My 82 Cherubini came with a Qm30, with a fixed prop. manual says put in neutral. I have a max prop. and when I shift to neutral the shaft does not rotate. so either way there is no rotation.
Yanmar Safety Notice
- Thread starter Terry Cox
- Start date
I thought that with Yanmars the issue with sailing in gear was less about the potential for grinding the clutch, and more that the torque on the shaft could lock the gears and make it impossible to shift back into neutral before staring. I know of many people who report that after sailing in reverse they would have to restart in reverse, or at least "bump" the starter button before shifting back to neutral. Hurth transmissions, if sailed in forward, would definitely slip the clutch plates and wear them out.
FWIW, this question has been around for years and when I asked Yanmar back then, they said to keep the transmission in neutral while under sail. Our boat came equipped with a fixed three blade and the shaft always spins while under sail. Yanmar, back then, said that unless we had plans to cross the ocean, letting the shaft spin for several hours did no harm to the transmission as opposed to leaving it in gear. So that is what I do and have been doing since 2002, with no apparent ill effects, after sailing thousands of miles in PNW waters.
Maybe a shaft brake is the answer. A spinning prop creates wear on cutlass bearings and stuffing boxes etc. Also more drag, I think.
The bulletin does call out shaft brakes and folding / feathering props as alternatives if you prefer not to keep the prop freewheeling. As for drag - several tests have shown that freewheeling is less drag. See, for example: http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/fixed-vs-free-wheeling-prop-updated.107118/
http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/gear/lock-prop-let-spin-29526
http://www.flexofold.com/upload_dir/docs/Test_YachtingMonthly_low.pdf
Hi David
I can see that with a Michigan wheel that would be true as it covers the whole area anyway. Not sure if that would be true for a Campbell Sailer or not. I do know that when I was learning to fly and doing practise forced landings that a stopped propeller would glide a lot farther than a spinning one. Air and water are both fluid mediums and the dynamics should be the same. ( maybe, I think? ) More testing in order!
Mike