The decision page
Fixed, folding, feathering or Autoprop — honestly.
We manufacture feathering, folding AND fixed propellers, so unlike single-product brands we don't need one answer to win. Here's the whole trade, including the parts that don't favour us.
| Fixed 3-blade | Folding (Varifold) | Conventional feathering | Autoprop self-pitching | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sailing drag | High — like towing a bucket (~20× a low-drag prop) | Lowest — blades fold to a dart | Low — blades edge-on to flow | Low — blades feather edge-on |
| Powered efficiency | Good at its one design point | Good; fixed design pitch | Fair — flat blade sections cost efficiency | Excellent across the range — pitch follows load |
| Reverse | Works, with prop walk | Varifold: opens astern by design, genuinely usable | Good — blades flip to reverse face | Excellent — same blade face astern as ahead |
| Crash stop from 6 kn | 9.5 s — measured | 10 s — measured | 13 s — measured (conventional feathering) | 7 s — the shortest measured |
| Motor-sailing | Pitch becomes wrong as the wind helps | Pitch fixed — same limitation | Pitch fixed (some adjustable at haul-out) | Re-pitches continuously — its signature strength |
| Adjustment & upkeep | None — and no drag saving either | Grease pivots; check bump stops | Grease; some brands need pitch set at haul-out | Annual grease; anodes; no pitch setting ever |
| Best for | Motorboats & moorings where drag is irrelevant | Racers & performance cruisers sailing 80%+ | Restricted apertures on classics & long keels | Cruisers, motor-sailers, cats & electric drives |
Drag figures from published independent testing (feathered ≈ 5–10% of fixed-prop drag; folded lower again). Powered/reverse characterisations reflect the documented behaviour of each architecture, not one brand's marketing — sources in the evidence library.
Handle the metal
Each architecture, in live 3D
Same bronze, three completely different machines. Switch between them and work the mechanisms — this is the comparison table with the words removed.
Blades pivot on their own bearings and weathervane to the load. Cycle Ahead, Astern, Sailing and Hydro to watch the blades swing between working positions — astern presents the same face the other way round.
See it
Three identical hulls at five knots
Same boat, same breeze — only the propeller changes.
| Propeller type | Relative drag | Typical speed effect |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed 3-blade | 100% | baseline |
| Feathering (Autoprop) | 8% | up to +0.8 kn |
| Folding (Varifold) | 2% | up to +1 kn |
Decide in one minute
Read your own sailing honestly
You race, or genuinely sail 80–90% of hours
Varifold
Folded drag is the lowest available; blades that open astern by design keep marinas unexciting.
You cruise, motor-sail, and buy fuel
Autoprop
300–400 fewer RPM at cruise, up to 20% fuel savings, and the best motor-sailing behaviour there is.
You're electric, hybrid — or going there
Autoprop Eco*Star
Range is propeller efficiency. Purpose-developed for electric drives, regeneration-capable under sail.
Questions owners ask
Is the drag difference really worth a knot?
In light air, often yes. Published testing puts a fixed 3-blade at roughly 20 times the drag of a folded prop; a feathered Autoprop cuts drag by up to 85% (one independent test measured up to 95%). On a typical cruiser that's up to a knot of boatspeed in the conditions where you feel it most — attribute it to your boat via the drag tool and Builder.
Why would anyone keep a fixed prop?
Simplicity, cost, and the fact that if you motor 95% of the time at one speed, a correctly sized fixed prop at that operating point is honest engineering. We'll tell you if that's you — we sell those too.
Where do conventional feathering props fall short of Autoprop?
Two places: blade sections (feathering blades are near-flat so they work in both directions, costing powered efficiency) and pitch (set once, sometimes adjustable at haul-out — but never adapting underway). Autoprop's blades carry true aerofoil camber and re-pitch continuously. The trade: Autoprop needs clean water flow and slightly more care about fouling.
I have a catamaran — does the answer change?
Twin drivetrains double every gain and every mistake, and saildrive cats want clean, symmetric prop behaviour for close-quarters handling. Over 1,600 of our documented fitments are multihulls — see the catamaran collection for what the fleet actually fits.
Still weighing it? Let the Builder score it.
Answer the usage questions honestly and the Builder ranks the types for your boat — with the runner-up and its trade shown, not hidden.