Prop Manufacturer Quality - Fixed props

[Sailor Doug]

Just as a performance guide your speed is a just by 3 seconds a mile in PHRF racing handy cap. I have always been a fan of a narrow two bladed sailor prop. Would like a feathering three blade but it is more dollars than I wan't to part with.


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[Stumble]

Originally Posted by jackheape

I am getting ready myself to switch from a 2 blade to 3. I currently have a 2 blade, 15" RH. I have done a lot of research about this, and from what I have found, for me anyway, is it comes down to 2 choices. Either a Michigan Wheel, or a Campbell sailor. The Campbell sailor has really good reviews from every where I can see. It has less drag as well. It costs more though. To get the Campbell Sailor they recommended ( I would have do a prop calc for you, its free and they get right back to you) a 14", 7.5" pitch, for $695 (includes shipping). I can get a Michigan Wheel 15" 3 blade for about $500. Campbell has a unique design with cupped blades that supposedly reduces drag. This is what the rep said;

"The Campbell Sailer has cupped blades and a leading edge foil. This produces greater thrust and reduces the slip rate. To account for this, we often size smaller than other manufacturers for a given installation.

Many users report greater thrust, improved maneuvering and a smoother running installation with a Campbell prop. Also, the narrow blade profile allows for reduced drag under sail. Up to 35-40% less when compared to equivalent size units from other manufacturers."

I think I am going to go with them because all I have heard is good reviews about their props.

For those prices you have spent a considerable fraction of the cost of a new feathering prop. Or you can go to a junk yard and pick one up for $20.

Seriously, when we swapped out to a feathering prop the junk places wouldn't even take it for free. They told me the scrap value wasn't worth the manpower to deal with it.

[rosatte]

Can u tell me will the prop shaft turn with a 3 or 4 blade prop we now have a 2blade folding prop and were thinking of changing...weeds foul folding prop and this can be issue .

[Sailor Doug]

If you don't get diameter and pitch right it can cause problems. Think of as it as a car transmission. Stuck in first you are reving and not going fast. Stuck in sixth and the engine is lugging. I have seen two many sailors over prop and destroy engine.
Agree folding props can not work when needed.


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[zboss]

We looked carefully at a good folding prop - did lots of research and asked a bunch of questions but when it came time to decide on a purchase two things occurred to me:

1. Could I really justify spending 2 or 3 (or 4!) thousand dollars on a folding or feathering prop to gain .5 knot in light breezes? On the few potential long coconut milk run passages you are only saving 2 days at most, maybe a week over two circumnavigations. I just don't see the value for our slower heavier boat.

2. Did I really want a complex piece of expensive machinery fixed onto the bottom of my boat?

I get the feathering prop thing but its not for us on this particular boat. If we had a gunboat it would probably be a no-brainer.

The 18x10 is the recommended size prop for our engine and boat after speaking with Michigan Wheel. I had not even heard of the new Campbell prop.

Originally Posted by Sailor Doug

Just as a performance guide your speed is a just by 3 seconds a mile in PHRF racing handy cap. I have always been a fan of a narrow two bladed sailor prop. Would like a feathering three blade but it is more dollars than I wan't to part with.

Sailor Doug, we don't race... what is the implication of that? Is three seconds small or a lot?

[Sailor Doug]

If you don't race you don't need a fancy prop. My comment was just to qualify a speed difference.
A feathering prop offers a lot of advantage if you motor a lot, reduces fuel burn.


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[danstanford]

Originally Posted by rosatte

Can u tell me will the prop shaft turn with a 3 or 4 blade prop we now have a 2blade folding prop and were thinking of changing...weeds foul folding prop and this can be issue .

Rosatte,
We are in Belleville as well and I have been wondering about weeds and folders. We were previously in Brighton and the basin we were in got so weedy that I had to clean the raw water strainer every time out! I wanted to try a different prop preferring a folder or feathering prop but had worried about it getting wound up with weeds.

Have you had a problem or are you just worried like me?
Dan

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Sailor Doug

If you don't race you don't need a fancy prop. My comment was just to qualify a speed difference.
A feathering prop offers a lot of advantage if you motor a lot, reduces fuel burn.


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How does a feathering prop reduce fuel burn? All but one feathering I know of are less efficient than a good fixed blade prop.
In fact I believe that just motoring, you cannot beat a fixed prop, it will have the least fuel burn of any prop there is.


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