Flexofold propeller saves the day

[johnandtessa]

Hello all - While we rarely rave about much, I have to say the Flexofold propeller of Denmark really saved our butts this week. We have been spinning a FOF prop on our Farr 50 for more than 10-years. Two days ago a blade snapped off as we entered a Spanish marina (we raced/cruised from Annapolis MD this summer). We must of hit something but we were able to limp our way to our slip and start the process of getting a new prop (I dove on it and confirmed the problem). Anyway, Flexofold did not have our specific model on hand but they were able to manufacture the blades and have it UPS express shipped to our marina in Spain in less than 24 hours! It arrives on Friday. They kept me in the loop the whole time and the price was totally reasonable. So, of the 100s of esoteric Euro components on Tenho, Flexofold is one I am glad we have....

John
Tenho - Farr 50
www.mightytenho.blogspot.com

[pgenovese]

Do you anti foul your flexofold prop ?

What do you use ?

Regards
Patrick

[johnandtessa]

Sorry for the late response... we just got internet after 7 days sailing from Sicily to Cartegena Spain. As for the prop - I have not put anything on it. I usually dive on it once or twice a season to check and clean anything off. I think that if it is used regularly there is very little growth. John

[pgenovese]

Originally Posted by johnandtessa

Sorry for the late response... we just got internet after 7 days sailing from Sicily to Cartegena Spain. As for the prop - I have not put anything on it. I usually dive on it once or twice a season to check and clean anything off. I think that if it is used regularly there is very little growth. John

When you say "used regularly" would you mind quantifying that, so I may compare to my regular usage ?

[gah964]

I would say if this is a sailboat then a good sailor may have saved your butt or a s s

[johnandtessa]

I am not sure what gah964 means but, yes, a Farr 50 is a sailboat. When we are in our normal working lives in DC we used the boat probably every other weekend from April to November on average. Probably use the engine 3-8 hours on these weekend outings. By November the prop is a bit slimy but still opens and closes easily. Right now it is CLEAN. We are moving 500 miles per week now so no chance of any buildup. John

[pgenovese]

Hi John,

Thank you for the info & the patience to reply to my query. Well I won't be making so much mileage and in the Med's warm waters (I'm based in Malta) fouling is quite rapid. So I guess it is going to need some AF paint after all.

Btw I looked at your site... Did you visit Malta on your way through the Med?

Best of luck and wish you fair winds on your voyage.

Regards
Patrick

[DefinitelyMe]

In my experience no paint will stick to a prop that's in heavy use. In those instances something like proparmor works quite well but for sailboats it doesn't quite do the trick. I prime mine and then paint it with a cheap, hard bottom paint. Seems to do the trick. I get 2 years out of it in Bermuda (heavy fouling) and maybe scrape it twice during that time.

Nice to hear about the flexofold. I'm planning on getting one to replace my 3-blade fixed prop as soon as i can afford it! My dealings with the company have likewise been most agreeable.

[svrevelations]

Ditto - nice company to do business with!
... and unlike Gori Props, Flexofold props do not fall off!!!

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by MooseMoney

Ditto - nice company to do business with!
... and unlike Autoprop props, Flexofold props do not fall off!!!

There- fixed that for you.

[Dashby]

Agree, bought a Flexofold in New Zealand direct online from Flexofold in Denmark and it arrived in 7 days.
I was surprised and impressed. The installation was straight forward and the prop replaced a smaller Kiwiprop feathering unit.
Performance has been great with same boat speed at lower revs and less drag and no auto rotation while under sail. But reverse is not as good as the old feathering prop, this is understandable given the change in pitch the Kiwiprop has in reverse.
Have coated the Flexofold unit with Propspeed it seems to be working, yacht sits in a marina most of winter and there was little sign of build up on the propeller at the start of summer about 2 months ago.

[pgenovese]

My experience with flexofold has also been great. I relied on their advice with respect to prop sizing ... I sent them all the relevant boat details and FF came back with their recommendations for 2 blade or 3 blade options. I opted for the three blade prop and I am very happy with it. I motor about half a knot faster at cruising rpm and the only effect in reverse is that you need a little bit more rpm to get going in reverse but once the boat starts moving I found no difference the up side is that there is less prop walk than with my old fixed prop. On the sailing front the performance improvement is easily visible especially in light air where efficiency really matters.