Prop rotation question

Jan 7, 2011
4,788
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
:facepalm: Yep! I don't know what I was thinking! I even had the Autostream installation manual in my files. Well, I won't be sending it to Max Prop to be reconditioned, but since I have it at home now, I will do some servicing by myself. But I think I'll call Martec for some guidance. I'm pretty sure the previous owner bought this prop from Martec as I seem to recall I've got some papers from Martec concerning the prop.

I had already sent the servicing form to Max Prop and got an e-mail reply today. I e-mailed back that I made a mistake because I have an Autostream and he laughed and told me I could have a new Max Prop sent to me before Christmas!

While I was thinking that I had a Max Prop, I was always confused by the grease fitting, which was described in a different manner. As you can see, the zerk is right behind the zinc!
Come on….go for it! Give yourself a Christmas present! Mine is a retirement gift to myself ! :beer:
IMG_1883.jpeg


This was a test fit (and I don’t have the cone zinc on yet). But dang, what a work of art !


Greg
 
Last edited:
Jan 7, 2014
401
Beneteau 45F5 51551 Port Jefferson
Yeah, I thought that was an autostream, I did mine last year. It's fairly easy to overhaul. Usually all you need are the new O-rings. Martec has the O-rings and the manual is downloadable from their website. Read the manual carefully when reinstalling, the blades need to be feathered. I did not read the manual and learned what RTFM means. Luckily, I noticed it and corrected it before it went in the water.
 
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Feb 10, 2004
3,943
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
If you tell Martec the year and sailboat model and engine/transmission combo that you have, I can bet that they will recondition the prop and pitch it correctly for your boat and set the forward and reverse pitches correctly. You will still need to remove the hub from the blade assembly for installation, but once you align the blades on the hub, the forward and reverse pitches will be correct.
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,402
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
I have a feathering J-Prop. It has no prop walk and does just as well in reverse as it does in fwd. This last summer, I backed out of a narrow fairway with a X wind with an audience of other boats. Once out, I had an ovation and I took my obligatory bow. Concerning maintenance, removal and install is a bit of a pain as there some small bits that lock the nut and takes some time getting it right. The yards get very specific instructions that I and I only mess with prop. The yards around here have no experience with such. The prop goes on as a complete assembly and you can even quickly change pitch while in the water.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,083
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Well, the holidays get in the way of boat projects and a nasty little cold has been a bit of a distraction, but I finally pulled my Autostream propeller completely apart to degrease. Once that was done, I was encouraged to see that all the components look and fit extremely well for the age of the propeller. I talked with Martec for reconditioning and spent some very helpful time on the phone discussing how the prop is assembled and set properly. Once I took the prop apart, I realized how the blades were re-arranged while the prop was removed from the boat. Now it all makes sense!

I was told that my Yanmar 3GM30F with Kanzaki transmission was most commonly set up with 2.6 gear ratio; however a few were set up with the smaller gear ratio. The plate on my transmission pretty clearly is punched to show 2.2 gear ratio, which was an option on the KM2P model. I'm curious ... how does the smaller ratio impact the boat's performance? Why does kanzaki provide the options and why would Catalina install one versus the other?
 
Oct 22, 2014
21,110
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
? how does the smaller ratio impact the boat's performance?
* Should not affect performance unless your prop is not pitched to match the gear ratio.

?Why does kanzaki provide the options
* To meet the demands of the market. Different engines, different purposes, different vessels. One might ask why different transmissions from the same maker for the same car.

?why would Catalina install one versus the other?
* My guess would be different price points for different dealer desires. One could pose the question to Catalina.
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,083
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
? how does the smaller ratio impact the boat's performance?
* Should not affect performance unless your prop is not pitched to match the gear ratio.

?Why does kanzaki provide the options
* To meet the demands of the market. Different engines, different purposes, different vessels. One might ask why different transmissions from the same maker for the same car.

?why would Catalina install one versus the other?
* My guess would be different price points for different dealer desires. One could pose the question to Catalina.
Well, for sure Kanzaki fitted them for different purposes. It's like buying a car with a tow package that comes with a different gear ratio, I suppose.

But I'm guessing that Catalina probably would make standard orders for one ratio, but during the time my boat was in production and Catalina maybe needed to make an order for a batch of trannies, Kanzaki may have temporarily run out of the gears Catalina normally bought and Catalina said 'we'll take what you got!" Plausible?
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,440
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
But I'm guessing that Catalina probably would make standard orders for one ratio, but during the time my boat was in production and Catalina maybe needed to make an order for a batch of trannies, Kanzaki may have temporarily run out of the gears Catalina normally bought and Catalina said 'we'll take what you got!" Plausible?
This would be my guess.

Another possibility is they started with one gear ratio and after reports from the field and owners decided the other ratio would be better.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,674
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I didn't realize that I was going to have to know this before taking my PYI Max Prop off for re-conditioning! I'm pretty sure it's left hand rotation. Boat is a Catalina 320 with Yanmar 3gm30F and Kanzaki KM2P transmission with gear ration 2.21 as seen on the stamp. I had the yard remove the prop and I didn't realize that they would remove the blades in the process of getting the prop off the shaft. When they gave me the prop, the blades were really in an odd configuration, which really freaked me out until I realized that they simply were a little careless in putting the assembly back together! As seen in the photo, one of the leading edges is reversed! Look which way blade 3 is pointed! The fact that it is marked on the opposite side is a clue.

The problem is, I don't really know which way the leading edges were oriented before this was taken apart. I guess I just never focused on this issue. Since 2 of the tree blades come to a stop with leading edge forward when rotated ccw (viewing from the trailing edge) I assume it is left hand. But I'd like to know if there is another way to confirm it. Yanmar specification sheet for 3GM30 says crankshaft rotation is CCW when viewed from the stern. I've heard some transmissions can drive the prop shaft in the opposite direction, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

View attachment 222042
That does not look like a Max Prop..?
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,083
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
That does not look like a Max Prop..?
Nope! It's Autostream. I'm packaging it up tonight to send to Martec in Arizona. Hopefully, it will come back looking like new. The inside of everything looks pristine to me, but the blades and casing has caked-on paint. The man said he will set the pitch for my engine configuration. Replacement parts will be locking pins for the drive gear, rubber O-rings, locking wire, and a new zinc. He said to keep the propeller nut and the ss key. They don't have spare propeller nuts any longer. I'm hoping they can clean up the cap head screws as the heads seem pretty rounded. I'm not sure how the yard got them off.