Spinning prop when sailing

[Mike Sibley]

I know this topic must have been covered here before, but I can't find it.  The prop on my P365 spins when sailing above 4 knots.  It doesn't matter whether the Borg-Warner Velvet Drive is in forward, reverse or neutral.  Is this a problem?  If so, what can be done to fix?

Mike Sibley

[SV THIRD DAY]

Interesting, because when I put my transmission (Paragon/walter v-drive) in forward while sailing the prop spinning stops....so it makes me think that your transmission really isn't in gear...could it be slipping out of gear?  I've always been told that it's bad on the transmission to free spin....but I'm not really "sure" if that's true...but I never wanted to find out the hard way!!!!

[SailingSeaDragon]

Mike,

The BW Velvet Drive is a hydraulic transmission so once the engine is turn off the transmission is, for all practical purposes, in neutral regardless of what gear you put it... Below is a link to Sea Dragon's website and the installation of a ShaftLOK shaft brake.

http://www.sailingseadragon.com/Shaftlok.htm

Garner

[Trinity]

You see the disc in the first photo, I have that too.  I put a pipe wrench on it after I turn off the engine and everything stops spinning. 

[RayNWanda]

We have a letter from Borg Warner to the original owner of our boat that says that the spinning shaft while sailing is not an issue with a B/W Velvet Drive.

[INCOMMUNICADO]

Ray N Wanda, The letter from Borg Warner is good news to me. I have been wondering if I was causing damage for ten years. I didn't notice any so I kept doing it.