Propeller Poll

Do you have a non standard propeller ? i.e. folding/feathering etc exc O/Boards

  • Yes

    Votes: 65 65.7%

  • No

    Votes: 34 34.3%
  • Total voters
    99
I doubt if many, or even any, new AWBs are sold today with fixed props. The gains for most of us greatly outweigh the cost and service needs. I usually let my engine idle in neutral for a while to cool down after setting the sails and look forward to the moment when I turn it off and engage reverse to lock the folding prop, when the helm becomes smooth and the speed goes up a useful fraction of a knot.
 
Those which fold up completely, like my 3-blade Gorey, I believe to be much less likely to snag on a line or piece of abandoned net than a conventional prop, spinning or not. That, plus less drag when sailing outweighs the extra cost, at least for me.
 
doug748 said:
Trick prop every time, it's the ideal excuse for hitting things in a marina. The nearest thing we have to the motorists "black ice"..
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Except that nobody will believe the excuse, as a decent folding prop works fine in reverse (unless you are of the type who approaches the berth at 6 knots, then slams on full reverse - ie the sort of idiot who has never realised what happens WHEN, not if, the control cables give up without warning)
 
Rudder "strangely" hung from the back of a long keel with a Featherstream between them.
Works for me (y) .
Isn't it a truism that one shouldn't move around a marina any quicker than one can afford the repairs?
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Porthandbuoy said:
When funds permit I'll be looking at a folding or feathering prop.

Pretty sure this must slow Sheolin down.

View attachment 131196
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Do you.
(a) Put the money toward the tooth implant fund.

(b) Put the money toward the increased gas and electricity fund.

(c) By a posh new propeller.

I think most on these forums would go for (c) .(y)
 
I do not have the room to swing a folder and I have calculated the speed gain of a feathering over my free-spinning fixed to be 0.2 kts.

Consequently, I struggle with the cost/benefit ratio.
 
johnalison said:
I doubt if many, or even any, new AWBs are sold today with fixed props.
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There seems to be a quiet revolution going on underneath yacht hulls. I never thought that technical props would outnumber the fixed props. It would be nice to think that the prices are going down because of scale. But I doubt it. We are still in a niche pastime .

Unless........... The Chinese get involved. But so many anomalies with shaft types.
 
LONG_KEELER said:
There seems to be a quiet revolution going on underneath yacht hulls. I never thought that technical props would outnumber the fixed props. It would be nice to think that the prices are going down because of scale. But I doubt it. We are still in a niche pastime .

Unless........... The Chinese get involved. But so many anomalies with shaft types.
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Not sure the folks on here are a good representative sample. In general they are more likely to be dedicated enthusiasts and as you saw the early respondents showed a much higher 5age of non fixed props. suspect over the next couple of days if this still runs the proportions will change again as the sample size increases.
 
johnalison said:
That may be so, but I suspect that most owners choose f/f props and in that sense that is how the boat is sold.
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It is a very fickle market with new boats. Some builders charge an inordinately high premium for a non standard prop and others (or more particularly dealers) are very keen to sell props as dealer fit, often at close to cost. Yet other dealers won't promote such things as it creates potential problems for them and would rather sell a base boat and let the owner buy the prop. It also depends on the style of boat - performance boats will likely include a folder as standard and a basic cruiser will be quite happy with a standard fixed prop.
 
Laminar Flow said:
I do not have the room to swing a folder and I have calculated the speed gain of a feathering over my free-spinning fixed to be 0.2 kts.

Consequently, I struggle with the cost/benefit ratio.
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On your boat I'd quite agree.

My Dad's old Dufour 40 came with a fixed prop. In the first season that boat was seriously broach happy under sail. At the end of the 1st season I finally persuaded him to fit a 3 blade folding prop and the transformation to the feel in the helm, and the amount of grip it had, without the disturbed flow from the fixed prop when sailing at speed was incredible. I'd never have believed it if I hadn't sailed the boat before and after the change.

The 3 blade folding prop was also way better than the fixed 2 blade thing for actually powering the boat too... First trip out with the new prop I carefully backed it out of the slip, spun the wheel and applied the amount of forward thrust I was used to - and promptly fell over as the boat shot forward. Motorsailing into a bit of chop was transformed too.
 
I changed from a fixed 3 blade to a feathering 4 blade and have been plagued by prop vibrations since. Sailing is fantastic, motoring horrid. About at the end of my tether, and thinking of going back to my old fixed...
 
flaming said:
On your boat I'd quite agree.

My Dad's old Dufour 40 came with a fixed prop. In the first season that boat was seriously broach happy under sail. At the end of the 1st season I finally persuaded him to fit a 3 blade folding prop and the transformation to the feel in the helm, and the amount of grip it had, without the disturbed flow from the fixed prop when sailing at speed was incredible. I'd never have believed it if I hadn't sailed the boat before and after the change.

The 3 blade folding prop was also way better than the fixed 2 blade thing for actually powering the boat too... First trip out with the new prop I carefully backed it out of the slip, spun the wheel and applied the amount of forward thrust I was used to - and promptly fell over as the boat shot forward. Motorsailing into a bit of chop was transformed too.
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A friend with a Bav 46 reckoned he got close to a knot of extra boat speed when he fitted a folder.
Our boat came with a Brunton folder so nothing to compare against but it is vibration free and we can punch into big seas and still do very surprising boat speed. The fuel economy is astonishingly good as well. I can't imagine dragging a 22 inch fixed prop along
 
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geem said:
A friend with a Bav 46 reckoned he got close to a knot of extra boat speed when he fitted a folder.
Our boat came with a Brompton folder so nothing to compare against but it is vibration free and we can punch into big seas and still do very surprising boat speed. The fuel economy is astonishingly good as well. I can't imagine dragging a 22 inch fixed prop along
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I fitted a Featherstream to my Bav 49 a couple of years ago when I re-powered, and I get between 0.5 and 1 knot extra boat speed, and the boat sails noticeably more nicely as there isn't a prop thrashing about under the boat. I also found that close-quarters manoeuvring is completely transformed. The instant drive in both forwards and reverse means that I can spin the boat round in spaces that I would not have attempted before (which is useful on a 50fter with no bow thruster).

I'm never going back to a fixed prop. The Featherstream was worth every penny.
 
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