Maxprop installation

[ANTIDOTO II]

Hello to you all. I have just bought a HALBERG RASSY 352/1981 with a volvo penta MD21A.
I disassembled the 3 blade maxprop propeller without leaving marks. Gould anyone please give me instructions to install it properly? Thank you!

[Gudgeon]

I suggest you contact Maxprop to get the reccomended pitch for your boat. They also have the assembly instructions online.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by ANTIDOTO II

I disassembled the 3 blade maxprop propeller without leaving marks. Gould anyone please give me instructions to install it properly? Thank you!

Well, that wasn’t too good. I presume you have the “Classic” model?

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by ANTIDOTO II

Hello to you all. I have just bought a HALBERG RASSY 352/1981 with a volvo penta MD21A.

I disassembled the 3 blade maxprop propeller without leaving marks. Gould anyone please give me instructions to install it properly? Thank you!

Look through the folder of boat documents and log books usually there’s a little maxprop instruction booklet and if you’re lucky the settings on the chart will be marked or recorded by the previous owner.

[ANTIDOTO II]

Hello. Yes I have the classic model.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by ANTIDOTO II

Hello. Yes I have the classic model.

OK, well as mentioned before, you will have to go to PYI for a pitch settings guesstimate. They will want boat builder and model, engine h.p. And transmission gear ratio. You can download the installation manual from their website and there are a few helpful videos on YouTube (from PYI and others) to help you do it. If the settings they give don’t suit you (and they may not), an experienced diver can repitch the prop in the water without the need for a haulout.

[Gudgeon]

fstbttms realy have a lot of respect for you guys who do the max propos in the water. I have trouble doing it dry.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Gudgeon

fstbttms realy have a lot of respect for you guys who do the max propos in the water. I have trouble doing it dry.

[emoji106] It’s not for the faint of heart [emoji38]

[ANTIDOTO II]

The boat is not in the water

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by ANTIDOTO II

The boat is not in the water

Yes, but you won’t know if you’ve set the pitch properly until it is. Are you going to haul the boat every time you reset the pitch until you get it right?

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Yes, but you won’t know if you’ve set the pitch properly until it is. Are you going to haul the boat every time you reset the pitch until you get it right?

PYI will give you a good estimate and if you follow their guidance it will be close. I’ve done that twice and both times the setting they advised was slightly too much, probably because both boats weighed significantly more than what was published. So if you know the actual weight of your boat, tell them or if you don’t know it’s actual weight I’d add about 20% to whatever weight the builder advertises.

Also, unless my boat was in shallow water with a white, sandy, bottom, I wouldn’t attempt to adjust the pitch in the water because it’s too easy to lose a part by dropping it and it’s also difficult to see the little marks through a divers mask and a foot of water. A pro who does that for a living can do it underwater but not a good idea for typical boat owner. Besides, the PYI setting will be close enough to get you to through until your next haulout. No need to get too obsessive about resetting it immediately.

[ANTIDOTO II]

Thank you.

[ANTIDOTO II]

Perhaps I will do so if I have to.
Thank you

[ANTIDOTO II]

Thank you very much!

[PerfectPirate]

Originally Posted by ANTIDOTO II

Hello to you all. I have just bought a HALBERG RASSY 352/1981 with a volvo penta MD21A.
I disassembled the 3 blade maxprop propeller without leaving marks. Gould anyone please give me instructions to install it properly? Thank you!

You can download manuals for the MaxProp Classic from the PYI website. As well, they have a series of excellent videos on precisely this procedure on their Youtube channel. Both of these resources have proven invaluable to me as I just re-installed my 50-year-old MaxProp following a three-year long refit process. Make sure that you are looking at the manuals and videos for the Classic model. Pay close attention to matching the blade numbers: nearly every part of the propeller has an identification for which of the blades it goes with.


Important thought: if your MaxProp Classic is so old (like mine is) that it does not already have the setscrews for installing grease nipples for lubrication, then order that conversion kit from PYI and install the setscrews. This will allow you to lubricate the propeller in-place, rather than having to disassemble it every couple of years per the original requirements.

PYI is an excellent source of both parts and information. I found them to be a pleasure to deal with. Make sure that you get a package of replacement cotter pins for the screw fasteners on the prop body.