kiwi prop owner
I have had a Kiwi prop for one year on my l985 Hunter 31. So far, the prop is excellent. The comment about the spring would be a concern of mine also except that the spring is quite strong and encapsulated from seawater. Time will tell but I like the easy adjustability, the free flow of the blades under sail, the amazing backing up ability of the blades, ( I can stop my boat in an emergency from 6 knots in a little over a boat length), the minimal number of parts compared to the gears of a maxi prop), the lightness of the materials that the blades are made of, the lack of parts to rust, and the ease of disassembly to clean and lubricate. I did wack into something this year and break a little piece off the tip. It was easily epoxied back together. I have been worried about what would happen if a blade was broken but now that I have removed a few blades for cleaning, I realize that they are easy to replace. You can buy one blade if need be as opposed to the complexity of removing a damaged blade in other props. Overall, I really like alot about this prop. Time will tell because its relatively new. I would definite recommend trying it. By the way I think the other blades are excellent too. In general, a 3 blades prop that feathers or folds is a vast improvement over any two blade.
