I have just read an interesting topic on the 311 page which left me with lots of questions.  Cutty Stark has a standard 2 blade fixed prop. As per the instructions I always leave the engine in neutral when sailing and as soon as we have a couple of knotts of speed the whine of the rotating prop kicks in. It breaks the peace for anyone below and I do wonder about wear !! (movement & noise = wear in my book) I understand that a rotating prop offers less resistance so...............

 I was thinking of selecting neutral when racing and reverse when cruising, this should minimise the noise and wear when cruising and maximise the efficiency when racing.... but I wonder if selecting reverse and locking the prop is bad for the unit, I would appreciate your thoughts.

 Hi Cutty Sark. I think that it is all written in the manual from Volvo. If you don't have it I will look it up for you this evening?

Frank - Eternal Flame

Thanks Frank,

I have a manual and it says.."When sailing, if the boat has a fixed propeller the control leaver must be in the neutral position when sailing. If the boat has a folding propeller the control leaver must be in the astern position"  This is what I have been doing, just wondered if the manual was perhaps generally right but specifically not quite right in terms of minimising wear and noise when speed is not critical!!

Regards  Gordon.

As Gordon mentions, the whine of the rotating prop when under sail is really irritating and certainly raises concern about unnecessary wear and tear. When cruising, I will always engage reverse to stop the noise and allow the sound of wind and waves to permeate the boat. Your remarks will have me diving into the Yanmar handbook when I get on board at the weekend!

I will be looking at the folding prop options during the winter either way - firstly to reduce drag and secondly to reduce the risk of picking up unwanted crud while under way.

Graham

Graham

I have a 10hp Volvo in Cutty Stark and decided to stick with the fixed prop to maximise thrust as the folding one is less efficient. I sail on the Bristol Channel where we have the second strongest tides in the world.  My choice was stick with the fiuxed prop or go for the 20hp engine option. I decided the fixed prop made better financial sence. From a race point of view the difference in performance is covered in the handicap so no worries there !

Interested to hear that you put your leaver in reverse when cruising and  wonder what other owners do !!

Gordon

Gordon,

we opted for the larger engine; although tides in the Western Solent are not as strong as the Bristol Channel they can still have a significant effect on passage times. Hanse had replaced Volvos with Yanmars by the time we ordered our boat in July 03.

The fixed prop is generally fine giving plenty of thrust and control going forward. The distance between prop and rudder can make going astern in confined places an interesting manouvre on occasion.

Graham

Graham,

Looks like you would have no problems with a folder then !  I know what you mean about reverse. I'm not sure its down to the distance between prop and rudder though as  in reverse the thrust is going forward anyway. I put it down to the large mast & rig catching the wind when going slow.  The answer is to give it some welly so that you build up a good head of steam ,then I find you can outsteer almost anything backwards, particularly if you turn the rudder right round......a good way to impress other yachtsmen !!

Back to leaving the gear leaver in reverse when sailing with your twin fixed prop, Have you noticed or heard of any down sides to doing this ?

Regards  Gordon