There seems to be some sailors on this list. I enjoy both sailing in
the Mediterranean and trawling in the PNW. Can anyone can give me
their experience with the Max-Prop or similar self-feathering sailing
props? My Swiss sailing club has a Moody 41 in Greece. We are
considering a three-bladed Max-Prop to solve our reversing problems
in the marinas. Presently we have a thin 2-bladed fixed prop that has
a lot of prop-walk and not much power in reverse. I would be grateful
for any advice.

Irving Dunn
Irandar
39' Monk wooden trawler
LaConner, WA

Can anyone can give me their experience with the Max-Prop or similar self-feathering sailing props?

Hi Irving
In my previous sailing life, I had a three bladed 18" diameter Max Prop on my Nonsuch 36 powered by a Westerbeke 52 hp.  We found it excellent in both forward and reverse, it was vibration free, and feathered easily when the engine was stopped and then the transmission put into gear.  In reverse we had at least 2 to 3 times the thrust of our original fixed two bladed prop. When the boat was out of the water it was easy to adjust the pitch setting if necessary for better performance.

Cheers
Al Binnington
GB 36 FALKOR
Guelph, Ontario
Canada

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Same exact experience on my Crealock 37, except that I was not as adept at
changing the pitch as Al was. I would definitely get the model which can be
adjusted in the water because getting the pitch right can take
experimentation. I did lose .5 knots at the top-end, but was happy with the
trade. However, I only had a 32 HP Universal and was probably underpowered
to start with. Also, get the feature which allows you to insert a grease
nipple and grease the prop while still assembled and even underwater. Buy
extra bullet zincs.

Ron Rogers

----- Original Message -----
From: gb36cl@netscape.net

|  Can anyone can give me their experience with the Max-Prop or similar
self-feathering sailing props?
|
| Hi Irving
| In my previous sailing life, I had a three bladed 18" diameter Max Prop on
my Nonsuch 36 powered by a Westerbeke 52 hp.  We found it excellent in both
forward and reverse, it was vibration free, and feathered easily when the
engine was stopped and then the transmission put into gear.  In reverse we
had at least 2 to 3 times the thrust of our original fixed two bladed prop.
When the boat was out of the water it was easy to adjust the pitch setting
if necessary for better performance.
|
| Cheers
| Al Binnington
| GB 36 FALKOR
| Guelph, Ontario
| Canada