Friday, February 17, 2017

Off we go, into the wild blue yonder...

Back north, up where the water rages through, where the wildlife is wild, and where our hearts and minds are free

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Do you still have the 16x10 3 blade prop? I ask because I want to replace my 2 blade prop with a 3 blade, and the Victoria Propellers calculator indicates a 15x8 3 blade will drive the Gulf 32 at hull speed with the 32 hp Universal 5432. Thanks for the insight.

Brian W. said...

Hi Susan,
Yes we do. At the time I had the prop re-pitched, Schooner Marine in PDX said the 16X10 was a good fit, but it had been a 16X12 I think, and would come up to hull speed at much less than the recommended 80% of max RPM, or 2200. Now, with the 16X10, she comes up to hull speed in calm water at about 2150 or so.

It may well be that a 15X8 three blade would work well, but I have to say after my many and repeated experiences with rough conditions, that I have never felt like I wanted less prop in the water. She comes up to hull speed at the proper RPM, and when you are fighting opposing current and a 4-8 foot swell in your face and struggling to manage 1-2 knots SOG, you may find as I have that you are grateful for the 16X10.

Let me know what your experience is, and best wishes.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the feedback. I re-ran the numbers and came up with 16x10 3 blade. I must have fat fingered something the first time. I saw you went with the R&D flex coupling. Did you use the 910-014 (3hp/100rpm) or the 910-001 (5hp/100rpm)? I calculated the Gulf 32 installation at 2.34hp/100rpm. Thanks again!

Brian W. said...

Sorry for the delayed response. If you still check this, I honestly don't recall which R&D I used and would have to dig around and look it up. All I can say is that I recall it being straightforward and not a source of real dilemma. If I don't mention it in that blog post I would ask one of the marine shops in your area what they use.