Have a sailboat (Beneteau 393) with 52 hp diesel and shaft drive to fixed pitch 18" 3 bladed propeller. Someone offered me a 18" 3 bladed folding propeller, but is was for a SailDrive, not a shaft drive. Any thoughts on if I could use a propeller designed for a sail drive on my shaft drive boat? I am guessing the answer is no, but there is always hope.
Propellers - Saildrive vs Shaft Drive
- Thread starter Pieter Einthoven
- Start date
No, there is no way. You can use the blades and purchase a separate hub for them that fits your shaft. This would cost ~1/2 of a new complete folding prop.
Depends on the propeller brand and whether the propeller is properly sized for your boat. Because the sail drive is lower in the water it can use a larger diameter prop. The prop blades need a minimum clearance between the hull and the blade tip, the 18" blades may be too long. And then there is the issue of pitch, can the blades be properly pitched for the boat, engine, and transmission? Is the sail drive prop designed for a splined shaft, like outboards or does it have a taper and if so what is the taper pitch?
All saildrives are splined shafts. There is no way a prop hub for one can be fitted to a tapered shaft.
The OP's current prop is 18", and the folding prop in question is 18", so there is no problem with diameter.
The blade pitch is a good point. The pitch will be stamped on both props, and they need to be the same or very close.
I don't think any brand of folding prop blade can be repitched. Or at least I've never found a prop shop that can/would repitch one. They tend to have particular shapes, and I suspect the usual equipment for pitching and measuring doesn't suit them.
The only way forward to using any part of the folding prop is to buy a new hub and use the original blades.
Mark
The OP's current prop is 18", and the folding prop in question is 18", so there is no problem with diameter.
The blade pitch is a good point. The pitch will be stamped on both props, and they need to be the same or very close.
I don't think any brand of folding prop blade can be repitched. Or at least I've never found a prop shop that can/would repitch one. They tend to have particular shapes, and I suspect the usual equipment for pitching and measuring doesn't suit them.
The only way forward to using any part of the folding prop is to buy a new hub and use the original blades.
Mark
