262,000 nautical miles – one Autoprop

Issue No.10
The newsletter of Bruntons Propellers
SigmaDrive
goes worldwide
Our SigmaDrive anti-noise and
vibration units have now been
launched
in
many
countries
throughout the world. Wherever we
have introduced them they have been
greeted with a great deal of interest
by boat builders and owners equally.
Whether it is for a new vessel or for a
boat already in service that has noise
and vibration issues a SigmaDrive
unit is available.
The reason for so much interest in
SigmaDrives is not hard to understand.
They are a genuine 21st century solution
to noise and vibration having been
designed and engineered to remove many
of the problems associated with other
products attempting to do the same job.
Most notable among their features is that
they are made entirely from a special
bronze alloy and have no rubber or
bearings in their construction, unlike some
other manufacturer’s products. The result
is a low maintenance product which will
have a very long service life.
Already the success stories are coming in
with two of them featured inside this issue
of Proptalk.
Also inside
• The SigmaDrive
262,000
nautical miles –
one Autoprop
The headline alone tells a story, but it’s
when you get to hear just where this
Autoprop has spent a very large part of
its life that you realise just what a story
it is. Autoprops are revered by many
owners as being the very best propeller
that you can fit to cruising sailing
yachts. They work! However one point
that has not perhaps been discussed
before in any detail is just how reliable
and well-made they are.
Sir Chay Blythe had Autoprops fitted to his
Round the World yachts and he was full of
praise for both their performance and their
reliability but, even his yachts only spent a
small percentage of their time in the
Southern Ocean and almost no time at all
within range of ice.
This is not the case with the yacht ‘Xplore’.
Originally one of Sir Chay’s ‘Round the
World’ boats she is now owned by Xplore
Expeditions who use her almost totally in
the Southern Ocean and are regularly in ice
packed waters. To date her Autoprop has
racked up an astonishing 262,000 nautical
miles, much of it in conditions that are the
most testing on the planet, for humans and
Autoprops!
When we looked at what we wanted to do
with high latitude and polar expeditions I
knew that our engine and drive system was
very important, you can’t get stuck in ice
and remote locations with machinery
failure. We stuck with Bruntons, and have
now done 92,000 nautical miles with Xplore.
Xplore being Challenge hull number 21
has now on record done 262,000 nautical
miles, and yes it’s still the same propeller. Of
course we do the normal maintenance and
recommended checks, in the water and
out, with Bruntons both are so simple.
There are many stories and wild conditions
that we have taken the boat into; too many
to start talking of here, but when it comes
to simple and reliable, give me an Autoprop
any day.”
www.xplore-expeditions.com
Stephen Wilkins, who owns Xplore
Exhibitions, takes up the story. “Even before
we bought Xplore, a Challenge 67, at the
Two examples showing how good the new anti-noise and
vibration units really are
• HEME makes good progress
end of 2006 I had already been around the
globe with an Autoprop in the 2000 BT
Global Challenge as the skipper on Spirit of
Hong Kong; that was 33,000 nautical miles of
tough sailing.
An update on the HEME project, which is now at the half way
stage in its development
• A utoprop or Varifold
Which is right for your boat?
• T he owner’s comment
Favourable comments from owners who have re-propped their
vessels with a Bruntons propeller
HEME makes good progress
The HEME project, which we reported on last year, is now at the half way stage in its
development. The High Efficiency Marine Energy project is a European funded
research mission with the specific aim of improving the energy efficiency of vessels
up to 50 metres in length and Bruntons part is providing a highly advanced
controllable pitch propeller system, (CPP).
Working closely with our other partners great progress has been made so far and the sea trials
conducted last summer produced some very promising results with great potential for vessels
to considerably improve fuel efficiency. Using the information gathered last year further
development of the system has taken place and we are eagerly awaiting new trials, scheduled
for this spring. You can read more information about HEME on the news page of our website.
The SigmaDrive
With SigmaDrives, our new anti-noise and vibration units already being fitted to vessels,
the good news about both their effectiveness and their build quality is already coming back
to us.
Two examples show how good they are on two very different craft. Early Purple II is a Southern Wind 93
while the second boat is a Superyacht Tender constructed to the highest standards by UK builders
Cockwells of Falmouth.
SigmaDrive SD 300 as fitted to Early Purple II
Early Purple II underwent an extensive refit in Lorient where part of the work involved the removal of its
CPP unit and its replacement with a Bruntons designed propulsion system which incorporated a
SigmaDrive and a Varifold propeller. Captain and owner were extremely pleased with the results.
Cockwells have already fitted several SigmaDrive units to their highly praised and sort after custom built
craft. Owner of the company Dave Cockwell explains why, “At Cockwells we have used CV joints for
many years but had issues with them, including bad corrosion occurring not long after fitting. This is an
issue we do not have with the stainless steel and aluminium bronze constructed SigmaDrives and to
date we, and our clients, have been very happy with the performance of them.”
A similar yacht to the Southern Wind 93
SigmaDrives are available for virtually any powered craft including those with water jets, pod drives and
V drive gearboxes, and standard models are available that can operate with engines from 10hp to
1300hp. For power outputs above 1300hp we are happy to design and build a custom unit. Much more
information regarding SigmaDrives is available on our website - www.sigmadrive.info
Superyacht Tender constructed by Cockwells of Falmouth
Autoprop
or Varifold
The owner’s
comment
Which is right for your boat?
Anyone who regularly reads our Proptalks could be forgiven
for thinking that the way we describe our two main propeller
products makes them out to be both as good as one another
and surely that can’t be true. Well actually it can be and it is.
Put simply they are the best products around depending on the type
of vessel you own. If you are building a new yacht or considering
replacing the existing propeller on your current vessel it is important
that you get the right propeller for the boat. Naturally we will be
delighted to help you make the right decision and a phone call to
our office will soon have you talking to one of our highly experienced
and knowledgeable team. Unlike other propeller manufacturers,
because we make both folding propellers, Varifolds, and feathering
propellers, Autoprops, you can be certain that the advice you are
given will be unbiased and designed to ensure that the propeller on
your yacht gives you the very best performance.
Listed below are some of the criteria that you would want to take
into account before deciding between an Autoprop and a Varifold,
but please do take the opportunity to speak to us before any final
decision; every yacht design is different!
AUTOPROP
• M
edium to heavy
displacement yachts
• C
ruising yacht with no racing
involved
• Mainly cruising with little racing
• Motorsailer design of vessel
• R
egular sailing area with prevailing winds that often
means no option but to motor sail, or even worse, do a
lot of motoring.
VARIFOLD
• Light to medium displacement yacht
• Regular racing
• Y
achts built from high tech
materials such as carbon fibre.
Every year we receive many highly favourable comments
from owners who have re-propped their vessels with one
of our propellers. Here are just two - one each for Varifold
and Autoprop.
There are folding propellers and Varifolds. Many
yacht owners over the years have switched from
their current folding propellers to Varifold. We
were recently contacted by the owner of a
Moody 45DS who had been advised by Bill Dixon,
the yacht designer, to replace his well-known brand
of folding prop with a Varifold. Bill has a four blade Varifold on his
Moody and only has good words to say about it.
The owner took up Bill’s advice and
after discussions with us regarding
the sort of performance he could
expect he reported back. “On a
calm day in Torbay I carried out
speed trials and found that the
speeds you had predicted were
very close to the speeds achieved
on my trials. I found that after fitting the Bruntons propeller the
boat had more positive drive especially when going astern. I am
very happy with the performance of the propeller and the
service given by Bruntons and would be happy to recommend a
Varifold to Moody 45DS owners.”
The Autoprop is a unique propeller.
Many propellers are capable of
achieving good results in one, possibly
two, areas of operation but we know
of no other that can do everything
right. Why are we so sure? Here in the
owners own words are the
experiences of Mark Holland from
New Zealand.
“I originally launched Antipodes with a fixed three blade
propeller, however the propeller walk was unmanageable and
no matter what I did I could not move her astern in a straight
line. After extensive reading I chose to change to a Bruntons
Autoprop and I am thrilled with the results. The boat is now
completely controllable in reverse and I can manoeuvre in tight
marinas with ease. The yacht is a ½ to ¾ of a knot faster under
sail due to reduced drag, and under power has never
gone as quickly, with the self-pitching function of
the propeller working beautifully as advertised.”
We don’t need to say anything when our owners
say it for us!
Mr Parker’s Autoprop
We are always very grateful to our customers for comments regarding our products
and, as in this Proptalk, we often use them in articles. Rarely however do we get
one like the piece below which is a complete story in itself, describing the owners
original thoughts and research, through to the final results; our thanks to Simon
Parker for allowing us to share his thoughts.
“The engine and transmission in a cruising yacht is expected to perform a variety of tasks in
different circumstances.
1. Get you out of trouble, clawing slowly to windward in a big sea or towing another boat.
2. Manoeuvre slowly backwards and forwards in a crowded marina.
3. Drive the boat economically and quietly all day when there is no wind.
4. “Get out of the way” when the wind provides enough power.
Meet us at the boat shows!
2015
London Jan 9 – 18
Düsseldorf Jan 17 – 25
Chicago Jan 23 – 26
Goteborg Jan 31 – Feb 8
Helsinki Feb 6 – 15
Miami Feb 12 – 16
CNR Eurasia Boat Show. Istanbul Feb 14 – 22
Stockholm Feb 28 – Mar 5
5. Nudge the boat speed up a knot or two when the wind provides ‘nearly’ enough power.
As soon as you begin to understand the principles of propeller design, it becomes clear that
the key factor is the pitch of the blades. Each of these tasks requires a propeller with a
different pitch, so a fixed pitch propeller is always a compromise.
I looked into this three years ago, and concluded that the only worthwhile upgrade was a
propeller whose pitch would vary automatically according to boat speed, engine revs and
load. It sounds a lot to ask for, but there really is such a device: Bruntons Autoprop.
By the end of our first cruise I was satisfied with the choice and it continues to deliver on all
fronts: faster sailing, cheaper and quieter cruising, serious power when we need it and no
prop walk at all. Here’s the most telling benefit of all though, when sailing at any speed we
can add a knot with the engine just idling.
Simon Parker. Yacht ‘Asile’. Westerly Pentland PD20.
(No affiliation, just another very satisfied customer).“
We really could not have put it better ourselves.
Thank you again Mr Parker.
Austrian Boat Show Mar 5 – 8
Hiswa Amsterdam Mar 11 – 15
Sanctuary Cove May 21 – 24
Southampton Sept 11 – 20
Newport Sept 17 – 20
Friedrichshafen Sept 19 – 27
Genoa International Boat Show Sept 30 – Oct 5
Annapolis Oct 8 – 12
Hamburg Oct 24 – Nov 1
Amsterdam - Mets (Trade Show) Nov 17 – 19
Paris Dec 5 – 13
List correct at the time of going to press
www.bruntons-propellers.com
www.autoprop.info
www.varifold.info
www.sigmadrive.info
Yacht ‘Asile’. Westerly Pentland PD20
BRUNTONS
T: +44 (0)1255 420 005
E: [email protected]
W: www.bruntons-propellers.com
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