3 blade Max prop vs 3 blade fixed?

[J Clark H356]

I cleaned and decreased mine with paper towels and then used dawn dish detergent to get the last grease out before sending to PYI.

I am on my 14th season and after discussing my prop condition with PYI, he recommended greasing every year. He also said that coming to neutral, hesitating, then going into reverse will avoid some wear. My prop wasn't terrible, but needed work. Put it back on last week, repitched to 20 degrees and went motoring for a short while. It was set at 22 degrees for 14 years and I am not satisfied with the 20 degree setting so am going to experiment one more weekend and then make the decision whether to pull and change the pitch back to 22 degrees. I picked up from 3400 to 3600 RPM WOT but my speed didn't increase as I had expected it to do. I didn't get a true test as there was some current so Labor Day weekend I will find some calm water in a long cove and do some RPM/Speed test to confirm what to do.


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[Davidhoy]

It's been a little while, but I finally got my Max prop back from PYI. It looks sooo shiny and new :-). I didn't realize how much play there was in the blade until I got it back, and it's so snug and tight, virtually no play. Can't wait to reinstall it next time I haul the boat...

[Davidhoy]

Here's a before picture

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Can't wait to reinstall it next time I haul the boat...

Again- PYI will happily recommend a qualified diver to do an in-water installation.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Again- PYI will happily recommend a qualified diver to do an in-water installation.

Any idea of how much they charge? I'm not in any hurry to haul the boat, so if a diver is reasonably priced I might consider it. I am a diver myself, but this is a bit fiddly to try myself, and I'd hate to drop and lose any parts...

I dropped an email to PYI to get a recommendation.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Any idea of how much they charge?

I only know what I charge. $400.

[jeremiason]

David

You are going to love the Max Prop.

I had a Catalina 470 with a 21" fixed three blade prop out of the factory.

I installed a Max Prop VIP 3 blade.

I noticed a 1 Knot improvement sailing speed under the same wind and tidal conditions.

The Max Prop has a prop walk, mine was to the left, which made docking and back & fills easy.

The one thing that took a little getting used to was how far the boat will drift when you go from a drive gear to neutral, without the fix prop dragging through the water.

[Yeti]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Any idea of how much they charge? I'm not in any hurry to haul the boat, so if a diver is reasonably priced I might consider it. I am a diver myself, but this is a bit fiddly to try myself, and I'd hate to drop and lose any parts...

I dropped an email to PYI to get a recommendation.

In San Diego I basically paid $150 to have mine taken off and another $150 to have it put back on a week later. The dive service used was a recommended service from PYI.

[Davidhoy]

I was quoted almost $500 by a local diver recommended by PYI. Going to wait until I haul the boat next year, and take care of a bunch of things all at once.