Years ago we had an impromptu race at one of our rendezvous. La Reina had a two blade feathering max prop. A 30U had a three blade fixed prop. We both had six people aboard. The 30 had one of the best , if not the best Nonsuch sailors in our area aboard. It was about my 4th year os sailing La Reina. After about 5 miles of a beam reaching the 30 was so far behind the owner was almost in tears. They slipped the transmission into neutral and let it spin (it was okay for his transmission) and his performance improved considerably. If you like sailing rather than motoring I recommend you get a feathering or folding prop. Feathering generally respond faster in reverse than a folder but they are more money and require more maintenance. My Max prop lasted about 38 years but I hauled and serviced it every year. The Kiwi prop has the same pitch in forward as in reverse but most transmissions are 1:1 in reverse but 2:1 or 2.5:1 in forward so if the Kiwi is properly pitched for forward it is over pitched for reverse. Engines 20 hp and under generally struggle in reverse with a Kiwi prop. One solution for the Kiwi prop is to use self tapping screws as stops to limit the amount the prop opens in reverse. This seems to help. The blades on the Kiwi prop are nice and light so generally less vibration, they are less prone to fouling and galvanic corrosion is not real an issue with them. Historically if you wanted to start a fight in a sailor’s pub you asked which was the best prop or anchor.
Mark Powers