I have ordered a 16" 3 blade maxprop for my Hunter 340. PYI says the proper pitch is 12. Does anyone have personal experience with dialing in the 3 blade maxprop for a 340. Is 12 correct and what kind of performance can I expect? Regards, Johnnie Engesser s/v Grace
- Status
Have two bladed maxi on 340
Used the settings suggested by the manual. I would reduce the pitch by one or two settings. I max speed without coming close to maxing rpm. Previous threads have suggested manual may me high by one or two settings. Such may be a product of the boat shape, water sailed, etc. Best suggestion: try what the manual says, or go one setting lower and then try it. I left the setting all last year without problems, but since I removed the prop during the winter to keep the water from freezing in the aft end of the two blade where there is a void and not fillable with grease. Besides, it reminded me to change the pitch this year. <grin> Hope that helps some. Oh, why did I buy the two blade rather than the three: I don't motor that much. I burn about half a tank in six months of sailing 3 days every weekend. So spending another boat unit ($1,000) on a three blade would have been a waste. The three blade should be smoother, however.
Used the settings suggested by the manual. I would reduce the pitch by one or two settings. I max speed without coming close to maxing rpm. Previous threads have suggested manual may me high by one or two settings. Such may be a product of the boat shape, water sailed, etc. Best suggestion: try what the manual says, or go one setting lower and then try it. I left the setting all last year without problems, but since I removed the prop during the winter to keep the water from freezing in the aft end of the two blade where there is a void and not fillable with grease. Besides, it reminded me to change the pitch this year. <grin> Hope that helps some. Oh, why did I buy the two blade rather than the three: I don't motor that much. I burn about half a tank in six months of sailing 3 days every weekend. So spending another boat unit ($1,000) on a three blade would have been a waste. The three blade should be smoother, however.
Start With PYI Recommendation
My recommendation, which is what I did for the 2-blade prop on my H-35, is to start with the PYI recommended pitch and see what happens. If black smoke comes out the exhaust or the transom turns grey from the exhaust at cruise speed RPM then this is a sign to increase the pitch a notch, which is what I did, and that was 10 years ago. Noted the setting in the prop Operating Manual and it has worked just fine ever since. The above approach requires the boat to be hauled but since I paint the bottom annually the adjustment was made at the next haulout.
My recommendation, which is what I did for the 2-blade prop on my H-35, is to start with the PYI recommended pitch and see what happens. If black smoke comes out the exhaust or the transom turns grey from the exhaust at cruise speed RPM then this is a sign to increase the pitch a notch, which is what I did, and that was 10 years ago. Noted the setting in the prop Operating Manual and it has worked just fine ever since. The above approach requires the boat to be hauled but since I paint the bottom annually the adjustment was made at the next haulout.
- Status