Sailing in Neutral

[Whippet]

Hi

I once read advice on this site never to sail in neutral. Gee, it sure is tempting because boat speed is higher, about .5 kt increase when take out of gear at 5 kts.

What is reason to avoid? Wear on gear box, stuffing box?

Thanks

[ndutton]

It will certainly wear the shaft packing. Out of curiosity I measured the shaft RPM under sail @5 knots and engine in neutral. 400 RPM. I don't know of any other issues with our engines but as for hydraulic trannys typical on diesels, a freewheeling prop and shaft is not good. At Islander we even offered a shaft brake on the Freeport 41.

[sastanley]

My Dad always put the Atomic 4 "trans" in reverse when sailing...we raced a lot and with a 2 blade prop he hid the prop behind the keel. Now that I own the boat, my issue with that is wear on the brake band.

I now have the Indigo 3-blade prop, and I shut the motor down in forward to keep the clutch plates locked and holding the prop still while sailing. In my opinion, there is no sense in wearing out everything else unnecessarily, as Neil has already noted.

[hanleyclifford]

The theory behind the advice not to sail in neutral is that the turning shaft and drum etc is not getting oil if the engine is not running. Probably true for direct drive; however, the 2:1 never drains and I believe the ring gear does dip into the residual oil in the housing. Still, I do follow the conventional wisdom and stay in forward while under sail alone.

[Mo]

I've been sailing for a number of years in neutral. I did have to adjust my stuffing box this year, otherwise uneventful except you can hear the shaft turn while underway. I can gain up to a knot of speed when the wind is brisk but don't notice any difference on the lower end. 3 blade Michigan prop on the boat as far as I can tell.

[lat 64]

I always try to remember to lock in forward while sailing for all the mentioned reasons. Shawn however, has given me a trick to try sometime when I'm racing. Can't hurt the thing to use for a while to win a tacking dual can it?

Or am I missing a racing rule?

Russ

[sastanley]

lat 64 (man, that is way too far north!)

He marked the shaft while the boat was on the hard, so that we could set it vertical to have the least drag of the fixed prop behind the keel.

On a folding prop, you want to do the opposite, mark the shaft horizontal so the blades will fold, and not drop open in light air.

[Bingy]

Kiwi Prop

I have a 3 blade Kiwi feathering prop and manufacturer recommends sailing in neutral.
I'm not sure if this is the best for engine or prop and usually leave in forward.
I race a lot and hope non spinning prop is better .

[sastanley]

Kiwi, with a folder our SOP was to take the engine out of gear while at speed (3-4 knots) and usually the prop self set and the blades closed. We pulled the cover to check the prop position and 95% of the time it was within a few degrees..sometimes at lower speeds there was insufficient water pressure flowing by to fold the blades & we had to turn the shaft to get the prop horizontal, hence the practice of doing it while moving.

With a 3-blade feathering, I would assume they want it in neutral because the feathering action probably happens in conjunction with the shaft turning independently of the engine, and the water flowing by the blades. Once feathered, you should be able to put the engine back in gear (obviously with the engine switched off ) to hold the prop in the feathered position.

[Bingy]

I hauled boat the other day to adjust pitch to allow for a higher RPM.
Prior to adjustment I could only get 1600 RPM and had problems with fouling plugs.
Decreased pitch and took out for a motor. Boat moved at 6.3 knots and RPM has increased.Still had some room on throttle.
Water temp and oil pres. were all good.
Checked plugs and they appear to be much greyer in color.
Waiting for new tach to arrive so I can verify RPM.
The blades on my prop feather indepentely and I assume feather as soon as prop stops turning.
C&C 34 , 2 to 1 Paragon reduction gear, off set shaft.
I also have a Martec folding prop 16 x 10 that I might try.

[Sea Haven]

Mine is coupled to the Walther "V" drive"

Other Walther "V" drive" owners take heed........

This is STRAIGHT from the manufacturers mouth, no interpretation needed.

Ed,

For the V-Drive, it would be preferable for the shaft to be locked or to use a "feathering prop" while sailing. In either case, this would prevent the V-Drive from turning and building up heat and wearing internal parts. If the V-Drive is allowed to "free wheel", it is important for the V-Drive to have sufficient cooling water so that it does not get too hot.

I hope this information is helpful !
Don
THE WALTER MACHINE COMPANY, INC.
- Established 1927 -
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DonC@waltergear.com

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FWIW, Gori prop is in the budget for next season.

"Sub" Ed
SY SEA HAVEN
1978 Pearson 323, #124