I have a Hunter 33, 2005. I have noticed when I sail over the 4 knots the prop freewheels and virbrates the boat. When I put the transmission in reverse it goes away. Two questions, Is the virbration normal? Do you let the prop freewheel or put it in reverse? Thanks Melissa
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Prop Freewheeling
Melissa, It all depends on who the manufacturer of your transmission is. Some trannies are built such that free-wheeling while sailing fails to keep bearings adequately lubricated; in other trannies, this is not a problem, so free-wheeling is fine. There is also a difference in the construction of the pressure plates in different trannies and how they will interact under sail if the selector is in Forward as opposed to Reverse, as well as stresses on other parts of the transmission. The owner's manual that came with the boat will usually recommend a transmission position while under sail, so if you have that, take a look. Otherwise, finding a Hunter owner's site and posing your question (include year and engine size in your post) will get you some definitive answers. Be sure to sort through all the opinion you will receive to get to what the actual recommendations of the transmission manufacturer or Hunter are. Especially don't get caught up in the red-herring debate over boat speed with a free-wheeling prop at the expense of transmission health. If your transmission manufacturer recommends against free-wheeling, it's a fool's bargain trying to get that extra half knot by leaving your shifter in Neutral. Fair Winds, Jeff
Melissa, It all depends on who the manufacturer of your transmission is. Some trannies are built such that free-wheeling while sailing fails to keep bearings adequately lubricated; in other trannies, this is not a problem, so free-wheeling is fine. There is also a difference in the construction of the pressure plates in different trannies and how they will interact under sail if the selector is in Forward as opposed to Reverse, as well as stresses on other parts of the transmission. The owner's manual that came with the boat will usually recommend a transmission position while under sail, so if you have that, take a look. Otherwise, finding a Hunter owner's site and posing your question (include year and engine size in your post) will get you some definitive answers. Be sure to sort through all the opinion you will receive to get to what the actual recommendations of the transmission manufacturer or Hunter are. Especially don't get caught up in the red-herring debate over boat speed with a free-wheeling prop at the expense of transmission health. If your transmission manufacturer recommends against free-wheeling, it's a fool's bargain trying to get that extra half knot by leaving your shifter in Neutral. Fair Winds, Jeff
lock it
universal recomends locking it in reverse. Being in NJ I would think locking it would also reduce the chance of a crab trap wrap.
universal recomends locking it in reverse. Being in NJ I would think locking it would also reduce the chance of a crab trap wrap.
This is a frequent subject here. And the answer is
if you're running a Yanmar, lock it in reverse. You sail faster too.
if you're running a Yanmar, lock it in reverse. You sail faster too.
Two points
1) The vibration is bad and I suspect you also have it while motoring. This would mean either a bent prop, bent shaft, prop with lots of growth, worn out cutles bearing, or inproper engine alignment. In any case, the vibration will travel all throughout your transmittion and wear out the seals and other parts. 2) By putting your transmittion in neutral, you are putting miles on your tranny. A tranny only comes with so many miles before it's no good. Normally a sailboat uses it's engine like a 1/10 or less of the miles it travels. If you are going to be running your transmittion for all the miles you put on your boat, your transmittion will wear out much faster. So, I think it's a good idea to find out why it's vibrating: check for growth on prop first, then if that didn't do it, check engine alignment and if you still have a problem, have it hauled out and let the yard look at it. While you are sailing, put her in reverse gear (assuming you have a yanmar).
1) The vibration is bad and I suspect you also have it while motoring. This would mean either a bent prop, bent shaft, prop with lots of growth, worn out cutles bearing, or inproper engine alignment. In any case, the vibration will travel all throughout your transmittion and wear out the seals and other parts. 2) By putting your transmittion in neutral, you are putting miles on your tranny. A tranny only comes with so many miles before it's no good. Normally a sailboat uses it's engine like a 1/10 or less of the miles it travels. If you are going to be running your transmittion for all the miles you put on your boat, your transmittion will wear out much faster. So, I think it's a good idea to find out why it's vibrating: check for growth on prop first, then if that didn't do it, check engine alignment and if you still have a problem, have it hauled out and let the yard look at it. While you are sailing, put her in reverse gear (assuming you have a yanmar).
Running wear vs. stress wear?
Just follow your manufacturers suggestions. These transmissions can take the use for many years. The vibration is something else and should be corrected. Check that the prop is clean and have the engine alingment rectified. If you are locking the prop in reverse make sure to slow the boat before shifting out to reduce wear on the selector mechanism.
Just follow your manufacturers suggestions. These transmissions can take the use for many years. The vibration is something else and should be corrected. Check that the prop is clean and have the engine alingment rectified. If you are locking the prop in reverse make sure to slow the boat before shifting out to reduce wear on the selector mechanism.
Yanmar...
...says reverse is preferred, neutral is okay (unless you are sailing around the world), never use forward.
...says reverse is preferred, neutral is okay (unless you are sailing around the world), never use forward.
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