Well, thankfully (or not) I found the pin, which is a good thing, except that it was clearly broken during the removal process. At least I have something to measure. The pin is really pretty tight in one blade, but a little sloppy on the other, so yes, it will need to be refurbished.
Interestingly, I can get to my prop shaft very easily by removing an inspection panel in the cabin sole, so aligning the prop will be no big deal at all. How do you feel about vibration (presumably the refurbishment would take care of a lot of the potential problems) and forward power? Kindest Regards, Bruce C. Whitmore 1994 C&C 37/40+, “Astralis” Madeira Beach, FL 847.404.5092 bwhitm...@sbcglobal.net From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Dennis C. via CnC-List Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2018 9:02 PM To: CnClist <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Dennis C. <capt...@gmail.com> Subject: Re: Stus-List Help with folding prop insights? Bruce, You're not going to get a lot of positive comments about Martec props on this list. You'll get a lot of suggestions about this prop and that prop. Having said that, I have a Martec Elliptical on Touche'. While it might not be everyone's favorite, I don't have any problems with it. Sure, I have to drop down into a cockpit locker to align it before a race or a long sail but that's the nature of non-geared folding props. As for rev erse, I back into my home slip without any issue at all. Just need a bit of practice and anticipation and you'll be good to go (or back up). I've dealt with Martec a couple times and found them to be fairly responsive. They should be able to send you whatever parts you need. One thing to be aware of with Martec props. They have 3 "lives". With use, the pin holes in the blades will begin to wallow out and the blades will start to become loose on the pin. The fix is to return the prop to Martec where they will, for a price, recondition it. Part of the reconditioning process is to re-bore the hub and blades for a larger pin. You can only do this twice. Hence the 3 lives, the original life plus 2 rebuilds. So, before you send the prop to Martec for reconditioning, measure the pin diameter and call them to see how many lives it has left. Dennis C. Touche' 35-1 #83 Mandeville, LA On Thu, Feb 15, 2018 at 7:28 PM, Bruce via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: Hello all, I have a fixed, 3 bladed prop on Astralis currently, and suspect that its slowing us down here in Florida where we just don’t get the wind like we did on Lake Michigan, so we rarely see much over 12 kts or so. I’m thinking I’d like to get a little more speed out of her, and one area of improvement could be the fixed prop. In the pile of old parts that the prior owner left us, I found an old, and obviously used Martec Eliptec RH18DX12P-3, two blade folding prop (it is not geared). I have the blades and hub, but at the moment cannot find the center pin. It seems like Martec may still be in the business of repairing these props. I’ve read some of the various reviews, and I understand there are better solutions out there, but clearly I’d be dropping a few boat bucks to pull it off. Do any of you have direct experience with the Martec Eliptec, and can advise me whether I’ll hate this thing from a performance or vibration point of view if I get a pin and put it on the boat? I am OK with somewhat limited reverse, but would be anxious if I was giving up a lot of forward power. And, I really don’t want a lot of vibration, especially if it’s going to do things like tear up the cutlass bearing. Thanks for your insights! Bruce C. Whitmore 1994 C&C 37/40+, “Astralis” Madeira Beach, FL 847.404.5092 <tel:(847)%20404-5092> bwhitm...@sbcglobal.net <mailto:bwhitm...@sbcglobal.net> _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
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