Reply To: What size propellers??

Hi DD
Our Ht27 has two varioprops 12×7. our Nanni's produce 11 hp each. We made a trip from Marseille to Holland over Rhone and Rhine on motor.We passed the Rhone to Rhine canal with some 130 locks of around 5 meters wide.A lot of manouvering.
The average speed through the water was 5,5knts at 2500rpm,s
Only once one of the propellors failed to open. there were 7 freighters around us coming from all directions, with high waves I simply had to reduce the enigines to idle, because of the rocking horse effect of the HT . When the waves passed I wanted to continue through th small opening between to approaching vessels. When one of the props failed to open the other steered the boat almost immidiately 75 degrees to port. we were heading fo a speeding freighter. After a few foreward backward revs the prop opened and we continued the trip over the Rhine at 12 knots over ground!!
I'm very happy with the folding props now, as we hardly use the engines anyway. But for a river-trip I would have preferred regular props, but who is crazy enough to do that?
regards Juup