{Beneteau Owners} Replacing stock prop on Volvo-Penta 2003 with 120SB sail drive
Eugene Kharlamb
I am considering changing the stock prop on my boat. Spoke to an outfit called Westbynorth.com in Canada..
The guy recommended KIWI prop vs all others. As it has very light, composite blades - that is easy on the gears, stainless steel hub (so should be easier on corrosion)
One thing that came out of conversation.. is the pitch. I would have to adjust it by initial recommendation and then I can readjust in the water if needed.. How will I know if it is properly adjusted by initial recommendation? Is the fine adjustment really needed?
cost $1500 shipped from New Zealand
Thanks
Gene
dbg...@mindspring.com
it is important to get the pitch correct, it is similar to selecting the correct gear on a bike or car....
your boat may have more stuff on board, or more tankage, weight affects performance...all of which goes to selecting the best pitch for Your boat... also make sure that you clean your bottom thoroughly ( or plan a bottom job with the prop change ) a bottom can look clean, but it takes only a couple of weeks to get an invisible film of slime that can only be felt by touch which can cost about 1/2 knot of speed and loss of rpm at full throttle leading to a less than ideal setting
verify max rpm for your engine ( engine manual )... this will be your target for setting correct pitch... the correct pitch setting for your boat will be this rpm at FULL throttle... if there is too much pitch the engine will not reach max rpm, it will bog down, not develop full power, can lead to sooty exhaust, etc ( think starting a car on a hill using a higher gear )...also most likely the rpm check will be in flat water, the load will increase in a swell,waves, and wind further slowing the rpm making the engine work harder... in flat water it is best if the prop is not over pitched, the load will be greater in rough water
Fine tune... absolutely... do it while you have use of the travel lift, as everyone is standing by already and is part of a correct install... there is no need for a long test run... rpm check only takes a couple of minutes to verify if the rpm is on target or not... best not to accept the boat without an rpm check...
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