Re: [Cal_Boats] prop for Cal 33

John: I have the two bladed prop that came with on the Cal 33, not sure of the dia or pitch. This works fine for us here on Galveston Bay. In smooth water and no head wind we can motor at 6.3 knots at 2400 rpm. We have no problems backing down. The boat had a folding prob when we bought it and this did help the sailing performance the reverse performace was very bad. Soi we put the original two blade that the previous owner had left with the boat. I feel three blade would provide too much drag under sail. Ron S/V Stellar of Course From: John Raxter ~~~~~_/)~~~~ <jr… [at] triad.rr.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, April 6, 2007 5:36:31 PM Subject: [Cal_Boats] prop for Cal 33 Help! I am in a quandary! The boat is hauled and I believe I could use a new prop. We are getting a slight vibration (knock) in the prop at a certain RPM (2500?) and I think this is due to the bottom paint/protective coating plus years of sanding and cleaning. If a new prop is in the future, now is the time. Boat specs: cal 33; 27.5 LWL; 10800 disp; engine yanmar 3gm30f (27hp@3600) rated 24hp in the manual. 2.36:1 transmission. Current prop 16x15 RH 2 blade. 1 ¼” shaft. We are mostly cruisers, not racing, and use the Rule of 3’s to please the Admiral: Under 3 knots or making more than 3 tacks to get to our destination, the engine starts and we are motoring. (G) I understand that a three blade prop might be better for motoring, when the wind gets over 30 knots and sailing into the breeze. Will this help backing the boat, and maneuvering into the slip? What size would be recommended for the 3 blade vs 2 blade? Do I need to keep the 16 x15 spec? I have researched the internet as much as I can without confusing myself, so asking y’all for opinions that will help make my final decision. One prop calculator recommended 14.7 x 11.74 based on my specs above. Does this sound correct? It does not specify 2 or 3 blades. Do I need to make any adjustments to this spec for the 2 or 3 bade choice? One final question: Teflon packing or Goretex? PTFE from WM is $ 7.50. GFO is $ 15. I trust any recommendation y’all can offer. Thanks for your help? John Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/