Prop not in line with rudder

[steveroofer]

I’m thinking of purchasing a Sadler 32 and I have noticed that the drive shaft and prop don’t fall in line with the keel and the rubber and that it looks as if it has been build this way. When I look at other boats on the hard some are in line and some are not! Is there a reason for this?
Thanks

 

[sailorman]

un-like me you can with draw the shaft without removing the rudder or engine /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[PetiteFleur]

In practice will make very little difference to the handling but will make withdrawing the shaft very easy! It's a good design feature!

 

[steveroofer]

At first I was a bit off put by this but from the two posts above these sounds quite sensible
Thanks for your help.

 

[boatmike]

Refer to "how will she handle" on Scuttlebutt recently!

 

[sailorman]

a very different scenario as the Mariholm 32 has the Prop Abaft the Rudder.
this boat the OP is considering is off-set & almost certainly the prop will rotate to counter the off-set

 

[boatmike]

Not necessarily. I was referring to the fact that boats have been built with all kinds of configurations and they all work when you get the hang of them. I once had a Hurley 30 with a 15degree offset to port and a prop rotation which walked in the same direction in reverse. She would simply NOT go straight backwards to starbd and you just had to accept that and go aft in short bursts. BUT if you berthed starbd side in to a pontoon it was a piece of cake to get off in reverse even with an adverse wind. It's all a matter of knowing your boat and turning adversity into advantage!

 

[TrailerSailer]

I had a 25' trailer sailer with a similar arrangement. Absolutly no problems with the arrangement and went well in any direction when under power.

 

[johnalison]

Just make sure the prop-shaft is properly attached. A friend nearly lost his prop, shaft and possibly the boat when his new second-hand 32 shed its shaft in France. Luckily the 2-bladed prop hit the rudder and he was able to re-attach it.

 

[vyv_cox]

I'm not sure whether all Sadlers have the same arrangement but my Sadler 34 certainly does. As someone else has said, it makes shaft removal far easier, possibly complete with propeller although not with a Brunton's due to its large hub. I cannot claim the Sadler 34 to be the world's best handling boat under power but it isn't the worst either. We manage to berth stern-to very frequently without making too many cockups.

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

Back in 1962 I shared a 1927 McGruer long keel boat (Tresta) with a Ford side valve petrol engine installed in the port cockpit locker.The prop shaft emerged from the hull about three feet off the centre line and at at an angle. Horrendous set up in theory but worked quite well in practice. I've seen a few converted fishing boats with the same arrangement. Reverse? I don't remember ever having to reverse except to slow the boat down.
Thought a trip down memory lane might put a little bit of misalignment into perspective. (I know it sounds a bit like we lived in a cardboard box and had two dog biscuits a day stuff)

 

[cliff]

Same with my Sadler 34 - shaft offset to starboard (prop walk in astern to port) no noticable effect motoring ahead or astern). IIRC all 32's and 34's have the offset shaft arrangement.

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[ayearsley]

Apart from the ease of drawing the prop shaft, I think I read long ago that this was to offset prop walk in ahead, provided off course that the prop rotated the correct way. We chartered a Sadler 32 with Ford diesel in Greece. On a calm day with the tiller lashed amidships it was possible to steer the boat accurately by moving one's weight from one side of the coach roof to the other.