Flexofold Installed

[Fbfisher]

New Flexofold installed on my Beneteau 423, replaced the stock fixed 3 blade prop.

Looking forward to getting her in the water and out at sea.

Cheers!

[slug]

Get some paint on that prop.... it will make your expensive anode last twice as long

[Fbfisher]

I’ll ask the yard about that. Thanks!

[Pete7]

You're surely not going to put that nice shiney new prop in the water are you? Haven't you got an old one you could use and save that for best b

Be interested to hear how she handles compared to the old one.

Some way down the list of necessities for us, but we are getting closer now LFP has been firmly binned and we picked up a habitent for use when on board.

Pete

[CarlF]

You're going to love the prop. The boat will feel great under sail. Hopefully they've sized it right. That can be some trial and error. Ideally you'll be able to get to full engine RPM - but just barely. Mine is actually slightly overpropped (can't get the last 50 rpm). My mechanic said that's fine as there's no sign of overloading such as smoke or high temp -- and it will give me better speed at my cruising RPM of 2400.

I've never painted my Flexofold for 7 years and cruise from the Bahamas to Maine. Its bronze alloy gets very little growth. Much less than some other props I've owned. It's one of the things I love about the prop.

The anode is only $17, is held on by a single screw, and lasts me over six months. Painting it isn't going to make a difference on the anode life. You'd have to paint all the underwater metal and even then I doubt it would do much. And if you aren't just sitting in a marina most paints wear off quickly with use (Prop-speed will last but putting that on costs way more than a few anodes)

Going from a fixed prop, realize that this will put a new strain on the transmission when the blades open. It really opens fast. I'm careful when shifting to just ease it into gear for a 1/2 second before accelerating - especially when going from forward to reverse.

Also, you may well find that when going to sail, you'll need to go to reverse and then back to neutral before shutting down the engine. This will fold the blades better and keep the shaft from rotating under sail.

[Fbfisher]

She is a beauty, the boat and the prop (are props “she”?) I’ll post results of the sea trial soon. Getting the right size was always a question, Flexofold seemed quite sure and I relied on them after giving them all of the specs, we shall see. Max torque on my Volvo D2-55 is 2,350 RPM, so that’s my typical cruising engine speed, which is good for 7+ kts with the 3 blade fixed in most conditions here in So Cal between MDR and Catalina.

As a non-distance cruiser, my fixed will likely be featured in our sculpture garden, assuming my wife allows it.

[Jim Cate]

We've had our FOF for 16 years now, and IME it will foul just like anyHE other bronze prop. There is nothing magic about their alloy so I'd invest in some Prop Speed or equivalent. We get two years per application, with the last few months showing increasing ability of fouling to stay stuck.

And if you get tired of paying for their anodes, it is an easy mod to use simple button anodes available everywhere: simply remove the anode and then the flat plate behind it. The factory uses three allen head screws to hold it in place. Replace them with countersunk allen screws which are flush with the surface and then the flat button anode will work quite well, using the original central bolt to fix it in place.

Here in Oz, the factory anodes are hard to find and quite expensive when found. The button anodes are common, and go for around 10 AUD or less.

You're gonna love it!

Jim