On Nov 29, 2:56 am, Jere Lull wrote:
On 2007-11-28 19:00:56 -0500, said:

I knew my old fixed 3 bladed prop on my 28' S2 sailboat was in bad
shape so I was expecting to replace it when I hauled her. It was
REALLY bad. Corrosion had got to it so bad that I could literally
break a blade off by pulling on it and it had huge chunks out of each
blade.

Oh, wow....

Check the rest of the bronze underwater, too, as that could be a bad sign.

So........I got on the phone to Performance Props snip From their
description, I expected a thin bladed flexible plastic thingy of some
space age resin. It got here today and I am sorta impressed and sorta
worried. It isn't a thin plastic, it is a massive plastic casting,
impressive. The blades are very thick and rounded on each face.

I first saw one about 10 years ago. I lusted after one, if only for its
beauty, but they hadn't yet perfected the 3-blade for the Yanmar -- and
they wouldn't sell me the wrong prop. (and I believe it's more like
Marelon than plastic.)

So, the prop goes on the boat tomorrow. New prop, new bottom paint,
new zinc.
Will it work better under power than my old 3 bladed prop? I'll let
you know.

Please do! I've yet to know anyone that's actually used one, but when I
talked to the guy, I got the impression that their ads are a bit
understated.

--
Jere Lull
Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages:http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips:http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Je

Sorry about that mixup but the Perfect Pitch from Performance Props is
a 2-blade to replace my old 3 blade bronze prop.
The only other bronze underwater is my prop strut and I filed away
enough material (about 2 mm) to reach good metal so I know there is
some good metal underneath. I plan to replace it as soon as I can
figure out how to get one or have one made.
My worries about the new (2 bladed) prop is if it will perform as well
under power as my old 3 bladed bronze prop. Drag under sail is a
small issue with me since I have found that about half of my cruising
time is spent under power anyway.
A good reason to order from these guys is that I have heard so many
horror stories about poor props that I despaired over getting a good
one from any other source. My old prop was so far gone that its pitch
couldnt be determined and maybe not even its diameter. I felt that
these guys had enough experience to get it close to right on the first
try. Multiple tries are not a possibility due to the difficulty of
getting her hauled or even pulling the prop on and off several times
over the winter. (boat stays in the water here but it is too cold to
swim).

David