Old Prop, New Prop

One job we wanted to do while the boat was out of the water was to replace the propeller. The top picture is of our old prop and the bottom picture is the new prop. What is special about this prop is that it is a 'feathering' prop. When the boat is sailing, the blades turn sideways so that they 'slice' through the water instead of pushing through. This gives less drag and therefore more speed while sailing, up to 1.5 knots per hour. That may sound like a small amount, but when you add that up over an eight hour day of sailing, it can be significant, and mean the difference between having happy hour or just going to bed when you get to your anchorage (right Walter and Mavis?)