Which folding/feathering prop? ...

[yotter]

I inherited a Kiwi prop with the boat, Volvo 2030D with a saildrive. No noticeable propwalk, but I understand that this is a function of the saildrive (propeller has increased clearance from hull). Another advantage is that the anodes seem to last forever, no dissimilar metals since the Kiwi bades are composite plastic.
Angus

 

[Daydream believer]

I have a Brunton auto prop on a Hanse 311
downside
Does not drive the boat well in chop as the chop stops the boat, the prop re pitches & the boat takes a while to get going again & by the time it does the next bit of chop hits it so I have to rev quite hard & this uses fuel- This is the really bad bit about it
Uses more fuel - so I tend not to motor more than 6 kts & get 1.8 litre /hour( against old prop using 1.6litr) 6.4kts uses 2.3 ltr per hour )
Drives the boat slightly faster ( if water flat) if I want -I can get 7 kts in canals against 6.7kts before at max revs
Just as much "initial" prop wash as my old fixed prop- but one gets to learn how to use it to good effect. ie if boat hardly moving a good hard rev then cut the revs will turn the boat 30 degrees before it goes forward much. A gentle increase in revs will not do this
Still prone to hook the odd pot
upside
Half a knot at 6kts extra speed when sailing
Fantastic assistance when motor sailing. I can just have the engine on a fast tick over & it will give the boat a significant push
if one is doing, say, 3 knots then with a fixed prop one has to motor at a speed that is faster to get any push but with the Brunton a fast tickover will add a knot easily
In some ways this last item outweighs most of the downside

 

[Babylon]

My UFO 31 used tò have a vicious prop walk with the old fixed three blade. After a very embarassing episode in a lock I changed to a Darglow Featherstream which cured it almost completely. A bonus is a much cleaner wake and reduced vibration through the tiller.
A downside is the additional maintenance (about 1/2 hour per year), and extra cost of special anodes.
I wouldn't go back to a fixed prop although I do carry the old one as a spare.

Very pleased with my Darglow Featherstream: the least expensive of all the options and adds 0.5 to 0.75kt to sailing speeds.

The most important thing is that you can control the amount of prop-walk using throttle: if you want it for tight turning in astern, then give it the usual welly; but if you want to track directly astern, then ease the revs on gently and you won't experience any dramatic prop-walk. (Whether this is a function of all feathering props I don't know, but this trick works really well on my long-keeler.)

 

[sailaboutvic]

Very interested in what being said , we looking at changing our prop to a Brunton or Daglow , ahs anyone got them fittered to a sail drive with a rope cutter and if so what mod did you have to do ?

 

[Cantata]

I have used a Brunton on a saildrive with a rope-cutter (an Ambassador), I didn't have to do any mods because Bruntons cheerfully did it for me before they sent the prop.

 

[sailaboutvic]

I have used a Brunton on a saildrive with a rope-cutter (an Ambassador), I didn't have to do any mods because Bruntons cheerfully did it for me before they sent the prop.

That's good to know , I think it only a matter of drilling two holes .
Still waiting on a price from them .

 

[Norman_E]

Don't assume a feathering prop will cure your prop walk. Pat Manley (I presume the technical writer rather than someone with the same name) wrote a testimonial for the autoprop which Bruntons published saying that the autoprop eliminated prop walk on his Oceanlord (long fin with shaft). That may be true of the variable pitch autoprop but it certainly isn't the case with the (feathering) Maxprop I have on my Oceanlord. It's certainly effective at reducing drag when sailing, but I still have loads of prop walk.

How strange. I had a 20 inch fixed 3 blade prop on my Jeanneau 45.2 and it gave a pronounced prop walk to port when going astern. The 20 inch prop was undersized for the 88hp Yanmar engine so I fitted a 21 inch 3 blade Max Prop and gave it more pitch than the old 20 inch prop. I now have barely noticeable prop walk astern and much improved motoring performance.

 

[ex-Gladys]

That's good to know , I think it only a matter of drilling two holes .
Still waiting on a price from them .

If I were you, I'd get a quote when Southampton Boatshow is on... Always offer a discount there

 

[sailaboutvic]

If I were you, I'd get a quote when Southampton Boatshow is on... Always offer a discount there

Now there an idea , thanks , keep that in mind

 

[Halo]

I fitted a flex o fold 3 blade 3 years ago. Best thing o have ever fitted by a country mile. A quality item that works. Much more sailing and less motoring since I fitted it. Motors well fore and aft. Only down side is cost.

 

[Tranona]

That's good to know , I think it only a matter of drilling two holes .
Still waiting on a price from them .

Darglow will also drill the holes for you in a Featherstream (or a Flexofold 3 blade) if you ask them.

 

[ashtead]

As another suggestion you might look at a J prop which seems to go well in both directions and has no noticeable prop wash but it's on a saildrive

 

[Daydream believer]

I have a Brunton auto prop on a Hanse 311
downside
Does not drive the boat well in chop as the chop stops the boat, the prop re pitches & the boat takes a while to get going again & by the time it does the next bit of chop hits it so I have to rev quite hard & this uses fuel- This is the really bad bit about it
Uses more fuel - so I tend not to motor more than 6 kts & get 1.8 litre /hour( against old prop using 1.6litr) 6.4kts uses 2.3 ltr per hour )
Drives the boat slightly faster ( if water flat) if I want -I can get 7 kts in canals against 6.7kts before at max revs
Just as much "initial" prop wash as my old fixed prop- but one gets to learn how to use it to good effect. ie if boat hardly moving a good hard rev then cut the revs will turn the boat 30 degrees before it goes forward much. A gentle increase in revs will not do this
Still prone to hook the odd pot
upside
Half a knot at 6kts extra speed when sailing
Fantastic assistance when motor sailing. I can just have the engine on a fast tick over & it will give the boat a significant push
if one is doing, say, 3 knots then with a fixed prop one has to motor at a speed that is faster to get any push but with the Brunton a fast tickover will add a knot easily
In some ways this last item outweighs most of the downside

Perhaps I should have said that if i had another boat would i have another Auto prop --- Possibly
If i bought another propeller would I get it from Bruntons ( They do several types) --Definitely, Their service is second to none

 

[FullCircle]

I have had my Kiwiprop for 11 years now.
It lives in a mud envirionment on the East Coast.
It works very well, but you do need to get the pitch angle adjustment on the 3 blades equal or it will induce a vibe, and not be as efficient.
The body needs to be pumped full of grease at season start until it oozes out. If you don't do it, by the end of the season, reverse will not fully engage to the full angle, and you will travel sideways rather than backwards.You can feel when it starts, and a few reverse/forwards quick gearchanges and a few revs will clear it - but not for the forseeable future. So grease it all.
The installation is protected by an Ambassador stripper which has worked brilliantly.
I have also hit something solid with the prope - hullava clonk which took a lump out of the Nylon blade. When we dried out, I faired it off with a file and emery cloth and eventually changed it for a new one. I still have the old as a spare.
Note the blades can be changed in under a minute each. My record is under 40 seconds.
Sailing gives impressive gains in speed
However, motoring - Kiwiprops are not as efficient as Brunton/Maxprop etc. but at £845 are a lot cheaper.

Vecta Narine (Alan Pollard) provide peerless customer service.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I changed to a three bladed flexofold on my bav 39. The prop walk in astern was massively reduced to the point that it actually made slow speed manouvering somewhat more difficult.

I like the violent kick to port I get from astern with my fixed prop - it makes getting alongside things much easier. I'm thinking for changing to a Featherstream this winter, but losing the prop walk in astern (it's not an issue ahead) would be a bit of a deterrent.

 

[Bru]

The Featherstream will certainly give you the reduction in drag and will probably reduce the prop kick. It also has the feature of being able to both adjust the pitch and have different pitches forward and reverse. Think your boat originally had a 3 blade fixed so makes sense to keep 3 blades.

Reverse pitch on the Featherstream is fixed and cannot be altered

You can't actually adjust the pitch ahead as such. It is set by a replaceable "pitch cassette". Darglow will supply a replacement cassette to the original owner of the prop free of charge if the pitch is wrong following sea trials. Subsequent owners who want to change the pitch have to purchase a replacement cassette for a tads over a hundred quid (go on, ask me how I know this! :/ )

Darglow are extremely helpful by the way. Extended exchange of emails with their technical chap vis both the pitch (which I'm convinced is too fine, he's not so sure. We'll see who's right when we get back in the water!) and the problems we had removing the prop.

Vis prop removal, not advertised on their website but Darglow will rent or sell you a puller suitable for removing the Featherstream (normal 3 legged pullers don't fit around the boss - go on, as me how I know that as well! ) although we succeeded, just, with a large borrowed hydraulic puller but only just

 

[pagoda]

I like the violent kick to port I get from astern with my fixed prop - it makes getting alongside things much easier. I'm thinking for changing to a Featherstream this winter, but losing the prop walk in astern (it's not an issue ahead) would be a bit of a deterrent.

I think prop walk is too useful to be eliminated!

 

[DanTribe]

I think prop walk is too useful to be eliminated!

It's OK if you have planned for it.
We were entering a busy Dutch lock, I assumed that the small boat ahead of us would go to the far end. Instead, they grabbed the first bollard. I had go go hard astern to avoid ramming him. The prop walk spun us 45 degrees and we wacked a brand new motor boat who was going about his peaceful business alongside us.
This was very bad for Anglo -Dutch relationships, and my insurance.
A feathering prop the next year cured the problem.

 

[Elemental]

I like the violent kick to port I get from astern with my fixed prop - it makes getting alongside things much easier. I'm thinking for changing to a Featherstream this winter, but losing the prop walk in astern (it's not an issue ahead) would be a bit of a deterrent.

I also find the propwalk useful at times. As I wrote in the OP I'm looking to tame it, but I wouldn't want to eliminate it totally. A clockwise turn in a tight space is near impossible at the moment. Similarly if I'm starboard side to, with a strong wind pressing onto the pontoon then getting off can be a nerve wracking experience even after springing the stern off. A reduced prop-walk, would ease some of those tensions and still allow some of the advantages at the right time.

After all the contributions here I'm leaning now toward the featherstream (I had a really informative email response from Darglow).

 

[bigwow]

Looks like I'm the only one happy with my Volvo 2 blade folders