prop
Ask SAIL: Walking the Prop Walk
Q: I have an old 35ft, full-keel CCA-era sloop, and I love everything about it save one thing: the serious prop walk whenever I try to back up or even bring the boat to a stop. Over the years I’ve developed various strategies to compensate. But I was wondering if there’s ...read more
FLEXOFOLD Two-blade Prop
Flexofold’s newest two-blade saildrive propeller includes a number of technically interesting features that serve to set it apart from the competition. First and foremost, its patented hub is fabricated using a thermo-hardened polyurethane that electrically isolates the ...read more
Tools for Your Cruise
Cruisers who sail long distances typically carry a vast array of tools and spare parts, but weekend sailors tend to buy parts as needed and depend on tools normally kept at home, in the trunk of a car, or even hanging on the rack at a hardware store. But what happens when you ...read more
How and Why to get your Prop Realigned
The original purchase survey for my Allied Seabreeze sloop Keewaydin included a note about the fixed three-bladed bronze propeller: “some cupping noticed on all blades.” One of the surveyor’s post-purchase recommendations was to have the prop reconditioned. That was a number of ...read more