What's the "Max Prop Secret"?

[FabioC]

There seems be a bit of a mystery surrounding the best way to make sure that the Max Prop feathers correctly.

I did not know about this, and I have always turned off the engine in neutral when starting to sail, which apparently is not conducive to reliable feathering.

I have now switched to turning off the engine in forward and then putting it into neutral. I looked at the p2marine website, and this seems to be in line with their recommendations.

I asked the guy who services the Max Props at my marina, and he told me that he actually does not know the best practice for feathering, he specializes in getting the pitch tuned. He said that different people have different routines that they figure out through experimentation...

So, what is the "Max Prop Secret" for feathering reliably? Is my routine the correct one? If so, how fast in forward one should be going when turning the engine off? Is there an optimal speed?

Thank you!

[Cheechako]

I always just momentarily put it in gear and then out.

[StuM]

From the horse's mouth:


The best way to feather the propeller is:
•Power at 2 to 3 knots in forward.
•Kill the engine while still engaged in forward.
If your propeller has been greased properly it will feather in a fraction of a second as soon as
you stop the shaft from freewheeling.
DO NOT
kill the engine while in reverse. In this case the blades will be in the reverse position and cannot feather. You can actually use this feature to drivea shaft alternator.
Modern transmissions are either mechanical or hydraulic. With a mechanical transmission, the
best way to stop the shaft freewheeling is to engage the transmission in reverse ( WARNING:
engage the reverse only after the engine has stopped completely). With a hydraulic transmissionyou must shut off the engine while still engaged in forward. The remaining hydraulic pressure will en effect lock the shaft for a few moments, enough for the MAX PROP®to feather.