I own a Bavaria 38 (2000) fitted with a 28 hp Volvo 2003 via a saildrive. At the time of purchase I was concerned about the size of the engine but an upgrade was not available. I especially concerned since much of our sailing is on tidal waters in the Solent and around the Channel Islands. Our boat was definitely under powered, suffered from terrible ‘prop-walk’ and broached readily when beating. There was also noticeable vibration at cruising revs.

Following an impressive demonstration at the Southampton Boat Show in 2005 we ordered an Autoprop in January 2006. I was very impressed with the advice I received prior to the order together with the efficiency of ordering and speed of delivery. Fitting the prop was straightforward and accommodated our ‘stripper’ as promised with no problems.

The improvement was obvious from the moment the boat was re-launched. There was no vibration through the cockpit floor, and the engine noise was noticeably quieter immediately it was put into gear. This is one of the most noticeable aspects of the Autoprop, the engine never has that labouring sound as the load is put on, there is no evidence of strain. As promised we had absolutely no prop walk when we engaged reverse and controlling speed and direction was a breeze within the marina. Once out on open water the performance was even more impressive. The speed through the water increased so smoothly and effortlessly that we were grinning like the cat that got the cream! We noticed that we could easily achieve 1.5kts extra boat speed through the water for comparable engine revs. The engine was quieter and vibration less. When sailing we found that by simply having the engine gear, boat speed increased by 1 kt continually regardless of wind strength or direction. We were always doing 1kt more with the engine in gear than out, no vibration and no noise. Sailing performance has improved noticeably, a by-product seems to be a lower tendency to broach when beating, whether this can be attributed to the Autoprop or not, she certainly sails better.

We have been so impressed with the Autoprop this season. So much time seems to be spent motor-sailing these days that it has been money well spent, and far cheaper than upsizing the engine if it had been possible. We have felt the benefit in every aspect of our boat use from getting on and off our berth to sailing and motoring. We thoroughly recommend Autoprop.

Kind regards

CT