didn't open in astern. Having had a Brunton I know that it often needed a short high rev blast in astern to set the blades but never had it fail in astern. Would like to hear from any owners of Featherstream props. Is this a common problem?
 
Anode consumption of my Bruntons Autoprop has been halved by painting the prop. I also have a shaft anode that originally lasted two seasons. The life of this has been more than doubled - I replaced it after four years but really it could have continued.

I grease mine each winter but see little evidence that this is needed. I doubt very much that going for two years would be harmful.
 
boatmike said:
Interesting.... I am impressed by the look of it and like that its British but a bit concerned by the Yachting Monthly report that it sometimes didn't open in astern. Having had a Brunton I know that it often needed a short high rev blast in astern to set the blades but never had it fail in astern. Would like to hear from any owners of Featherstream props. Is this a common problem?
Click to expand...

It's now been 12 years since I fitted a Darglow Featherstream (previous and current boat).
Never, ever, did it fail to open in astern, quite on the contrary grip astern is very good and almost instant.
I can bring the boat from full ahead to full stop in almost a boat length (have to compensate for propwalk though).

Makes me wonder about the YM installation of their prop. :unsure:
 
Koeketiene said:
It's now been 12 years since I fitted a Darglow Featherstream (previous and current boat).
Never, ever, did it fail to open in astern, quite on the contrary grip astern is very good and almost instant.
I can bring the boat from full ahead to full stop in almost a boat length (have to compensate for propwalk though).

Makes me wonder about the YM installation of their prop. :unsure:
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Thanks for that. Gives me a bit more confidence.... Yes I did wonder about the installation of the YM one. If something was binding that would account for it jamming up perhaps??
 
I’ve got a Brunton on my Bavaria 38, fitted before we bought her. Initially we lost anodes far too easily so I had a whinge to Brunton at the boat show. They suggested painting round the mounting holes with nail varnish: this stopped the disappearing anodes. Mine now last 2 - 3 season: the mass of metal in them is quite large and ensures if you can keep it attached to the prop it’ll carry on for quite some time.
As a prop, I’m well impressed with it. It does a better job of transmitting drive to the water than the standard Volvo egg whisk, feathers easily when sailing and I’ve never had a problem with it doing close manoeuvres.
Would I buy one if I got a new boat? No, the cost far outweighs the returns of marginally improved sailing performance. Not sure I’d bother with anything other than whatever prop is fitted to the boat when bought.
 
boatmike said:
Interesting.... I am impressed by the look of it and like that its British but a bit concerned by the Yachting Monthly report that it sometimes didn't open in astern. Having had a Brunton I know that it often needed a short high rev blast in astern to set the blades but never had it fail in astern. Would like to hear from any owners of Featherstream props. Is this a common problem?
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They don't open and close. They are feathering. I suspect you're confusing it with a folding prop.

I fitted a Featherstream a couple of years ago when I re-powered the boat and am well impressed with it. Whatever you go for, you're still going to have to replace the anodes every year and lubricate it.
 
Koeketiene said:
It's now been 12 years since I fitted a Darglow Featherstream (previous and current boat).
Never, ever, did it fail to open in astern, quite on the contrary grip astern is very good and almost instant.
I can bring the boat from full ahead to full stop in almost a boat length (have to compensate for propwalk though).

Makes me wonder about the YM installation of their prop. :unsure:
Click to expand...
My experience is the same. Stopping power and drive astern are significantly better that the old fixed 3-blade prop.
 
We have had the Brunton on our HR34 since 2005. We average 4 months a year cruising. It has been and still is excellent. We grease the 3 nipples annually and have never had to replace the gears as Brunton suggest. Taking the boat out this year, there is no play in the blades which gently orient themselves smoothly. But, we keep cruising revs normally below 1900. It does need a quick, short burst when going from astern to forward to persuade the blades to re-orient. In astern you have as much thrust as in forward. This can be disconcerting at first. We cannot fit a shaft anode but do have a pear anode which lasts longer than the period at which it should be replaced before hardening.
PS Anode use can depend on your neighbours in a marina, so it is hard to generalise about west. We have to fit a new anode each year. On a swinging mooring it might be different. There is no point in not changing the anode annually even if there is some left.
 
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duncan99210 said:
I’ve got a Brunton on my Bavaria 38, fitted before we bought her. Initially we lost anodes far too easily so I had a whinge to Brunton at the boat show. They suggested painting round the mounting holes with nail varnish: this stopped the disappearing anodes. Mine now last 2 - 3 season: the mass of metal in them is quite large and ensures if you can keep it attached to the prop it’ll carry on for quite some time.
As a prop, I’m well impressed with it. It does a better job of transmitting drive to the water than the standard Volvo egg whisk, feathers easily when sailing and I’ve never had a problem with it doing close manoeuvres.
Would I buy one if I got a new boat? No, the cost far outweighs the returns of marginally improved sailing performance. Not sure I’d bother with anything other than whatever prop is fitted to the boat when bought.
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It depends what you mean by marginal. Friends have reported 1/2 to 1kt improvement. That's several friends with different boats. In light wind it is more significant. We have a Brunton three blade folder. Can you imagine the drag on a 22" prop not folded?
 
geem said:
It depends what you mean by marginal. Friends have reported 1/2 to 1kt improvement. That's several friends with different boats. In light wind it is more significant. We have a Brunton three blade folder. Can you imagine the drag on a 22" prop not folded?
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Surely its value depends on your type of sailing. If you do long distances then daily run is important and a 10% improvement is significant - adding potentially 10-15 miles a day. On the other hand, if you are coastal sailing (like the OP) with passages rarely over 10 hours and where typically 30% or more is under motor, the benefits are more questionable, and indeed the money might be better spent on other things like light weather offwind sails if you want to improve speed under sail.
 
Tranona said:
Surely its value depends on your type of sailing. If you do long distances then daily run is important and a 10% improvement is significant - adding potentially 10-15 miles a day. On the other hand, if you are coastal sailing (like the OP) with passages rarely over 10 hours and where typically 30% or more is under motor, the benefits are more questionable, and indeed the money might be better spent on other things like light weather offwind sails if you want to improve speed under sail.
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Agreed, depends on budget and how much enjoyment you get from passing other boats with fixed three blade props?
 
My last two boats both have Maxprops. One 3 bladed the other 2. Once you have the pitch set there is no need for any other maintenance other than pump it full of grease and check the anode. Both boats had a hull anode wired in so the wastage on the prop anode was minimal. ie the prop anode would last for several seasons.

Bags of grunt ahead and astern. I expect they have considerably less drag under sail when compared to the Brunton.
 
I have a Maxprop and think it is wonderful, but I have no experience with others and it came with the boat. I do carefully grease it every winter, and stripped it down last year to find the workings pristine with no signs of wear. The anode wear issue can be mitigated somewhat by painting over the mounting bolts.

Note that Darglow are no longer an agent for Maxprop.
 
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