# Never a Gori prop again!



## haffiman37

A year ago I replaced the Radice 2-blade with a Gori 3-blade folding prop on my 2002 model Janneau37.I though I had chosen the top of the line, and specially the overdrive function that would encrease my fuel-capasity (range) by some 20% was interesting.I will hopefully start my trip from Norway to Malaysia through the Panama Canal in August. However when I lifted the boat after one year for a bottom job and zink replacement, she truth came out!You may check it out on:http://www.geocities.com/haffiman37/index.html in the yahoo photoes section.Goris answer was clear: we do not cover corrosion due to lack of zink, and the anode should have been inspected and replaced earlier, or extra anodes should have been added! So first they spend probably some millions in making a low drag propeller, then they ask you to add some ''brakes'' on the prop shaft to make it work!Why not from the beginning put on a zink at the propeller that lasts "a normal service-interval" of one year? The service department of Gori Denmark is not the place I will recomend anyone to contact with theese kind of problems. The Norwegian distributor of Flex-o-fold guaranties the original propeller anode to last 12-24months!Anyone wants to buy a second hand Gori 3-blade 16,5 x 12 x 3?


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## haffiman37

PS:
I forgot to mention that Gori has threatened me with a law suit if I went public with this story, so my departure may be delayed!


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## Sasha_V

While I agree that there is a case to be made for that prop having an integral annode as part of its frame (and lets face it, this means the company is going to make a few dollars off all of its customers every year or so, in perpetuity), I think you may be a little harsh on the company for stating that they do not offer a warranty against corrosion like that.

That sort of damage is a function of where you park your boat and the habbits of the other boaters in the marina.

We crew on a boat at Brighton which does not need the annodes replaced except every second year (and they could honestly make it every third, safely), while just down the road is another yacht club with many more powerboats an such, and the annodes on a friend''s boat there get changed every six to nine months.

No one can tell you how long an annode is going to take to corrode regardless of the environment. It is entirely a function of how much stray current it is subjected to (also temp and other stuff).

I am curious that you believe that annodes mounted on the shaft will act as brakes. On the other hand, the picture shows that there is not a lot of room behind the prop on your shaft to add an annode.

Good luck in whatever you try next, but you are going to have to watch the corrossion in your area no matter who''s brand of prop you fit next (or if it is stainless or bronze).

Sasha

P.S I have an Australian made Autostream 3blade feathering prop in all-stainless (with integral annode). I could not be happier with it.


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## haffiman37

The first propeller, Radice had no signs of galvanic corrosion after 14 mnths at the exact same mooring place at my dock, and no canges of other boats around, electric cables or whatsoever.No shorepower, no nothing hooked up that could add current.The shaft-tip anode was still there when the boat went up for the change.The original Gori anode is almost at the exact same place, but perhaps 1/4 size of the old one, protecting double the mass of different alloys. Ball-shaped anodes which you mount around the shaft have several disadvantages and risks:They encrease drag, they create cavitation, (air bubles) that goes straight into the propeller, they create unballance of the prop shaft as they get eaten up, and finally they have a tendancy of getting loose, slide down the shaft and block the water through the cutlass bearing. As noted there is no room for an extra anode in front of the propeller, so unless one does not want to lift the boat every three mnths, a different brand seems to be the solution.


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## Jeff_H

I had a whole range of problems with the Gori on my previous boat, and also had very poor waranty service from them. I went through quite a few Gori''s in a 6 year period, the last one paid for out of pocket since only Gori''s fit my saildrive. That one seemed to be a little better built than the earlier ones and stayed in good shape for as long as I owned the boat. The Gori''s, like most saildrive props, had its own integral zinc, which was extremely expensive (the last one I bought was nearly $60) and here on the nearly brackish Chesapeake generally lasted about a year. A diver was able to replace the zinc without hauling the boat each year. 

Jeff

Jeff


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## Sasha_V

At $60US for an annode, I have to say that I would simply get my brand new one and make a mold with either muffler clay or plaster. I would then be casting my own annodes thereafter.

You can melt them in an old saucepan on a stovetop, for goodness sake....

And of course, a wander around any marina in the world will quickly yield bucket loads of half eaten-away disposed of annodes which will melt down perfectly happily into your custom fitted gosh-wow expensive propriatary annodes.

I do not bother with this for the normal little annodes (about $20 every two years is nothing), but for what you described, I would do it out of sheer bloody mindedness at being ripped off.


Sasha

P.S the fitted annode for my austral autostream prop is a whole $12AUD, and the prop came with three spare annodes when bought new.


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## haffiman37

I got myself a new schock today as I lifted the boat to replace the propeller: most of the cone on the propshaft was gone. I have put some more pics at my page: http://www.geocities.com/haffiman37/index.html
I even put both the prop and shaft at display in the entrance of my marina with a big warning sign. I have some 500 sailing yachts coming by for fuel etc every year, might be interesting to hear their comments.


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## yachtdiver

anybody that thinks a zinc is supposed to last is a idiot and has no idea of what they are talking about....no zinc should evr last more than 90-120 days unless you are in PURE fresh water.....


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## LakeSuperiorGeezer

Here is a course on corrosion protection funded by a grant from the Department of Defense. The course is intended for engineers and technicians. If you are connected to shore power, also consider an isolation transformer to reduce zinc consumption. Introduction | CorrConnect


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## Fstbttms

yachtdiver said:


> anybody that thinks a zinc is supposed to last is a idiot and has no idea of what they are talking about...


+1

Blaming the prop manufacturer for corrosion on *your* boat? Friggin ponderous.


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## SEMIJim

Holy necroposting, Batman!


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## Fstbttms

SEMIJim said:


> Holy necroposting, Batman!


Dammit! I can't believe I got sucked into a dead thread! And quoted a first-time poster to do it, too!


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## Jeff_H

Having had a boat with a Gori Prop, I would have to agree in part with the poster in assigning some blame to Gori. 

For the most part, even in warm salt water areas like Florida, the zincs on my boats have generally lasted at least a year. My current boat has a martec and conventional shaft; and although I swap them out regularly as a preventative measure, the zincs will typically last close to two years here on the mid-Chesapeake. 

But, the zincs used with Gori props tended to be thinner and have less metal in them and so seem to have a very short lifespan. On my last boat typically less than a year here on the Chesapeake and so I would expect much less in full salinity water. 

But unless Gori advised someone of this in advance there would be no way of knowing to expect such as short lifespan out of their zincs and so as the OP pointed out, this is a serious design flaw. That said, from what I gather I don't believe that Flex-o-fold is any better.

With regards to YachtDivers comments, to partially quote him, "anybody that thinks no zinc should ever last more than 90-120 days is an idiot and has no idea of what they are talking about." But of course that did not stop him from spouting off without bothering to read the post. 

Jeff


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## Maine Sail

haffiman37 said:


> I got myself a new schock today as I lifted the boat to replace the propeller: most of the cone on the propshaft was gone. I have put some more pics at my page: http://www.geocities.com/haffiman37/index.html
> I even put both the prop and shaft at display in the entrance of my marina with a big warning sign. I have some 500 sailing yachts coming by for fuel etc every year, might be interesting to hear their comments.


Sorry dude ANY prop would have been eaten alive with your lack of maintenance. I have NO CLUE where you get the idea that a zinc should last a one year service interval as the interval is 100% dependent upon where you store your boat and how fast your local conditions eat them. I have seen zincs gone in 45 days and some last 7-8 months but it all depends upon where you are and how hot your marina is. This is NOT Gori's problem..

Gori should sue you especially if your are this clueless about maintaining your own vessel and then trying to blame the manufacturer for your own lack of maintenance.

No sympathy from me. One year...? Really? I agree with Gori even though I am not a big fan of their props. CHANGE YOUR ZINCS MORE REGULARLY OR FIND A NEW LOCATION!!!


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## Maine Sail

Fstbttms said:


> Dammit! I can't believe I got sucked into a dead thread! And quoted a first-time poster to do it, too!


Aw shucks me too...... This is an OLD one but the OP was still a DF...


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## BGallinger

I installed a Kiwi prop on my Hunter and I'm pleased with the overall performance. There are claims of a 0.5 to 1.0 knot increase in sailing speed. I have no corrosion issues and more control when docking.


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## sailingdog

Unfortunately, a lot of people fail to do proper maintenance and then blame the gear....for the problems they run into.



Maine Sail said:


> Sorry dude ANY prop would have been eaten alive with your lack of maintenance. I have NO CLUE where you get the idea that a zinc should last a one year service interval as the interval is 100% dependent upon where you store your boat and how fast your local conditions eat them. I have seen zincs gone in 45 days and some last 7-8 months but it all depends upon where you are and how hot your marina is. This is NOT Gori's problem..
> 
> Gori should sue you especially if your are this clueless about maintaining your own vessel and then trying to blame the manufacturer for your own lack of maintenance.
> 
> No sympathy from me. One year...? Really? I agree with Gori even though I am not a big fan of their props. CHANGE YOUR ZINCS MORE REGULARLY OR FIND A NEW LOCATION!!!


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## Fstbttms

sailingdog said:


> Unfortunately, a lot of people fail to do proper maintenance and then blame the gear....for the problems they run into.


Agreed. If the OP let his boat go a year without checking his zincs, he has no one to blame but himself.


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## Izzy1414

After 6 years, his whole boat's corroded away by now anyway ....


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## jrd22

Old thread or no, still a good topic. How long your zincs last varies tremendously and the OP was off base in blaming Gori for his lack of maintenance. We can go about one year on the zincs on the sailboat but the zincs on the outdrive on the crab boat need to be replaced about every four months and the little zinc on the Autoprop on our last sailboat was gone in about six months. It's just common sense to check the zincs every couple of months on a different prop or in a new marina.


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## JomsViking

I'm a great fan of Gori (low drag), and my experience is that they are less prone to corrosion than many others - eating less zinc. I also know them as having EXTREMELY good customer service, but that could be due to the fact that we're from the same country.
But as others have stated poor maintenance hurts any boat or prop


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## PCP

jrd22 said:


> ...and the little zinc on the Autoprop on our last sailboat was gone in about six months. It's just common sense to check the zincs every couple of months on a different prop or in a new marina.


As many have said, different marinas and waters can have widely different results on the zincs duration. I had an autoprop for 5 years, in 3 different marinas and its zinks (mine come with two, one bigger and a smaller one) always lasted a year, and were substituted more for prevention then for need. However, when I mounted the autoprop I have increased all the sizes of the zinks on the boat and later also increased the size of the smaller autoprop zink.

The OP says that the Gori comes with very small zinks. I never quite looked at the size of the Gori zinks, but if they are really small, that means that they have to be checked and changed more frequently.

Regards

Paulo


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## Nelsoncw

I have an Autoprop on my Catalina 42. AB Marine had rebuilt the prop in 2007. In May of 2009 and 225 hours later a blade came off. Buntons Marine replaced the blade for $1500. I had it lubricated every six months. I am always in deep water. It never touched anything but saltwater. I only go to Catalina and back. Other than the lost blade there was not any evidence of damage or distress.

At the time Steve Armitage of AB Marine told me that losing a blade was a rare occurrence and that he did not have an explanation for why the blade fell off. David Sheppard of Brunton's Propellers Ltd, told me losing a blade is an “an exceptional case”. Contrary to their comments the prop has been subject to a recall for lost blades. If you search other support groups and blogs you will find many others that have lost Autoprop blades. It demeans their credibility to say otherwise. 

Although I enjoy the performance of my Autoprop my experience with AB Marine and Brunton's Propellers has been extremely disappointing. They are unwilling to stand behind their product. In all their replies I feel like I am hearing from a politician trying not to give a straight answer.


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## labatt

I haven't bought through them YET, but I found these cheaper Gori zinc's online - Gori Propeller Zinc Anodes


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## jrd22

Geez Nelson, how many times and places are you going to post that same thing? I think most people in the known world understand by now that you aren't a fan of Autoprop. By the way, we've had one on a boat for 18 years, no problems, and works great.


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## SteveFredrick

Wow, let's see. My yacht, a First 42, has had two (2) Gori propellers in 28 years. The first 2 blade lasted 16 years, never showed any signs of corrosion, and was only replaced because I wanted the 3-blade. My 3 blade is now 12 years old, shows no signs of any corrosion, no appreciable wear, has been on the yacht for more than 20,000 miles, and the yacht has docked at marinas in more than 20 different countries. My only complaint is the maintenance parts are ridiculously expensive.


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## deniseO30

Steve! The OP must of made peace with Gori, this thread was started in 2004!


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## blutoyz

Why not keep this thread going now...perhaps we can dig a little and find one from the 90's too,,,,:laugher

I am curious though...
How many pages back do you go for a thread this old?


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## Jeff_H

"Steve! The OP must of made peace with Gori, this thread was started in 2004! "

Denise, 

But Gori never made peace with me. A First 42 would not have an electrolycally isolated prop, so he may not have experienced any prop failured and had service needs from Gori. But if he actually needed Gori to stand by their product, and experienced thier cavalier attitude, and lack of support, he would probably have as low opinion of Gori as many Gori owners do.


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