Instruction Manual

3 BLADE CLASSIC

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1) INTRODUCTION:
Thank you for having chosen a MAX PROP® automatic feathering propeller for your vessel. This
instruction booklet is designed to answer all your questions on installation and use of the MAX
PROP®. Please read it carefully and verify the correct working of the propeller before installing
it on your boat.

2) PITCH ADJUSTMENT: (This is a critical step)

Make sure that you know what pitch to set the propeller at, either by your old propeller or by your
engine reduction ratio.

• The pitch is adjustable from 10 - 30 degrees of the blade angle.

• Figure 1 shows the conversion from inches of pitch to degrees of blade angle.
• To properly convert from inches to degrees follow steps A through C.

A) Determine the diameter of your propeller.

B) Go down the column that corresponds to your propeller diameter until you find the desired
amount of pitch.
C) Cross reference this pitch in inches to the blade setting angle directly across the chart and you
will have the desired blade angle.

MAX PROP® offers the great advantage of pitch adjustability in order to optimize the performance
of the propeller. If the propeller does not reach the desired RPM, reduce the blade angle. If, on the
contrary, the engine exceeds the desired RPM, increase the blade angle. A two degree change in blade
angle will change the engine RPM by 13% - 15%, at the same boat speed. The adjustment of angle and
therefore of pitch is done, when the propeller is mounted on the shaft. To obtain the different values of
angle you have to follow the assembly instruction.
3) ASSEMBLY:
Make sure that if you receive more than one propeller that do not interchange parts. Each propeller
is individually balanced and if interchanged it will be put out of balance. Please use figure 2 in the
instruction book for part number references.

A) Fit the hub (1) to the propeller shaft (2). Be sure that the key (3) is the proper dimension and that
the hub slides completely onto the shaft. If you are not sure, remove the key and slide the hub onto the
shaft making a mark on the shaft where the hub stops on the shaft. Re-insert the key and slide the hub
on to the shaft, if it slides up to your mark , it is fine. If not, you will need to file down the sides or top
of the key until the hub slides completely onto the shaft.

B) Two types of nuts are available in the MAX PROP®:

1. Drilled Nut: Tighten the nut (4) onto the shaft and secure it with the pin by drilling a hole
completely through the nut and shaft (a cobalt drill bit makes this task easier).
2. No Drill Nut: Tighten the nut (4) onto the shaft. Align the groves in the base of the nut
with the groves in the central hub, so as to obtain two complete holes allowing insertion of
the pins (5). Insert the pins, then rotate the pins as shown in the drawing below, so as not to
interfere with the inserting of the central cone gear (see figure below).

One thread can be exposed aft of either nut system, if more than that are showing it will be
necessary to cut off the excess with a hack saw. If too many threads are exposed it will raise the
central cone gear (6) and effect the performance of the propeller.

C) On the bottom of the central gear (6) there is a groove on the bottom of one of the teeth, this
represents the “X” on the chart in figure 3. Place the tooth with the groove into the corresponding
lettered gear on the hub (1).

D) Fill the two halves of the spinner (7) with a sea water grease. From our experience Lubraplate
“130 AA” grease has worked best. Close the two halves around the hub and tighten down the screws.

NOTE: DO NOT USE TEFLON GREASE it will wash out very quickly.
E) Locate the mark on the top inside of the spinner (a small drill hole). This is the “Y” mark in
figure 2. Rotate the spinner until the “Y” mark on the spinner coincides with the correct letter on
the top of the central cone gear. This letter is determined from the chart in figure 4. Fill the top
of the spinner with grease.

NOTE: It is helpful to make a mark between the spinner and exposed part of the hub or tape
them so that any rotation can be noted and corrected. If the spinner is rotated before the
blades are attached it will alter the blade angle.
F) Insert the three blades onto the three pins of the spacer (10). Fill the end cap (11) with grease
and put the blades into the three seats of the end cap.

NOTE: Make sure that the numbers on the blades correspond to the numbers in the spacer
and the numbers on the end cap 1 to 1, 2 to 2, and 3 to 3.
G) Move the blades to a feathered position, making sure that the rounded trailing edges of blades
are aft as shown in figure 6. Slide the end cap and feathered blades on to the spinner, make sure
that the numbers on the blades and spinner match. Next tighten down the end cap with the screws.

NOTE: Check to see that the spinner did not rotate. If it did move pull the blades back ¼” and
then realign the mark between the spinner and the hub. Make sure that when the blades go on to
the spinner that they are fully feathered.

H) To make the blades rotate more freely it is advisable, after tightening all the screws, to give
some bedding blows on the spinner and blades with a plastic or wooden mallet.

I) To make sure that the screws will not loosen insert a 1/16” stainless steel cotter pin into the
head of each screw. Put them on so that if the screw were to loosen it would hit the cotter pin as
shown in figure 5. Cut the cotter pins to a length of ¼” and put them in. A tight tap with a hammer
on the head of the pin will spread the ends open, if not use a screw driver to spread them apart.
 J) Make sure that the propeller is protected from galvanic corrosion by using zinc anodes on the
propeller shaft and on the end cap of the propeller. If the propeller has been assembled properly:

• The blades must rotate freely and stop at the blade angle you selected.
• In the feathered position the blades must line up perfectly as in figure 6.
• The propeller must never rotate as shown in figure 7.

4) TROUBLE SHOOTING:
If the propeller feels stiff or has a hard spot in the rotation systematically go through the points below.

A) If the propeller does not rotate freely, remove some of the grease from the spinner and reassemble.

B) Sometimes it can happen that a small piece of metal or burr enters among the gears, or a piece
of the propeller has been dinged; in this case the blade movement can become hard. It is necessary
then to do as follows, referring to figure 8.

1) Open the propeller and assemble it again after having taken the central cone gear (6) out, so
that the blade and the hub rotation are independent. If the hub rotation is hard, remove 0.01 mm
from surfaces “A” with an emery cloth.
 On the contrary if the blades rotation is hard, remove 0.01 mm from surfaces “B” of the spacer
using emery cloth wrapped around a flat file. Try until both hub and blades rotate freely.

2) Again mount the central cone gear (6) and reassemble the propeller. If the propeller rotation
still has some hard points remove 0.1 mm with a flat file from surface (C) so that central cone gear
sits lower and the clearance between conical gears increases.

5) PROPELLER USE:
The MAX PROP® works automatically. By putting the engine in gear the blades will engage in
either forward or reverse. The best way to feather the propeller is:

• Power at 2 to 3 knots in forward.

• Kill the engine while still engaged in forward.
• When the engine has stopped, if the shaft is still spinning engage the transmission in reverse
to stop the freewheeling.

You can check to see if the propeller is feathered or not by taking the engine out of gear. If the
propeller is not feathered the shaft will freewheel like with a fixed blade propeller. In that case
start the engine again and repeat the three steps. If your propeller has been greased properly it will
feather in a fraction of a second as soon as you stop the shaft from freewheeling. Once the prop
is feathered, you can either leave the transmission in gear or out of gear, it does not matter. DO
NOT kill the engine while in reverse. In this case the blades will be in the reverse position and will
not feather. You can actually use this feature to drive a shaft alternator.

IMPORTANT: If the MAX PROP® is installed on a vessel that can attain sailing speeds over 15
knots, it is MANDATORY to return the transmission to neutral while sailing. If the transmission
remains engaged and the propeller were to open (from hitting an object or water flow) it may turn
the engine, flooding it, resulting damage to the engine.

6) PROPELLER MAINTENANCE:
The MAX PROP® needs to be regreased a minimum of once every two years. We recommend
Lubraplate “130 AA” grease.

There are two holes in the spinner of the propeller to grease. Remove the set screw from the
forward holes with a #3 metric Allen wrench and screw in the zerc tower, attach your grease gun
and fill the propeller with grease until the grease starts to come out between the hub (1) and the
spinner (7). Replace the set screw and remove the set screw from the more aft hole. Reinstall the
zerc tower and attach your grease gun and fill the propeller with grease until the grease starts to
come out between the blades and the spinners. Remove the zerc tower and reinsert the set screw
into the propeller. Do not leave the zerc tower in the propeller.

Zerc Tower

Set Screw
 • With each pump of the grease gun rotate the propeller from forward to reverse to allow the
grease to work through the propeller.

• The numbers above are from Figure 2 at the beginning of this MAX PROP® Manual.

• Make sure that you always keep the zinc anodes in good condition. They must be
replaced at least once a year. The propeller must be protected by a lot of zinc, so also use a
zinc on the shaft when possible. When replacing it make sure that you clean the contact
point between the zinc and propeller. Use a wire brush or fine sandpaper to clean the
aft of the end cap and the forward face of the zinc to give the zinc good contact with
the propeller.

7) PROPELLER REMOVAL:
In order to remove the propeller you must first remove the spinner and nut. Be sure only to pull
from outside the hub (figure 9). If the surfaces on the hub are hit or dinged it can effect the
performance of the propeller.

8) WARNING:
It is important to follow the instruction below carefully so as to avoid a shock to the gears on the
blades and cone gear, that could be damaging to the teeth.

1. When going from forward to reverse and the opposite, it is necessary to idle down and shift
at low RPM’s between gears.

2. The propeller body must always be completely filled with a very fluid grease. This is so
when you reverse direction the rotation will be smooth with no binding. Binding points will
produce a shock and could damage the gears.
NOTES
NOTES
 MAX PROP PATENTED PROPELLERS
PYI Inc., 12532 Beverly Park Rd., Lynnwood, WA 98087
Tel: 425-355-3669 Fax: 425-355-3661 info@pyiinc.com