Props: How They're Made

[Dave LeGear]

Very Interesting, and helps to explain / justify, some of the costs in getting a quality Stainless Steel Prop when you see all of these manufacturing steps (and the labor) in making one

Enjoy!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

While attending IBEX this year (great show by the way!) I had a chance to chat with one of the guys from Yamaha.

He was letting me know how they are moving into a new and larger facility, and will have their own foundry to make their own Props now from A to Z. So, in due time like Mercury now has and had for some time. Have a much greater control over Prop Design and Alloy testing (important for blade design and cupping) control which will help them produce even more efficient props for their full line of engine and use cases

Props are a mixture Science, Art, and some Voodoo to come up with a good one and there is never a "Perfect Prop" only a Prop that works best for your needs and loading across the entire Engine RPM Band. There are always a trade offs between launch, handling and being cruise efficient (those three many times go hand in hand) and then top speed. This is why I am fan of 4 bladed props which always run smoother. But flip side of the coin, being 4 bladed you might loose some top speed in the process and usually a Knot or Two. Since I am not running any tournaments though, and don't need to race to my hot spots beat others to them, a 4 bladed unit works just fine for my use case... Guys who runs Bass Tournaments with heaver boats though, usually run higher rake 3 bladed units so they can squeeze out even bit of top end speed they can to get there and back before time expires naturally.

Hope this helps, and feel free to drop me a note if you are in search of the Perfect Prop (The riddle of Steel and Conan would say) for your use case

Tight Lines!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

This link below might come in handy to help you select a Yamaha Prop for your needs based upon some basic input from you on the craft and goals you have in mind?

http://www.yamahapropselector.com/propSelector/web/

And if you keep making selections based upon items like what you are now running top RPM wise, it will help narrow down that field of props even further.

Hope this helps and let us know how the tool above works out for your needs? I would be half tempted to even use it for other OEM's to get a rough idea of one or help point you in a better direction

Tight Lines!
Dave