by fullandby » Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:08 pm
I have a 3 blade prop, unsure about the pitch and diameter driven by a Yanmar 20hp. Mine is a bit overpitched as well, I get black smoke at about 3000 rpm and 6 knots. I think the pitch was optimised to run the motor at about 2600 revs and 5.5 knots which is economical on fuel. Being limited to 3000 rpm doesnt allow the engine to develop its full power but it seems to be a reasonable compromise.
The drag from the prop doesnt seem to be a significant problem, I can still get 5-6 knots in a good breeze. My prop is in front of the rudder so I dont have the option of a folding prop even if I wanted one.
Cheers,
Bart