We have the original 18x15 three blade RH fixed bronze prop on our 1991 P42 and am very pleased with its performance. It will cruise all day long at 1,800 RPM pushing the boat to seven knots. The 4JH2-TE at that RPM burns about one gallon/hr. I normally keep it in neutral while under sail letting the prop spin freely.

Maneuvering Belle-Vie can be a challenge at times, but it helps to know how your boat behaves under certain conditions. Current and/or wind places considerable pressure on your boat. A tip on docking with the current as opposed to against the current, which is against conventional wisdom.

Pick your docking spot. Bring your boat parallel to that spot and use your engine to slow your boat to a stop. Increase engine reverse speed to offset current drift, then slightly turn the helm towards the dock. Patience is important here.

Drift pressure on the rudder will begin to slowly move the stern towards the dock, while at the same time keep the bow inline. When the boat touches the dock you can step off and secure the stern line first. At the point you can shut everything down.

I have used this maneuvering technique many times and it has worked every time.

Another tip is departing the dock when the wind is pushing you into the dock. Untie all dock lines except the bow. Place a fender at the bow to protect the boat from the dock. Have a dock hand or deck hand hold the bow line with one wrap around the cleat.

Turn the helm hard over to the dock, then increase engine forward speed, which will thrust water pressure against the rudder and push the stern away from the dock. When the stern is far enough away from the dock, the deck/dock hand can release the bow line, the helmsman can quickly turn the helm hard over away from the dock and do a hard reverse thrust to back away from the dock.

It is important to let the deck/dock hand know that it will be difficult to hold the bow line during this maneuver, but it does work. You can do this solo as long as your bow line is long enough for it to wrap around the dock cleat and extend back to the helm.

Another tip is doing a 360 degree turn in a narrow fairway. I have turned our boat on a dime by first turning the helm hard over to starboard and keep it there. Then give a short forward burst of throttle, followed by a reverse burst, then repeat until the boat completes the 360. The combination of forward thrust on the rudder and the prop walk in reverse will turn the boat almost on a dime; a large dime.