Changed from a feathering prop to yours, immediate reduction in noise, which is really important as the prop wash made the master cabin very noisy. Your prop has reduced the noise significantly, so it is now no longer a problem. ​ More efficient at driving boat, same speeds at lower revs, no change in sailing performance, hope this is of some use.

We have done quite a few miles on the new props. We are happy with them and are getting approximately 10% to 20% increased performance from them, depending on sea conditions and engine revolutions (although a freshly antifouled bottom is probably contributing to this increase). They are very smooth when running, but seem to "clunk" a little when the gearbox is engaged (this is not a concern and seems to be normal, but is slightly more noticeable than with the old Max props) ​ At the engines maximum RPMs, 2700, 13.6 knots was achieved. ​ At 1800 rpm in flat water the Maxprops would give about 9 knots. The Varifold will push us along at slightly over 10. ​ The Max Props performance would drop significantly with a head wind or when punching into a seaway (20+ knots and 3/4m waves would have us down to 6 or 7 knots. As would be expected, the same applies with your Varifolds, but the drop in speed is considerably less and we seem to be able to hold 8/8.5 knots.

As promised, please see the results of my sea trial after fitting your Brunton VF 4B 22"x15" propeller, I hope this information will be of some help for your records.

As you know I have a Moody 45 deck saloon. When I bought the boat, it was fitted with a Gory folding propellor which performed perfectly well when under sail, but because I motor sail 50% of the time I wanted the boat to perform to the best of its ability.

After discussing my requirements with you, you put together a speed graph showing the different options relating to propeller size and speed achieved at deferent RPM, I found this a great help in deciding which option to choose.
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On a calm day in Torbay earlier this year I carried out speed trials motoring in different directions and found that the predicted speeds on your graph where very close to the speeds achieved in my trials.

I found that after fitting the Brunton propeller the boat had more positive drive especially when going astern.

I am very satisfied with the performance of the propeller and the service given by Brunton's.

I would be happy to recommend this type of propeller to Moody 45DS owners.

I bought the Varifold from you in March 2009 to replace a Max Prop on my Oyster 66. The Max Prop had served the yacht well for 6 years and approx. 90,000 but it was always very noisy in the aft section of the boat and particularly in the owner's cabin. The Max prop drives the water directly up to the hull which I believe is the primary reason for the noise. Since I was going to be on board for six months and we were about to embark on a 6 month stint of living on board and crossing the Pacific I thought I would treat myself to a few good night’s sleep and after consultation with Messrs Sheppard and Co from Brunton I put the order in, and the new big prop was duly air freighted to Antigua. As it turns out I didn't have time to fit it before leaving Antigua so it travelled all the way to New Zealand in the lazarette! This was ok in fact since we had so much wind we hardly ever motored in the entire transPac. So, it was even more exciting in New Zealand when we finally fitted the Brunton that we had airfreighted from the UK to the Caribbean and then shipped ourselves to NZ! The difference was amazing.

The reduction in noise is massive. It felt like we had just stopped hitting our heads with a brick! Not only is it a great deal quieter but we are achieving much improved fuel efficiency when motoring; I would estimate this at 20%. The supposed negative of giving up the Max Prop was a reduction in responsiveness when engaging reverse and in handling in tight spots; this concern turned out to be a non-issue and it was just a matter of getting used to it. The other big advantage is in removal and installation which is a great deal more straightforward than the Max Prop. So, all in all, I am a very happy customer, and it was well worth the investment to make the switch. The new Brunton prop has driven the boat up and down the South Coast of the UK, across the Atlantic twice and round the Caribbean since installation. ​