Swallow Yachts Association

Has anyone had success doing a more or less direct replacement of the standard 2-bladed prop on a Spirit 1.0 with a 3-bladed propellor that will come up through the outboard well slot without catching and hanging up?

Quote from: Andy Stobbart on 25 Nov 2024, 18:58Has anyone had success doing a more or less direct replacement of the standard 2-bladed prop on a Spirit 1.0 with a 3-bladed propellor that will come up through the outboard well slot without catching and hanging up?

Yes. See this thread, from posting #34. https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php?msg=13430
C.

Andy,

centering the 3-blade propellor with the 12 mm inner boring on the 10 mm diameter driveshaft of the Spirit 1.0 is easy. I used a short cut of 10 x 1 mm PVC hose, available in DIY stores. The PVC hose also cushions the propellor, and does not cause unwanted electrochemical (galvanic) corrosion of the driveshaft.
C.

Great info and advice. I have been to Amazon to see if I can get one of these props but it looks like they don't ship to NZ which means that I will have to go via a 3rd party (family) or find a similar product. I have tried to find a Solas one too but am having difficulty finding a dealer in NZ let alone identifying the right product. I will get there in the end because the 2-blader is doing my head in 😬.

Andy,
that plastic 3-blade prop is standard for the Tohatsu 3.5 and other asian small outboards. Plenty of Tohatsu in NZ.
Cheaper on Ebay or Temu.
C.

Tohatsu prop just arrived this morning - not that cheap but at least it was available ex-stock in NZ.

Now, if I have got this right, all I need to fit the thing is some 10mm ID-12mmOD plastic tube, some thread locker and the necessary spanners...?

Really interested in how you find the new prop, was it easy to fit? and how is the performance, any change on the range?  thank you!

Quote from: Andy Stobbart on 03 Dec 2024, 19:27Tohatsu prop just arrived this morning - not that cheap but at least it was available ex-stock in NZ.

Now, if I have got this right, all I need to fit the thing is some 10mm ID-12mmOD plastic tube, some thread locker and the necessary spanners...?

And a hacksaw to saw off the nose cone, and a file to smoothen the cut. See my photos in the thread linked above.
C.

👍🤓

OK so I fitted my new 3-bladed prop at the WE.
I removed the old prop (there's a central bolt and washer in the propshaft that secures an anode and then a larger nylock nut that you have to remove before the prop will come off).
At that point the new prop can be placed over the shaft but it is both too loose on the shaft and too long to get the nut back on to secure it.
So it was out with the reciprocating multi-tool to saw the cone of the new prop off down to the distinctive shoulders on the cone and out with the heat gun to apply a couple of layers of heatshrink to the shaft to fill it out to almost the diameter of  the hole in the new prop.
Then it was on with the prop, securing it with the nylock nut and a drop of threadlocker and then the anode retaining bolt and its washer also using threadlocker to secure it.
Job done.
Then out on the water to test.
If you are hoping for a speed & distance test from me you will be disappointed: my demands on an outboard are minimal being a) that it should propel the boat backwards and forwards at approximately the same speed as the original prop could; and b) that it would be easier to raise through the lamellae than the two-bladed prop.
It has passed a) in my book, I am not so sure about b) - those blimming lamellae are a pain - it probably comes up marginally more easily but it still seems to require getting down into the well to get a hand under the outboard shaft to haul the prop end up and past the lamellae, and the fact that the throttle handle doesn't tilt up sufficiently to NOT catch on the deck and require a simultaneous turn and lift of the shaft doesn't make things any the easier.
I'll stick with it for a few outings and see how I go before making a decision to keep or revert to the original.

Quote from: Andy Stobbart on 10 Dec 2024, 04:57... the fact that the throttle handle doesn't tilt up sufficiently to NOT catch on the deck and require a simultaneous turn and lift of the shaft doesn't make things any the easier.

That "fact" is not a fact. Use wedges on the o/b bracket, and pull the throttle handle out to fully tilt it up, then it works.

See my 2nd. photo in the thread linked above. https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=7836;image

Facts, factoids and alternative facts!
In truth ... (😇) my boat is an epoxy ply one built by Denman Marine in Tasmania. The floor is flat across its width and doesn't have a central channel as appears to be the case on the boat in your photo (I have never seen another BR20 so I don't know how other boats are featured but maybe this channel is universal elsewhere?).
On my boat the eProp will tilt satisfactorily if the motor/tiller is swung to one side or the other but only just.
In your photos I don't see any wedges: where do they go - are they on the back of the OB bracket or has the level of the OB bracket been raised up across its width on the photo or...?

Sorry, Andy. If you have a wooden BR I cannot help.
The BR sphere is today so fragmented into different versions and fitouts there is little common ground (or sense) left.

Wish there was one proper Bayraider 20 class. For the original Raidboat competition idea of these boats.
C.

One way to banish annoying throttle misery on the Spirit is to shorten it.  It's just an aluminium tube with various holes and slots at the aft end (see below) and a grip glued over the forward end.  Because of the way that it's configured, it's probably easier to shorten the forward end, which brings the problem of how to remove the grip without putting it beyond further use.  I'm waiting to hear that someone has done this successfully - probably by applying heat - before trying it myself.  Those with the Evo model don't have this issue as their throttle is fully detachable.

I'm wondering if it's worth forming a lip around the outer edge of the sawn-off part of the three-blade propeller, as eProp has on its two-blade version (below).  The intention would be to reduce prop turbulence and could be made in resin from a mould of that part of the eProp original.

Very timely topic as I'm looking at the three blade prop for our BC21. I heard that some concession had been made for fitting the EProp into the BC21, so I thought this probably meant a wider engine bay to take the large 2 bladed prop. Thinking about it more, the bay would have had to be so wide it would have affected the sailing performance I should think. What Swallows have done is to widen the bay at the front to provide more turning room for the 'prop shaft' in the lamelli which it does.

So I'm also looking at the methods described above for fitting the Tokatsu type prop. I was wondering whether rather than sawing off the back of the prop, it could be drilled out so that  some shape is preserved while still being able to get the nuts in.

Ray S
BC21 008 'Whimsey'