Should you put your engine in gear while sailing?

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Rick Evans

I keep getting conflicting advice and am hoping to find some consensus here. When under sail and the engine shut off, should you put your transmission in gear to avoid the prop spinning or should you leave it in neutral? If in gear, should it be forward or reverse? I've been told both. Last comment was to engage in forward gear to avoid burning out transmission cones. I don't have a shaft brake and don't really care to install one since it's a pain to get to my shaft and I don't want to have to do it every time. I have a Beneteau 321 with a 27 HP Yanmar.
 
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BlueAce

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May 24, 2004
26
Beneteau 285 Oriental, NC
Owners manual

Seems to depend on the transmission manufacture, so your guide should be the owners manual. On my Volvo 18hp (1990), the manual says you can let it free run (neutral). You may be able to find a owners manual on-line at Yanmar web site, if one did not come with the boat.
 
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Bill C320 Papillon

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May 18, 2004
385
Catalina 320 perry lake
manuals

I have checked my Beneteau owners manual, my Perkins engine literature and my Volvo shift/throttle manual for an answer to this question but none of them mention it.
 
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oceanis361

On the 361

the manual says to keep the boat in neutral when sailing.
 
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Stan

Westerbeke

I sail a Beneteau 361 with a Westerbeke 30B3. The manual clearly says leave it in neutral while under sail.
 
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Paul8753

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Jun 13, 2004
39
- - Toronto
Reverse

Not sure what is best but when I sail I put it in reverse and the vibration noise goes away. Not sure what the noise is but reverse does it...
 
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