I have a little more info on props and performance in general. I got out for an excellent sail today in 15-20 kts. While sailing at a sustained 7.5 knots I checked the propeller and it was not spinning so it found its way to being feathered all on its own. All I did was put the motor control to neutral. At slower and more typical sailing speeds of 3-5 kts it seems to spin in short surges. So there is more to learn about the prop behavior but it is able to fully feather and stay that way with more boat speed.
And another thing about how the boat handles now compared to the diesel. I can operate the electric at very slow speeds. The diesel could not do that. It idled at 1100 rpm which translated to 550 prop RPM and a bit better than 3 kts. I can operated the electric at much slower RPM. The steerage suffers greatly so it's debatable how useful that is but it is a distinct difference.
Also I will need to upgrade the hoses I used for the cooling system. They turn out to be rated for only to 65C and that isn't enough for high powered operation. That's only 15C beyond the set point to turn on cooling. I used Trident reinforced water hose. I'll need something made as a heater hose. The transparent hose was very handy in chasing bubbles out of the system. But keeping the hoses from melting will be more useful.
Dan Pfeiffer
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