Campbell sailor propellers

David in Sandusky · Nov 14, 2015

We have one powered by a Yanmar 1GM10 on our '77 h27. I is a hug success, Emily driving us 2 knots faster on average than the original 2 blade prop on our boat with an SB8 diesel. And we don't see any added drag while sailing.

The NASA shapes of the blades seem really effective. I recommend this prop.

FastOlson · Nov 14, 2015

Robert1224 said:
Ahoy,

Anyone here have experience with Campbell Sailor propellers? I have read a bit about them and it seems their patented prop design has some real pluses. I'm considering one for a re-power.
Thanks,
Bob

Bob, One thing to keep in mind is while almost all sailboats have a prop that will move them forward reasonably well, only a small % have a prop correctly pitched for their boat and drive train.
The vendor of any prop will have convincing evidence of superiority... and their product might work just fine. Their evidence might a bit biased, though. (?)
First, figure out what your correct pitch and diameter needs to be for Your Boat. This sounds easy but it's normal for even the factory-supplied OEM prop to be somewhat poorly spec'd. And then there are later changes made by prior owners and boat yard guestimators.

Our boat spent most of it's life motoring at about 6.5 to 6.7 kts (smooth water and smooth bottom) with various two blade fixed and feathering props. A few years ago I decided to maximize performance under power (and take the hit for speed loss under sail) and go with a three blade fixed. After some optimizing of the pitch and getting all blades equal (they were off a half inch from blade to blade when shipped by Michigan - yikes), our "sailor" three blade prop now drives the boat @ 7.0 to 7.1 kts all day long. That is with the stock 23 hp Universal diesel, with about 2200 hours on it. Revs are the 2400 to 2600 that the factory recommends for this engine, and we can hit about 2900 rpm WOT.

This makes a great difference when covering long distances against the wind driving up the WA coast and of course many a wind-less day in Puget Sound.
So that Campbell Sailor might be just fine IF..... the pitch and diameter is correct for your boat.
But then, your present prop might be a lot better than you suspect if it gets re-tuned by an expert.

After owning our boat over 20 years and using a fixed two blade, a feathering two blade, and now a fixed three blade, I am convinced that prop selection is 90% engineering at the most and the rest is art. The "art" part might even be more than 10%...
!

Cheers,
Loren

McIntoshUSA · Nov 14, 2015

When we bought our Newport 30' it had a 3 blade Campbell Sailor prop on it. Our boat has a small 14 hp Universal diesel engine. It would only do 4.5 knots. We changed it out for a regular 3 blade prop and gained 1.2 knots at the same RPM. I have read good things about them, but it seemed to be very under-powered for our small engine. Therefore, It is my opinion that they may work well for reasonably sized motors but not very well for small engines.

David in Sandusky · Nov 14, 2015

Our Campbell sailor prop was over pitched for our engine, and they repitched it at no charge to us. The Campbell Sailor prop does need less pitch than a standard prop, and they stand behind their engineering with good follow-up support.

Richard Bryer · Nov 15, 2015

I installed a CS a few years ago to replace the 12X15 that came with the boat- yanmar3GMF. The first prop recommended was 14X9. With it I couldn't get over 2600 rpm and smoke at that speed. I suggested I was overpropped and they reduced the pitch to 7. I still cant get over 3000, but at least I can cruise at 6.5 knots and 2500 rpm.

Tim M · Nov 15, 2015

I replaced the original 16X15 original 2-blade with a CS 3-blade 15X12 on our 37c with a 3QM30 over a year ago. Performs similarly to the original - maybe a little less prop-walk - but reaches higher RPMs - and seems to cruise with less effort. The main benefit is much less prop-shaft vibration that is transferred to the hull. Less noise and vibration in the cabin while underway at cruising speed. They are great to work with. Good luck!
Tim

John T1594 · Nov 19, 2015

A few years back (2005) I replaced the original, factory installed 2 blade, 16 X 13 X 1 prop on my 2000 H340 with a 3 blade RH Campbell Sailer 15 X 9 X 1. The new prop got rid of some mid-range vibration I had with the 2 blade and gives me plenty of thrust into head winds and when towing my dink. My boat with the Yanmar 3GM30F cruises at 6.5 - 7 knots at around 2,800 RPM and I can run it up above 3K with no smoke and I have no transom soot at the end of the season. I had also put a CS 3 blade on my previous boat (1980 H30) with a Yanmar 2QM15 and was very happy with the perfomance. I don't race but the stats say that there is much less drag with the low profile cupped blades on the CS props.

Maine Sail · Nov 19, 2015

For a fixed prop we were very happy with the CS. Do be aware that they often over pitch them. If you buy a prop be sure to get a guarantee that they will re-pitch at no charge to you. Almost everyone I know that has purchased a CS has received a prop that does not allow the engine to attain rated RPM, including myself. Hopefully they have gotten better but I know a lot of folks who have been over-pitched with CS props...

We have had four props on our boat and the CS was my second favorite and is my default prop if anything goes wrong with our current feathering prop.

Michigan MP 3 Blade - HUGE drag & mediocre powering performance
Campbell Sailor 3 Blade - Smooth and good power once pitch was correct.
Flex-O-Fold 2 Blade - Serious vibration issues prop was removed and CS put back on
J-Prop - 3 Blade - Incredibly smooth, backs and stops like a freight train and great light air performance.

newage1461 · Dec 7, 2015

Does anyone have a C S 3 blade on a 81 Hunter 30 with a 2qm15 engine? Or the price on same prop in the 13 X 11 range .

Jalepeno · Dec 7, 2015

I am very pleased with my CS12x9x1LH (Yanmar YSM12). If interested email or phone them to get more details. They will design the propeller to suit your boat, motor and application.
www.westbynorth.com

seadaddler · Dec 8, 2015

Yes to very important to get the right pitch prop,when my 2007 H-36 was new from
the dealer I could not get max RPM's with out lots of black smoke and could not also get
over 6 knots unless really smooth water no waves or wind.
So I changed to 3 blade Flex O Fold and after checking with other 356/36 owners what pitch they had and double checking again with Flex O Fold what they suggested I now do o 7 Knots with out pushing to max RPM's.
All I am saying is just as said by Mainsail make sure they can deliver the right pitch for your boat.
Nick

kito · Dec 8, 2015

Jalepeno said:
I am very pleased with my CS12x9x1LH (Yanmar YSM12). If interested email or phone them to get more details. They will design the propeller to suit your boat, motor and application.
www.westbynorth.com

I picked up a fairly new CS for my YSM12 on Ebay fairly cheap. I have not used it yet but it's a 12 x 5 x 1LH for my H30. It's not the preferred pitch but thought I would try it. Anyone see a problem with this low of pitch? It should definitely hit max rpm

woodster · Dec 8, 2015

kito said:
I picked up a fairly new CS for my YSM12 on Ebay fairly cheap. I have not used it yet but it's a 12 x 5 x 1LH for my H30. It's not the preferred pitch but thought I would try it. Anyone see a problem with this low of pitch? It should definitely hit max rpm

I would use it as an emergencie spare only

kito · Dec 8, 2015

woodster said:
I would use it as an emergencie spare only

That is what I intended, a back up prop. CS actually recommends a 12 x 7 for my engine/boat combination. I figured I can have it repitched to a 7 if necessary.

woodster · Dec 8, 2015

kito said:
That is what I intended, a back up prop. CS actually recommends a 12 x 7 for my engine/boat combination. I figured I can have it repitched to a 7 if necessary.

You can go up or down 2 and be ok but anything more would be a little if ey

John T1594 · Dec 8, 2015

I used to have a 1980 H30 with the 2QM15 engine with the original 2 Blade, 13 X 13 prop. I replaced it with 3 Blade RH 13X9X1 Campbell Sailor as recommended by the guys at CS. With the original prop, the max speed was just over 4 knots, the engine did not come up to full RPM's and the transom became slightly dirty from smoke when motoring. With the new prop, the max speed is about 5.5+ knots, the engine comes up to about 3,200 RPM and the transom is cleaner than before but still gets slightly dirty.

Dolphin · Dec 24, 2015

I have a CS 3 blade 12" dia x 10" pitch on my Cal 2-29. I put it on about 10 years ago and I have been very happy with it. The engine was the original Farymann A30 with a 2.0:1 gear reduction. This CS prop replaced the 2 blade 12"D x 6" p that was on it - which was definitely the wrong size. The CS 3 blade was substantially smoother than the original 2 blade. I no longer had to motor with my foot on one locker lid and my rump on the other to keep the vibrations down. (I also replaced the shaft, cutlass bearing and realigned the engine at the same time so I assume that had helped a little, too.) At 10" of pitch and 2.0:1 reduction the boat did 5.0 kts at 2,000 RPM on calm water with the CS. I left another 500 rpm in reserve for windy situations. Last winter I had to replace the Farymann. I put in a Yanmar 2GM (not the newer 2GM20) that runs at a higher RPM but has a lower (2.62:1) reduction gear. Mathematically the new engine turns the shaft at the shaft at about the same RPM as the old engine at cruising RPM - but - I am thinking in need a little more pitch. I am not getting more than 4.5 at cruising RPM with this setup. Now for the best part of working with Campbell - they can service their props to change the pitch on existing props. Just send it back. Their service is great and their tech support is great. When I originally ordered the prop they said it would take a few days to get to me - and guess what - I got it when they said they I would! I am going to pull the prop off this winter and send it back to see if I can up the pitch a bit. I haven't noticed any diminished sailing performancewith a 3 blade over a 2 blade but then I don't race in a one design class. Reverse is fine. I can work up to and away from a crowded pier just fine. I do notice more prop walk when motoring forward. I have to keep the wheel turned a few degrees to port to keep on a straight heading. I don't have (a working) autopilot but I wonder if having to keep the wheel cocked would confuse the autopilot drive.
Summary: Great product for the price - low resistance without spending much more on a folding prop that can fail or get clogged up with barnacles. Works well in forward and reverse. Plus - you get great service.

David in Sandusky · Dec 24, 2015

Dolphin, What are yr cruising RPM's on the 2GM20?

The normal calculation is 80% of max rpm. Max on our 1GM10 is 3600, so cruising is 2900.

Alan Gomes · Dec 24, 2015

Dolphin said:
I do notice more prop walk when motoring forward. I have to keep the wheel turned a few degrees to port to keep on a straight heading. I don't have (a working) autopilot but I wonder if having to keep the wheel cocked would confuse the autopilot drive.

It won't confuse the autopilot any more than weather helm under sail would.