Perfect Cruising Sailboat Propellers

King Propulsion offers uncompromising and impartial solutions to all your marine propulsion needs.  Our unique portfolio of sailboat propellers ensure that we only match the customer with the propeller they need.  Folding and feathering propellers have unique characteristics that do not apply to every boat or sailor in them.  We strive to make this connection for you and give you the best technical advice possible. Our team are all highly qualified and respected Naval Architects with countless years of experience in all types and sizes of propulsion systems from sailboats to warships.

In addition King Propulsion also supports and distributes SigmaDrive, and exceptional drive train solution for coupling propeller shafts to engines quietly and efficiently.

US distributor for Autoprop Feathering Propellers, Varifold Folding Propellers & SigmaDrive

In the market for a new sailboat propeller ow about a folding sailboat propeller? a feathering sailboat propeller? What about Autoprop, they are. supposed to be good? Or was it Varifold, MaxProp or Gori? Choosing between them can be an impossible task and understanding the basis of each manufacturers claims and counter claims even harder. At King Propulsion we are professional Engineers first, technical sales second and we pride ourselves on the fact that we offer all flavors of propeller to suit every boat and every sailor. We don’t need to fiddle facts on propellers, we use science to help you choose what is right for you.

If you look at the market you can distill the sailboat propeller types into 3 broad categories, the fixed pitch propeller, the folding propeller and the feathering propeller, each suits a type of sailing, a type of boat and a type of sailor. There is no one propeller to fit all. As any Engineer will tell you, design is a compromise to achieve your objectives. So let us look at some of the compromises all the companies don’t want you to know about. The descriptions below are features that transcend the designs to give you some idea of the choices and options available.

Remember at King Propulsion we sell all 3 types of sailboat propeller, so it is all about the right choice for you!

The reason sailboat propellers exist in the first place is to reduce the appendage drag of the sailboat and sail faster. Each family of designs achieves this in a different way  and compromises on very different parts of the puzzle to get there. For serious racers, this category is the only consideration.  For the regular sailor, it is a choice, low drag, backing performance, motor sailing as you can’t have everything! In this category the folders and the feathering propellers fight for the title, Autoprop is a bronze medal winner and fixed pitch propellers just add plain old drag.

Not only is the hull shape and the size of the main engine a factor in speed through the water, but propeller type play a big part of this as well.  Fixed pitch propellers are the benchmark but Autoprop with its self pitching mechanism gets more speed.  The folder and the feathering options are sub optimal here.

Backing down can be one of the most fraught times for a sailboat owner. For some race boats it is not a consideration, for day sailing and backing into tight marina spots it is a requirement.

The wind is of course free, but catching the wind is expensive, especially if you have to motor Long Island Sound or the ICW to get to wind. All of the sailboat propellers impact fuel burn in different ways with Autoprop the clear winner and the feathering propeller requiring more fuel for the same voyage. The values below are in US gallons per hour.

Sailboat propellers are an aspirational product as soon as you move away from the stock fixed pitch propeller. The cost increases as the complexity of the propeller goes up. The folding propellers are the least expensive of the sailboat propellers; the feathering propellers typically the most expensive and Autoprop is slightly behind the feathering propellers. These prices are based on 2024 18″ diameter shaft drive propellers.

So what type of sailer are you?

What type of boat do you have?

Find out how a sailboat propeller can improve your sailing performance and heighten the sailing experience. Simply fill out the form below with basic details about your boat and we will work with you to size and select a propeller that will be a perfect fit for you and the boat!

Please note, the above data is drawn from actual sea trials, magazine publications and academic research performed by King Propulsion and Bruntons Propellers on their line of fixed, folding and feathering propellers.

Customer Feedback

Our products are in use around the world on a vast array of vessels. Here are some of the comments we have had back for our propellers, couplings and service.