260 Mod: Folding Prop

-
The Beneteau First 260 comes standard with an inboard diesel, in our case a Volvo-Penta MD-2010. This 10HP, 2 cylinder motor is a little jewel. It powers the boat quickly and efficiently. From the factory, it drives a 2 blade fixed propeller via a shaft. Fine for regular sailing, but for racing this simply HAS to go.

The time credit PHRF and other handicap system grant a boat with a fixed prop in no way makes up for the time lost to the extra drag. For example, PHRF gives a 3 second credit for a fixed 2 blade prop. Its is understood that in lighter conditions, the drag can actually cost 30 seconds a mile. So a folding prop was needed. But what one?



Kestrel uses a 2-blade Flexofold that we are very happy with. So I called Flexofold to discuss. Even though you call a USA number, the call is answered by a tech in Denmark where they are made. This is good news, because experts will size the prop for you, eliminating guess-work. If they get it wrong, they will swap out the blades.

After discussing the boat with the technician, we settled on a left hand twist prop of 15x11. That's a 15 inch diameter with a 11 inch pitch. The prop was shipped several days later and arrived in a week. Upon opening it, it is clear why there is so much less drag. On the geared surfaces, the water pressure while sailing closes the blades and the surface ares goes doen by some 90%

Open


Closed

The prop works perfectly, always opening and closing as expected. This is not the case with older, non-geared folding props like Martec. Notice in the video how easily the prop opens and closes, and how the blades do this as a pair. The assures that they fully open and close correctly under the pressure of water flow.




And the sailing performance is very noticeable. All in all a great addition. Flexofold props are bought from the factory, The web site is HERE.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 6, 2016 at 6:06 AM

    Changed my fixed for a Flexofold last year on my 25.7S - I wish I had done it earlier. Worth every penny (or cent)!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting an International Certificate of Competence (ICC) in the USA

-
Image
If you are an American sailor with international sailing aspirations, you have probably heard of the ICC. Sometimes described incorrectly as an 'International Sailing Licence' or 'Global Charter Certification', its roots and purpose are more complex, and somewhat strange to Americans. I'll start with a little background. More ancient than automobile driving, mariners (in particular recreational mariners) have long enjoyed a tradition of loose or non-existent licencing of their activities world-wide. Even in well developed countries like the USA, there is very little in the way of formal requirements in order to operate a boat. This has led the world to view American charter skippers as 'Credit Card Sailors', due to the only thing needed with their name on it to sail is their credit card! As often happens in matters like this, the ICC got its start in Europe. The close proximity of countries and the mixing of languages, laws, and cultures made a mis
Read more

LED Nav/anchor replacement bulb

-
Image
Depending on the build year and the market, the First 260 often came with a single light at the mast top, most typically a red/green/white navigation light. Designed for offshore/coastal use, the fixture placed the light source high where it was easily seen. The single light has its disadvantage however, the primary one being that there is no provision for an anchor light. You CAN replace the fixture to a stacked nav/anchor light, but beyond that being expensive, you still need to run another set of 12v wires to the top of the mast, and add a switch to your DC panel to control it. So most boats stayed rigged in the original manner. A later option was a LED replacement fixture from NASA Marine in the UK. Called the Combi-LED, this light had the innovative ability to be controlled by ONE 12V wire pair, meaning no new wires to be pulled. It did this by reversing polarity to get anchor light, and came with a small switch to add to your panel to control this. I looked at doing this for
Read more

Spinnaker Handling: Twings

-
Image
A recent addition to modern spinnaker handling are a set of control lines called 'twings'. Twings are used to control the position of the spinnaker sheet and guy to shape the sail, and although they are not standard rigging from Beneteau, they are easy to rig on a First 260 or First 25s.   In the picture, you can see both the sheet and guy. Although hidden on the port (guy) side, you can see the twing attached to the sheet of starboard, holding it slightly down to give a better lead angle to the clew. This gives better sail shape. On the pole side, the twing helps the pole-down line control pole position. This diagram gives a good feel for how the lines are laid out. Ideally, you can control the twing from the cockpit as shown. Looking back at the first picture, the control device (F) is a Harken 150 camcleat with a Extreme Angle fairlead on it, mounted on the outer side of the coaming. You can see it easily in the picture. Here it is easily accessible by crew, and
Read more