Which propeller for my Jeanneau 42 DS with sail drive

[Spritz]

Dear friends, few months ago I and a friend of mine brought 2 EWOL propellers.
my friend who has a sun odissey 42 with "traditional" transmission (I do not know how is called in English but I believe you can understand), mounted it and he is absolutely enthusiast, he gained in motor speed, sail speed and manoeuvrability  in particular in rear gear.

i mounted it on my sail drive but I did not found the same pros, unfortunately I lost something in motor speed, and I did not gained a lot in sail speed.

may I please ask to people having a 42 DS or a 42 I (same shape) with sail drive, which type of propeller they mount? Which is their speed under engine?

to complete the info my boat has a YANMAR 4jh5e wit SD50 sail drive.....

thank you!

[rene460]

Hi spritz,

I am not familiar with the EWOL propellers, but I presume that they are a brand of folding or feathering propellers.

When comparing you performance with your friends, you need to first look at the transmission gear ratios.

I believe that the SD 50 manual says it has a ratio if 2.32 in both forward and reverse and requires an 18 inch diameter prop.  (Please check your particular manual!)  The pitch/diameter combination you have purchased should allow your engine to do about 5-10% above its rated max rpm of 3000, that is about 3150 - 3300 rpm at full throttle.  The propellor will only be doing 1293 rpm.  If your engine will not do do this the pitch is too great.  If it does this speed before you reach full throttle the pitch is too low.  In either case you will not do the best boat speed (obviously comparing with a clean hull and no wind).  If you have a feathering propellor, it may have adjustable pitch, possibly even different for each direction.  Usually the propellor is set for different pitch in reverse, but the manufacturer will advise you.

If your friend's boat has a different transmission ratio, you will each require a different pitch and diameter combination to drive the propellor at the correct speed and properly use the power developed by your engine. 

rene460

[Spritz]

Dear Rene, 
thank you for your kind explanation.
you are right the ratio is correct. 
As I wrote I do not want to perform a comparison between my friend's boat and mine, I just said that he likes that propeller and I didnot obtain   the desired results.

please which propeller the other 42ds with sail drive do mount? Please brand, size and pitch...

thank you 

[MartyB]

I had no idea what an EWOL prop was, but looks similar to a max prop in how it works etc. It does appear to be of a stainless steel make vs bronze for the max prop. Could be wrong tho, the pic sure was shiny like stainless......

Not sure if one can adjust the EWOL like you can a max prop, but assuming you have the correct diam, and blade count for your application, one can adjust the pitch part on a max prop. If you have a GOOD diver that has done and worked on them, they can do this in water, if not, about an hour on a hoist and you can increase or decrease the pitch of a max prop.

Not sure what is wrong with your setup, but would sway either the diam is incorrect ie too large maybe, or an incorrect pitch for his setup. With my max prop, I have to put the gear nuts in reverse at at least 3 knots to get the prop to feather into neutral......not sure about this prop.

A saildrive should have a different gearing etc than a std drive. YOu may also have taken OFF a folding/feathering prop, hence why your sailing speed did not really increase. WHere as your friend had a fixed prop to begin with, a folding/feathering prop will net him upwards of .75 knots or there abouts.

marty

[rene460]

Hi spritz,

I have found the instruction manual for you propellor and it certainly looks like a very nice unit.  I presume that you purchased the sail drive version of the E3 unit (the one with the spring shock absorbing device) and the correct diameter for your sail drive.

It is a feathering prop with adjustable pitch.  It uses the same pitch for both forward and reverse.  The instruction book says it is supplied at a standard pitch angle of 20 degrees, but is adjustable plus or minus 6 degrees, so it may need to be adjusted for your boat and motor.  The manual suggests that 1 deg will change engine revs by around 10% and adjustment appears to be a quite simple procedure.  The default pitch setting may have suited your friends transmission ratio better than it suits yours as a different ratio will require a different pitch setting to get the correct engine revs.  There is a calculation procedure on the website but it plays up on my tablet, you may need to try a computer, it may give you a better suggestion for the initial pitch setting for your motor.

The procedure for getting the correct setting is not in the book, but basically if you check the engine revs at full throttle as I mentioned in my earlier post, you should adjust the pitch to get the correct max revs.  As Marty says, a good diver with experience on your prop could do it in the water, it has a quite elegant simple adjustment system, but if the pitch requires adjustment I would also suggest the first adjustment be done out of the water so you can clearly see the method and the adjustment marks.  Also you will be able to see if there are any installation faults such as leaving the grease nipple in place, barnacles or damaged blades, or blades at different pitch angles, and check that the blades rotate freely between the forward and reverse pitch limits.  Grease it again if you are not sure about the first time, and check that the sail drive anode was properly installed.

When back in the water follow the instructions in your manual to get the blades feathered, and check that the shaft is not rotating.  Then recheck the revs and boat speed at max throttle.  If a big adjustment is required you may need a second attempt.  Don't go much over 3300 rpm if you get there before you reach full throttle.

Perhaps you could tell us what type of propeller you replaced.  By the way, I also have a feathering prop and I am very pleased, but my boat is a 30i so the propellor size is not relevant to your boat but the principals are the same.

rene460

[Spritz]

Dear all, thank you for your comments.
let me say that the diameter is right, moreover I am a very good diver so I could adjust the pitch by myself seeing what was happening.
i reached the right regulation but I had a reduction in motor speed. I called the producer and he has not idea why this happens, I modified the pitch several times but the results are not happy!!!
So he told me to ship back the propeller and he will reimburse me ( really big surprise, but also big sign of Honesty!!!!!!)
the purpose of this post is not comparing my results with the one of my friend, on the contrary is to check which type of propeller the other 42ds have because.
I decided to change the propeller with a folding one but I would like to have some advices....

[rene460]

Hi spritz,

Well done on doing your own pitch adjustment.  You probably now know more than any of us about the effect of this adjustment.  Disappointing to not get the result you wanted though.  Your original propeller must have been a very good match to your motor for precise pitch adjustment of what looks like a very good propellor to not achieve better boat speed under motor.  And full marks to EWOL for standing by their performance guarantee.  It all shows that there is more to propellor performance than diameter and pitch.

I prefer the feathering propellers over folding type due to the better reverse thrust.  I wish you well in your search for a replacement and we all await with interest news of what you eventually do.

rene460

[zzmeyer]

I have a 42ds. Didn't know they had sail drive option. I have a max prop and have put one on every boat I've owned in last fifteen years. I get 7.1 knots at 2400 rpm in slight seas. What I love about them is how true it backs the boat. Hope you can find someone wok can confirm its use on sail drive.

[Spritz]

Dear friends I will update you!!

now I mounted again the fixed propeller, speed is good, unfortunately under sail there is a lot of noise

Dear zzmeier mine is the 2011 model and is one of the few with sail drive. They started mounting it in 2011 till end of production (2012).
in 2013 there was the 41 DS.

KRS

[Madicken]

Hello!

I have a 42ds from 2011 whit saildrive. And my prop i a Gori 18 X 15 X 3 LHS. I sorry but i cant give you any numbers but i am very pleast whit this prop.

"Madicken of Sweden"

[Spritz]

Thank you Madicken!!
thia is the info I need!
can you please tell me your Max speed and your speed at 2600 rpm??

best regards

[Madicken]

Hello Spritz!

I think i will sail och tuesday. I´l check then.

Best regards

"Madicken of Sweden"

[Madicken]

Hi Spritz!

Now I have tried a little. The information is not exakta.Gori propeller is a bit special with its overdrive, explanation can be found here:





2000 rpm with overdrive: 7.6 knots.
2600 rpm with overdrive 8.6 knots.


2000rpm no overdrive: 6.4 knots.
2600 rpm no overdrive 7.6 knots.



2600 rpm with overdrive is almost full speed.



Normally I drive in overdrive at 1800-2200 rpm. I've talked with Yanmar about this and they say it will go just fine. Once in a while, maybe every 10 hours, I give full throttle for 10-20 seconds to remove any soot.



Do you have any information on original propeller? Is it that I should use if I take the channels down to the Mediterranean Sea in a few years?



Remember one thing. I have a short keel with larger weight maybe give it a little more water resistance ....



Best regards


Olof

"Madicken of Sweden"

[Spritz]

Dea Madicken, 
we have exactly the same boat. I have the normal keel 2.13 mt
i do not like too much the. Gori because of the system, but.....

yanmar 54hp has a highest rpm of 3000. Yanmar said several time that the engine is built to run continuously at 3000. I usually run at 2600 with the three blades fixed prop and I have a speed around 8.5

my prop diameter should be 18