# Kiwi prop --- feathering



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I’m planning to purchase a feathering prop for my Catalina 380. Looking at the different web pages, the Kiwi prop seems very interesting (performance, design, price). Does anyone have any experience with the Kiwi prop? I’m living in California, and I’m a little concerned with service and support, as they don’t appear to have a US distributor.

Thanks, Johan


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## jack_patricia (May 20, 2001)

Johan, are you asking about the Autostream prop (built in Oz, not NZ, but distributed exclusively by Martec within the U.S.)? If so, I can offer a bit of info.

Jack


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## eds928gt (Sep 28, 2001)

I think he is asking about Kiwi props, made in NZ. "Blue Water Sailing" magazine had an article in last month''s issue about various folding and feathering props. The Kiwi prop was one of them.

From the testamonials I''ve read, folks like them. They funtion very well and are about half the cost of other feathering or folding props.

My friend is about to buy one, and I''m considering doing so as well.

~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Yes, I''m asking if any have any experiance with the Kiwi Prop, made in NZ. It has free floating composite blades, in contrast to Autostream made in Australia all made in stainless. The Kiwi Prop seems to be a nice simple design, and i wonder how it holds up in the long run.

Thanks, Johan


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## dpboatnut (Jun 22, 2002)

I was in Martec''s office two weeks ago picking up my reconditioned prop, and saw the kiwi-prop literature sitting on the office desk. I asked about it, and the gal said that they had sold one, and were considering becoming a distributor. There was some disagreement between her and one of the other folks that work there about the durability of the prop, and the potential for breakage by impact with debris. I told her I couldn''t imagine an impact that would shatter the flexible kiwi-blades that wouldn''t bend a metal blade. And the kiwi-props come with a spare blade, just in case, anyway.

If you want one, I believe Martec will sell you one, and although they may give you a pitch toward their own product, I think they''re a pretty honest bunch.

Best,
-Chad


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## gdavids (Oct 17, 2003)

We installed a Kiwiprop on our new (to us)Ericson 39B about a month ago. We are quite pleased with it. Seems well made and is simple to adjust the degree of pitch. Auto rotation of the prop was completely eliminated. That was actually the number one reason that made us want to get a feathering prop. Our transmission would not lock the shaft in place when the engine was off. Power in reverse was substantially improved over the original fixed three blade prop. We have not really had the boat long enough to get a fair sense of how much speed we gained under sail, but I would guess it is a half knot or so in lighter conditions. The price was definitely right, and they included a spare blade at no extra charge. Delivery was within a week of placing an order. I believe the cost was $1,250 including air shipment from Kiwiland.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Thanks for your inputs. I will give the Kiwi Prop a go.
Johan


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## Sasha_V (Feb 28, 2004)

I can help you with this one.
I live here with them!

The Kiwiprop website is unfortunately the very best part of the kiwiprop.
Sorry.

I was all set to buy one sight unseen when I was finally talked out of it by a couple of knowledgeable sailing friends and the guy at the boatyard. I finally manged to find one to look at, and while they are a nice idea...they really do seem to be FRAGILE...and that is not a word I want to attch to my feathering prop.

The independent swing of the blades is a nice sounding idea..until I saw how they achieved it. By the time I had stopped twiddling with one I was ready to buy the poeple that had stopped me from sending my check a drink.

A week later I went with the Autostream, all stainless, feathering prop. This thing is bloody amazing.

The price is higher (though not that much), but the longevity and reliability is miles ahead.

The most relevent issue though, was the weight difference. The kiwiprop is a lightweight! a 24inch prop weigh less then 2kg...there is a lot of plastic in it (also, to gie it some credit, a lot of Vesconite...which is an incredibly tough plastic that outlasts steel in some applications). The Autostream that we bought for our boat weigs in at 7 1/2 kg before it is pumped fuul of grease and such. It is CHUNKY.


But it is also a lot more efficient. The kiwi uses thin plastic blades and needs to broaden them to allow the steel rod that attaches them to the prop hub. The Autostream uses all stainless contruction and has optimised blade shape.

The other prop you may want to look at is the Tri-stream...a folding three blader that is pretty amazing.

Hope that helps.


By the way, our boat is a 2.6 ton 27 footer...and the kiwi still felt too fragile...


Sasha


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## Sasha_V (Feb 28, 2004)

$1250...

wow.

They retail locally for $1100Australian Dollars....Given the exchange rate, that is a hell of a markup just for shipping it to the US....

(and the fact that no one buys retail, you can always get 15-20% off)

Yikes. Still, glad it is working for you.


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## paulmcquillan (Jan 4, 2002)

We have a Kiwi Feathering Prop on our 41 foot boat here in California (about 22,000 pounds)

Love the prop. No problems & great control. Easy to work with the mfg


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## StephenOrd (Mar 25, 2002)

*Interesting to see these comments*

It strikes me as odd that those that like the prop own one and those that don't, do not own one. Usually that is the reverse.

I have noticed that they are made out of a similar material to some airplane props and if theirs stops working they have even more to worry about than a boater does. Just a comment


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## negrini (Apr 2, 2008)

Stephen, you're granted divine proprety of resuscitation. Thread is almost 5 year dead. By the way, I just purchased one for my OC43, and regardless their "fragile" appearance, I'm stitched to their technical reference. Very consistent.


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## StephenOrd (Mar 25, 2002)

*That is the beauty of these forums.*

5 Years ago I was not looking for a feathering prop and I always find the forums online the best source of information. Real world users and real world conditions. Too many reviewers are being paid (directly or indirectly) or have a reason for a favourable review.

The only negative review I have found anywhere on the web for the Kiwi prop has been here and he never used one. So it sound really good


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## SEMIJim (Jun 9, 2007)

Stephen, what negrini was referring to was the fact that most forums frown on resuscitating old threads. It is generally preferred that one start a new thread, referencing the old thread, if desired.

The downside to the Kiwi feathering prop, just as with any other feathering prop or gear-coupled folding prop, is the increased complexity. That being said: Everything _I've_ read has said that if you maintain it as per recommendations, they're generally trouble-free.

Jim


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

I have had no problems with mine. and will recomend the Kiwi Prop.


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## RichardElliott (Sep 24, 2001)

I have heaqrd that the Kiwi is limited to 50 maximum horsepower. Is this true?


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## holby (Feb 26, 2009)

SEMIjim, not resusitating old threads, now thats a new one to me, so I had to join and say, not at all, any relivant post is useful, no matter how old the thread, so long as it pertinent to the orginal thread, not impressed with your approach especially to people who have not posted many entries. 
Dave


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## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

I have a client who has a Kiwi Prop on his Wylie 34. We are going to have to replace a blade this month since he hit something and sheared off a blade tip. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know what (if any) damage a bronze or stainless prop would have suffered, but there it is.


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## PearsonCommander (Feb 10, 2009)

We got one last year and so far are pleased. The performance in reverse is much better.

The poster above may not understand that the Kiwiprop is intneded to have its blades replaced if the hit something...tht may be the reason he felt it seemed "fragile..."


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I use a composite prop on my boat, that is made of materials similiar to what the Kiwi prop is made of and the blades are designed to shear in an impact. This can save the transmission and lower drive unit from being damaged. The blades are easily replaced. I believe that the Kiwi prop is designed with the same idea in mind.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Kiwi or other feathering propeller*

Since it has been a year since the last posting, I'm curious to know if anyone has updated experience with any of their feathering props - positive or negative?
How do the Kiwi props hold up over time?
Are there comments from owners of other brands?
Are you satisfied with their ability to maneuver in tight marinas - is it significantly better than your fixed blade props if that is what you changed out?

Thanks much!!
Scott


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## sailIC (Mar 6, 2010)

I'm actually the original poster and stumbled over this post on another search. I did move ahead an bought a Kiwi prop, and even if I sold the boat four years ago i did use the boat on an 2 month cruise with it.

Overall i was pleased with the prop. As expected, the sailing performance improved especially in light air. By engine, it lost some bite forward most noticable in heavier seas. Good reverse and the prop walk which was significant on the fix prop dissappeared. I got a line in the prop which pulled the engine out of alignment but with no dammage to the prop. 

I would buy it again, price and good enough being the two main reasons.


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## brokesailor (Jan 12, 2008)

On a Hunter 36 I replaced the stock fixed three blade with a 3 blade kiwi. Best thing I ever bought for the boat. Prop walk is completely gone. Under power going into the wind up the Potomac at 20-25 KTS I was doing about 6 KTS. With the old prop I would have been lucky if I did 3 KTS undr those conditions. Sailing performance has also improved picking up .5-1 KT.


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## sailjunkie (Nov 4, 2009)

One of the previous owners had installed an L/H pitch Kiwi Feathering Prop on our 29 foot boat. As others have said, no problems.

One further note, there is minimal prop walk in reverse and none in forward. It is early days for us, but so far, so good.


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## night0wl (Mar 20, 2006)

Just ordered the Kiwi Prop for our Beneteau 343. We have pretty bad prop-walk, so I'm hoping to get cured on that. Also, in 10-12 knots of wind, I usually make a little over 4 knots SOG with my fixed 3 blad prop. People have called my fixed prop the equivalent of a bucket being towed behind us 


Will report on our experience when I get Jendai back in 2 weeks after our haul-out.


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## sailIC (Mar 6, 2010)

Before everybody think the Kiwiprop is the best thing since sliced bread, below is the thought process I went through before buying one. Here is to me a simple summary of the different pros/cons by prop type

Fixed
Pros: Best engine performance, reliable, cheap
Cons: Huge drag when sailing

Folding:
Pros: Lowest drag when sailing, Medium price
Cons: Poor engine performance especially reverse, reliability

Feathering:
Pros: Almost as low drag as folding, almost as good by engine as fixed
Cons: Very expensive

The really good thing with the Kiwiprop is the price. I think that’s the main reason why you buy it. I do think other much more expensive feathering props has slightly lower drag but the Kiwiprop is huge improvement over fixed.

When I got it I was also very impressed by the simplicity of the design. Aside from braking the replacable blades, I cannot see what can break.

I cannot understand why the propwalk almost disappeared. It might have something to do with that when the blade flips it will have the same leading edge both forward and reverse. Also (if I remember correctly), the reverse pitch (not adjustable) was very high. Might have something to do with it, but it did work.

The only negative that surprised me was that the propeller rotated whilst sailing. Cannot understand why it did with freely feathering blades, but it has to generate some resistance. Easily fixed by putting the gearbox in reverse, but I heard of problems if you have a hydraulic gearbox.

All in all, I would definitely buy it again.


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## brokesailor (Jan 12, 2008)

I must apologize to the group. I have a Gori prop not a Kiwi.


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## Shortman (Feb 12, 2006)

Headed into my fourth season w/mine on a Pearson 34 with a Yanmar 3GMF. Quite happy with it. Greatly reduced walk. Much better reverse. Chipped one blade corner on a log first season, have not replaced because damage small, BUT it is replaceable. A little grease every spring. Deal direct w/mfg. & they're very responsive.


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