Thanks to all replies about props on my Sabre

[LeeHound]

Thanks to all that replied to my questions RE props for my Sabre 32. I got quite a good picture which direction I should go now with my folding/feathering prop ideas. The most expensive one, of course. Max prop. Too bad. I know it's good! Lee

[Bob Knott]

Though I own a Hunter I have spent considerable time racing a Sabre 32. They sail beautifully and are great in still winds where the hull really shines though the water. I have many fond memories of racing around Cape Cod for 2 days in a beautifuuly maintained Sabre 32 watching whales chase our bow wave as the sunset off the eastern shores of the Cape. What a great boat!Bob KnottH380

[LeeHound]

Now, I am really curious: Would you happen to know if that Sabre 32, that you used to race there, had a folding or feathering prop? Sorry for taking the romance out of your lovely "Sun Set Article" ! Lee

[Bob Knott]

Lee,It had a two blade fixed prop with a Westerbeke. It was not used much for racing but was owned by the family next to me in the mooring field. We locked the tranny in reverse while sailing and marked the prop shaft inside the boat so you could tell when the blades of the prop were aligned up and down to hide behind the keel for the least drag.They sold that boat two years later and bought a Beneteau 411 and I never saw her again. Angel Spirit was her name if you ever see her floating somewhere... fast ride :-)Bob KnottH380

[LeeHound]

Yes, that's what my Sabre owners manual says. Align the prop with the strut and go in reverse. To tell you the truth, I have never done that, and now I am looking for a folding prop...May be, I really should give that technique a try, first, and see if a prop change is worth it's money!Lee

[Bob Knott]

Lee,The prop is worth the 3 second PHRF hit you take for it. If I owned your Sabre I'd put the prop on since the 32 and 362 are fast to start with. My H380 is cruised with a family of 5 and two dogs so speed is not my number one concern (till I see another boat on the horizon of course :-)))))Either way you are sailing one of the most beautiful hulls on the water and fast to boot. In 1997 I won the navigators cup given in the race Around Cape Cod, a 150 mile race that includes offshore sailing and overnight sailing. It marked the fastest boat to the open Atlantic Ocean off the Chatham Light. Won by a Sabre 32!!!!! corrected for PHRF we beat Crazy Horse, Mass Maritimes sled with a PHRF of -8, and Bonzai a Swan 46 with professional crew of 13 on board and a PHRF of 6. We were rated at 162 if I remember correctly and still took the cup!EnjoyBob KnottS/V SerenityH380Wychemere HarborHarwichport, MA