Richie,
This topic has been discussed before, and I think the general concensus was that you should cruise with the tranny in reverse for all props except the autoprop. With an autoprop, the tranny should be in forward.

The owner's manual is always a good place to refer to when it comes to operational questions, and in this case it takes one of the options off the table as it indicates that Forward should not be used.

That leaves freewheeling in neutral or locking in reverse. A a pilot, I expected the drag of a stopped prop to be less than a spinning prop. I was taught that a spinning aircraft prop essentially creates the drag of a flat plate of the props diameter. Therefore, used to sail with the prop locked in reverse.

However, I've since seen drag tests of sailboat props (conducted by a former C36 owner) that indicate significantly less drag from the freewheeling prop, now I tend to sail in neutral with the prop free wheeling.

So you have a choice and can apply your own logic, just don't let the prop freewheel in forward gear as it may damage your transmission.

[url]http://www.c34.org/faq-pages/faq-transmission-position-sailing.html[/url]

I think it makes complete common sense that a prop in neutral would be less drag than one that's locked and won't spin at all. When in neutral, it is resisting the push of the water less; that's why it spins. However, it also seems to me that its spinning would cause the transmission to turn, thus adding additional wear to the tranny. It also seems to me that having it in forward would also cause the engine to turn, but in that case the engine isn't pumping oil, which is bad news as we know. At least that's my line of thinking.

I am pretty sure that a propeller dragging through the water in gear could not generate enough torque to make the engine turn - at least not with our boats and sailing speeds.

The spinning vs. locked drag question has been batted around for along time and I was soldily on the 'locked' side for along time. I remember reading something not long ago which disputed that. BUT, I still want to sail with the tranny in reverse to eliminate the unnecessary rotation and the whine that accompanies it.

The reason that the tranny should be locked in reverse - is that since the engine is not running it is not providing circulating oil to the gears. So running the transmission without oil will cause accelerated wear on the gears.

Take a look at the relative sizes of the transmission and engine one day. Regardless of which Universal version you have, the tranny on your C36 is puny and a bit pathetic. Anything you can do to reduce wear and tear is going to be a good thing. Locking the prop by putting it in reverse is not optional in my opinion.

A good folding prop (Gori, FlexoFold) will make the boat sail way faster, eliminate this issue, and not have any negative impact on the motoring capabilities of the boat.

[QUOTE=baysailor2000;6831]The reason that the tranny should be locked in reverse - is that since the engine is not running it is not providing circulating oil to the gears. So running the transmission without oil will cause accelerated wear on the gears.[/QUOTE]

For whatever reason it may be, it's simply what the MANUFACTURER, the guys who designed and built the darned things, said to do with his product.

What's so hard about that, drag and props notwithstanding?

From the Universal M35B manual on gear selection when not under power

I just put in a Newage PRM 60 D2 transmission and the answer from them and in their manual is the best for this tranny is in neutral it is the way they designed the trans but if you want to you can put in reverse but never in forward