I just finished up my first sailing season, and never thought about the prop because I never had to, but today while delivering to the marina that will haul her out, and store, I experienced a struggle with the strong current.
My freedom stopped moving forward at one point, and after some deliberation decided to cut across to the other side of the river and find a ebb , then come to the slips from the other direction(with the current). It was not a pretty approach, but I also did not damage mine or any other boats.
It is possible that some seaweed got caught in the prop, which I will find out this week, or perhaps the twin feather prop that is powered by the Yanmar 20GM20F(I think that’s right) does not have the nut required when the currents are running strong in this area, Piscataqua River New Hampshire.
I have read on this forum that some people like the fixed three blade Campbell and many like the Kiwi feathering prop. Though I certainly would like a prop with low drag and upwind performance, I am starting to think that if I must compromise one way or the other, a prop that would favor engine power might be the way to go because of my location.
My boat travels about 5.6 kt at 2800rpm. I have no idea if that is normal, but again never thought about it before and have no experience to compare it to.
Any opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated, as well as what the gear reduction ration is on a 1987 28M. And if anyone can tell from the photo what brand of prop I currently have.
I believe that’s a MaxProp.
HI Clem,
We have a feathering Maxprop that seems to work well. However, Lake Erie does not have strong currents or tides. Your speed sounds similar to ours. We can push 6 knots plus if the bottom is clean and no or light headwinds!
Tom
Sure can be tough to make way on the Piscataqua.
Another factor to consider is the state of growth on the bottom and drive train. I had let growth go a bit last year and the drag was noticeable both sailing and motoring. Once the water temp goes up from mid summer on, growth rate seems to be much more aggressive.
3-4 knots of current, 1 knot of bottom drag could be tough to overcome. Just a thought.
I am a big fan of the Campbell Sailor prop, however looking at the photo I’m inclined to agree that is likely more of a fouling problem. My suggestion is if the Max Prop Blades in the photo are not loose then clean the prop, paint it with Pettit Prop Zinc spray paint (or similar) and see how it does next season.
Mark K.
Freedom 35’
Thanks to all whom have replied. The water does get quite warm in the bay that I moor, so it sounds to me that fouling combined with perhaps a bit of seaweed jammed in the prop may have been enough to stall me in the current.
Though I now have a few months to further consider my options, I like the idea of cleaning up my prop and painting with zinc because I would rather put my hard earned money into other areas of my boat. With that said, being able to make enough headway to stay in control if I find myself in a strong NH current is a priority.
If I were you, I’d stick with the Maxprop. It’s a really great device, as long as it’s properly greased every year. You might want to check with PYI about what the pitch setting should be, and then confirm that that’s what you have. They are very responsive.
As far as fighting the current goes, it may not ever be possible to motor into Piscataqua when it’s ebbing with a 2GM20, no matter what prop you are running. That’s about the fastest current in New England, possibly the country. I doubt most of the sailors in Portsmouth are able to keep headway against it, unless they have at least a 40hp diesel. It might just be better to plan accordingly, and always know which way the water is going.
It is the strongest current in the country and my voyages thus far have been planned around tide, wind and current, but on Saturday I was working with the schedule of the marina and first mate. I imagined it might be slow going, but what a surprise it was when I came to a standstill. This is why I am collecting opinions from the knowledgeable sailors here at FY. I think it would be wise to have a prop that might lend some advantage if for whatever reason I must fight the currents in my neighborhood, but perhaps the motor itself regardless of prop is the determining factor and I will just have to set anchor and wait if I ever get to the Gen Sullivan bridge when the current is running strong. The passage under the bridge is where I imagine I would be in big trouble if I could not hold coarse.
Now that I know what kind of prop I have, I will start by inspecting, lubing, painting and confirming it’s pitch is correct.
Thanks again for all the help
The more I think about it the less I think it is possible that Freedom put a motor in one of their outstanding vessels that was not up to the task of making at least some headway against the current, because high wind and chop would have the same sort of effect. I think that the pitch must be set improperly. I have a few months to ponder whether or not I will just get a standard 3 blade. I have no plans to race and a friend of mine said when he put a standard prop on his 34 Tartan it transformed his motoring power.
I have a stock 2 blade fixed prop on my 28 and can easily do 6 knots at 2400rpm in calm water and have had no trouble punching into chop and 15kn headwinds at over 5kn. I don’t really know if a folding prop would be worth it for me, as sailing speed seems to be fine as is…
Mark, your prop looks so beautifully clean. Wish mine were likewise. I’ve had disappointing experience with Pettit’s sink prop paint. What do you use, and how?
Thanks
Dale
One other advantage that came to me about the max prop is the outstanding performance in reverse. The blades go into a much more optimal position when reversing than a fixed prop, and the result is that you can really feel it bite when backing down. A couple seasons ago I was operating a friend’s F38 that has a fixed 3-blade prop, and when I shifted into reverse and hit the throttle the response was much “mushier” than I was used to. There was a considerable delay before the boat did what I expected it to do. I’m sure that with some experience this difference could be completely accounted for and anticipated, and an operator would have no trouble docking the boat in the same distance. Still, I really like having that kind of stopping power in my arsenal. It makes the boat feel tight and responsive when maneuvering.
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Mark, your prop looks so beautifully clean. Wish mine were likewise. I’ve had disappointing experience with Pettit’s sink prop paint. What do you use, and how?
Thanks
Dale
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Hi Dale- This was done by the yard shortly before I purchased the boat. The bottom paint was Micron CSC. The prop paint isn’t listed but it sure looks like it was Pettit zinc spray. I know that has a history of clogged nozzles but it seems to have kept growth off for at least this season…
Mark
Thanks Mark. With no better prop protection alternatives simple and inexpensive enough for me to try, I’ll probably give Pettit another chance. Reluctantly.
Appeal to Heaven was hauled out last week and I found four tip of finger sized barnacles on the prop. I think that may have been the problem. It seems like their are lots of up votes for the Maxi-prop, so I will lubricate , check the pitch, and zinc paint it in the spring. Then I will make sure to keep it brushed off with some summer swimming.
Thanks for all of the input.
When I was struggling to find the answer to the same question I found this article and the charts it contains useful.
https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/gear/folding-and-feathering-propeller-test-29807
Cheers
Rafa