Feathering Prop Rebuild Start to Finish & Saying Goodbye to Arabella (For Now)

It’s time to leave Arabella for six weeks as Steve and Robin head back to the United States for the holidays—but not before getting the boat safely settled for early winter in Newfoundland. With the cover on, heaters set, and friends keeping an eye on things, Arabella is ready to rest while the crew visits family. This episode follows the transition from boat life to shore life and then dives into something special: a full behind-the-scenes look at the complete teardown, inspection, cleaning, and rebuild of Arabella’s feathering propeller at AccuTech in Dover, New Hampshire. From seized blades and marine growth to German-engineered brake rings and precision pitch tuning, you’ll see exactly what goes into a proper feathering prop service—and why it matters. Whether you’re here for winter prep, travel days, or deep mechanical nerdiness, this episode has a little bit of everything. In this episode: • Preparing Arabella for six winter weeks alone • Holiday travel on the ferry back to the States • Limited-run Arabella merch clean-out • Searching for affordable boat insurance • Full feathering propeller teardown + how it really works • Pitch tuning, brake rings, and expert maintenance tips • What causes prop damage—and how to avoid expensive mistakes • Before-and-after transformation of the prop -------------------------- Episode 374 Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com