Ericson 35 – The Prop Has Been Performing Beyond Expectations
I have an Ericson 35, that previously had a had a 2 bladed 14 inch prop that performed poorly in reverse and in heavy seas. I purchased an EWOL 15 inch prop this past year and installed it this past Spring. Initially the pitch was set too high, but after a couple of in water prop adjustments, the prop has been performing beyond expectations. Sailing speed has increased and reverse performance now exists. Cruising this summer through Woods Hole against 5 knots of current the prop proved it’s worth. The biggest factor that sold me on the EWOL was the ease of pitch adjustment, something that is hard to guess right the first time. I would highly recommend the EWOL feathering prop.
Bill Vela
Alibi 54 – These Props Are Awesome!
I own the Alibi 54 hi-performance sailing cat DIFFERENCE. She was built in 2010 and came equipped with folding props which had two serious drawbacks: very poor performance in reverse and if allowed to freewheel, which can happen, they had a bad habit of flying open when sailing over 15 knots causing enormous vibration and drag. I would say even dangerous for a boat that can sail well over 20 kts. I recently refitted EWOL E3 to my twin 40 hp Volvos with sail drives. Theses props are awesome! Superior handling and maneuvering, easy feathering, full reverse authority and total quiet when shifting. They’re expensive, but wow, are they great.
Paul – USA
I’m Very Enthusiast About The Ewol
Hi,
I don’t know about Volvo propeller but I just bought an Ewol in May for my Freedom 32 to replace my ….. (maybe the worst propeller ever). I’m very enthusiast about the Ewol, everything they tell it’s true. I have more maneuverability, more speed sailing and motorizing, and less fuel consumption. My boat is in Hilton Head Island SC and from my marina to go sailing I have to motorize out of the creek through Harbor River, sometimes against 4-5 knots of currents (sometime makes difficult also leave land from the dock). With Ewol the boat is so responseve and I don’t need to fight to go out of the dock. I also gained 1.5-2 knots in speed and I have more time to enjoy sailing. I can not be more happy and I highly recommend this propeller.
Seventh Haven Hilton Head Island
Nice surprise
I just removed my M… and installed the EWOL prop that I purchased at the boat show »>Annapolis Boat Show. It is a 3 blade 18″ prop.
1) the salesman at the booth was very knowledgeable and is forthcoming with tech specs. He NEVER bad mouthed the competition’s propellers…he just noted their strengths and weak points…doing the same for his product
2) the order went through easily and prop was delivered in tact and on time
3) I thought there was an issue when I went to mount the prop…technical was on the phone with me immediately and throughout the process..the issue was mine and not with the prop
4) the biggest advantage of this prop is the ease of installation/removal…1 bolt and it’s in (no worries about losing the prop because of its engineering…losing it is nearly impossible).
5) the increase in performance was substantially better than my M….
Next spring I will add to this post as I will be on a 3 week cruise in the Northeast and will have a chance to use it on prolonged periods.
So far….I am happy.
Claudio New York
Passport 37 – The Boat Has Definitely Improved Its Maneuverability
I have a Passport 37 with a Yanmar 3GM30FV. Previously I had a 3 blade 16″ fixed prop. I keep my boat in a marina in Newport, RI where I need to be able to maneuvre in tight spaces.
I do not know about Volvo prop but since I’ve replaced my propeller with an Ewol 16″ three years ago the boat has definitively improved maneuverability, especially in reverse.
I have to say that customer support has been excellent.
Goldeneagle Newport RI
The Sailing Experience Is Very Noticeable and Really Makes Me Smile
I used a V…. two blade fixed propeller for about five years. Never had any problems with it. However I didn’t like the fact that when sailing I had to have the drive in gear and have heard stories about when sailing fast it can actually turn the engine over backwards and suck in water (never happened to me though). I tried a few times to leave the gear in neutral, as some have recommended, but the engine would shake quite a lot and I didn’t feel comfortable with that. It was explained to me that this shaking was a symptom of the large amount of drag that the fixed propeller actually has (which seems more than I would have thought).
Also I wanted to reduce drag when sailing (it is fun to go fast when conditions are right).
I did a huge amount of research about feathering vs. folding propellers and since my boat handles like a dream both in forward and reverse, I wanted to keep or maybe improve these characteristics. I decided that the feathering prop was the only way.
I started to research and compare all of the feathering propellers I could find and was at the boat show in Dusseldorf three years in a row two of which I spent a good bit of time looking and inspecting « hands on » the various manufacturers at the shows.
I made my final decision based on what in my mind was the best engineered propeller, also the most expensive, but this is often the case but not always.
Any way I mounted the new Ewol propeller this last June and although I think I would like to teak it a bit (an extremely nice feature with the Ewol) as I am getting quite easily and quickly to the high end of the maximum rpm. Without tweaking it I have a much better top speed, I have the same cruising speed as the V…. prop. at 2000 rpms. Reverse is better with the Ewol, I think because it is three blades instead of the V…. two. The sailing experience is very noticeable and a really makes me smile. Especially in light air. The boat just seems more « slippery » to me. Of course it is difficult to document with hard evidence, but I believe I am getting a good 1 to 1.5 knots in winds up to 20 knots.
Next summer I will tweak it a bit and report back.
Also I paid extra to get the prop polished (thinking that I would just keep it clean with a 3m pad). This was against the recommendation of Ewol. It was a mistake, so this winter I will rough it up a bit and use the paint they recommend.
Zai
Sun Odyssey 36/2 - Beautiful, Indestructible and not too Expensive
I chose an EWOL propeller, all stainless steel, compared to my fixed three-bladed, gain under sail +0.7 knots, gain in engine 1 knots. The most surprising thing is, when shifting from reverse, the braking power !! It drastically simplified the port maneuvers. It is beautiful, indestructible and not too expensive. In addition, the pitch setting is very simple. This is the best purchase I have made on my boat in recent years!
Gau Jean Marcel Port Camargue
Original Text
J’ai choisi une EWOL, toute inox, par rapport à ma tripale fixe, gain sous voile +0,7 nds, gain au moteur 1 nds Le plus surprenant et, lors du passage de la marche arrière, la puissance du freinage !! Çà m’a terriblement simplifier les manœuvres de port. Elle est belle, indestructible et pas trop chère. De plus, le réglage de pas est d’une simplicité enfantine. C’ est le meilleur achat que j’ai effectué sur mon bateau ces dernières années!