GORI prop wont come out of overdrive

[Gerry Connolly]

3 blade gori folding prop. won't come out of overdrive. I've done all the procedures including putting the transmission in neutral while moving forward and then engaging forward. I'm on the icw in Florida, so haven't been able to sail, all motoring. The situation limits my top speed to 5.5 knots and 2300 rpm, any faster and the engine starts overheating. Boat is a Catalina 36 with a universal M-35 30 hp. Any tricks that might shake it free?

[a64pilot]

I know nothing about a Gori prop but would suspect its growth on the prop that is interfering with it changing pitch, which of course means diving on it and cleaning it.
Often times when you get near a pass to the ocean the water on the ICW gets a lot clearer.

[Sailmonkey]

Have you tried a brief bump into reverse as indicated here? (Page 6 of the manual)


https://www.ab-marine.com/wp-content...uctions-AB.pdf

[jkleins]

I have to bump into reverse to get it out.

[ggray]

This is most interesting to me as I installed these props (catamaran) last spring and just getting used to them. To this point, just assumed they were shifting into and out of OD as they were supposed to. It seems they were.

I was told you bumped into reverse-- not actually move backwards-- and it became OD when shifted forward.

When in overdrive, shift into neutral, back to forward, and you were out of OD.

But shifting into reverse certainly results in OD once shifted back to Forward.

At least, that's what I was told.

[briblack]

I have problems with mine too. For mine, it's marine growth locking it up so the blades can't move, after we don't take the boat out for a while. If I dive it regularly, and pull-push them through a few times, it keeps this from happening. But here, Hawaii, I have to do it every week.

[jkleins]

Originally Posted by ggray

This is most interesting to me as I installed these props (catamaran) last spring and just getting used to them. To this point, just assumed they were shifting into and out of OD as they were supposed to. It seems they were.



I was told you bumped into reverse-- not actually move backwards-- and it became OD when shifted forward.



When in overdrive, shift into neutral, back to forward, and you were out of OD.



But shifting into reverse certainly results in OD once shifted back to Forward.



At least, that's what I was told.

I usually need some water moving backward to keep the prop from feathering and going back to “normal” when you move to forward. If you do it quick enough and the boat is almost still I have been able to keep mine in overdrive but it is hard to do if you are moving at any speed because the prop will feather as soon as it stops and when it starts forward it is thrown out into the regular configuration.

Having said that, at the dock or at anchor I almost always start in overdrive since I was usual in reverse as the last gear prior to turning engine off. I just put it in neutral when I get up to speed, bump it to reverse then back to to neutral for a second or two and then it is back to normal drive. I can only figure the short bump into reverse is really just stopping the prop so it can feather. You can probably accomplish the same thing by waiting for the shaft to stop turning on its own.

[Mplight]

+1 for reaching out to AB marine- Gori Distributor for North America, Geoff know more about props than anyone I know- and he know Gori!

[Compass790]

Originally Posted by Gerry Connolly

3 blade gori folding prop. won't come out of overdrive. I've done all the procedures including putting the transmission in neutral while moving forward and then engaging forward. I'm on the icw in Florida, so haven't been able to sail, all motoring. The situation limits my top speed to 5.5 knots and 2300 rpm, any faster and the engine starts overheating. Boat is a Catalina 36 with a universal M-35 30 hp. Any tricks that might shake it free?

Is your gearbox mechanical or hydraulic?
There is different procedures depending on gearbox type.

[BobFord]

I installed (2)Gori 22 inch , 3 blade as a new build approx. 6 years ago. After almost continuous cruising , I have clear observations
-Gori is a mistake and I have seriously considered welding them in to Drive , permanently.
-These props are meant for commercial boats that run every day or two .
- as " just off the slipway ", they are brilliant,
-however, dare to not use them for a week and the barnacles get in to the gears.Jamming is inevitable.
-if one is stupid enough to be a ' cruiser' and stop for several weeks- then they may never engage correctly until the next slipway service.
-Hookah diving is not the complete answer as the gears are intricate and very difficult to clean thro'ly.
-drying out , which is often possible with the cat. calls for Muriatic acid wash to clean the gears and then a layer of Lanolin grease.
-to engage drive , from o/drive , it needs- furl sails , motor in reverse to one knot , in forward to one knot , then Neutral and forward gear.
On reflection I would state ' buyer beware' , the Australian dealer is useless with advice. If I ever met the person that recommended Gori , for cruising yachts , I would be tempted to put the prop ' where the sun don't shine '!!

[Jim Cate]

Yep, a new Gori prop is a work of art and a mechanical wonder. Best to hang them up on a wall... then you will not have to wonder if they will open properly!

Seriously, they are a very clever bit of engineering, but not too practical for cruisers.

I dunno why the FOF is so much more resistant to gear fouling, but this has never once happened to us in the 17 years we've enjoyed our FoF.

Jim

[nhschneider]

We installed a Gori 3-blade prop before we began our 49,000-mile circumnavigation and it was one of the best decisions we made as far as cruising equipment goes. There was a learning curve that we needed to master in order to get the blades in the position we wanted but it wasn’t too difficult. Now we can use the two different attitudes to our benefit as needed.

I have the instructions that came with the prop but, as I recall, they weren’t too helpful.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[jkleins]

Originally Posted by BobFord

I installed (2)Gori 22 inch , 3 blade as a new build approx. 6 years ago. After almost continuous cruising , I have clear observations

-Gori is a mistake and I have seriously considered welding them in to Drive , permanently.

-These props are meant for commercial boats that run every day or two .

- as " just off the slipway ", they are brilliant,

-however, dare to not use them for a week and the barnacles get in to the gears.Jamming is inevitable.

-if one is stupid enough to be a ' cruiser' and stop for several weeks- then they may never engage correctly until the next slipway service.

-Hookah diving is not the complete answer as the gears are intricate and very difficult to clean thro'ly.

-drying out , which is often possible with the cat. calls for Muriatic acid wash to clean the gears and then a layer of Lanolin grease.

-to engage drive , from o/drive , it needs- furl sails , motor in reverse to one knot , in forward to one knot , then Neutral and forward gear.

On reflection I would state ' buyer beware' , the Australian dealer is useless with advice. If I ever met the person that recommended Gori , for cruising yachts , I would be tempted to put the prop ' where the sun don't shine '!!

This is very different from our experience on the East Coast of the US. We often go for long periods without cleaning and have never had it foul. It always goes back and forth crushing any barnacles that happen to get in the way. I have had to scrape barnacles because it was going slow but even then it was fairly easy to swing through into reverse. Our biggest problem is the rubber pads that “catch” the prop. They split almost immediately but then usually last for years after that. They always make me a little nervous when I haul about whether I should replace them.

The other thing is even if the prop won’t swing into reverse it still will act like a normal fixed prop and should travel in reverse fine just without quite as much drive in low speed. I tend to like ours although I like the Flexifold better. It is just more expensive.

Jim