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Post by ragtop409 on May 9, 2019 21:21:01 GMT -5
Has anyone else seen this crazy prop pop up on the internet? What is your take on it? Looks like snake oil to me. I bet they are super expensive. Rag’s
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Post by hookedup on May 10, 2019 6:26:34 GMT -5
Well, I sent them an email from their web site to try and get more information. Let you know what I find out, if anything. It does sound interesting, but for all I know this is for some kids thesis on how easy it is to con people.
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Post by Ol Mucky on May 10, 2019 8:11:24 GMT -5
I saw that on the book of faces
Pretty wild
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Post by reelkul on May 10, 2019 8:12:58 GMT -5
My friend works at the university named on their website where they did a lot of the validation testing. He told me about this prop a few weeks ago. Its a very interesting concept and according to him the gains are real. From what he explained to me, it's that the overall surface area of a single blade is reduced, so the drag force required to rotate the prop through the water is smaller, but the thrust points on a blade are the same. That's why there is an opening in the middle of each blade. He told me its like running your hand through water with fingers close together vs fingers spread apart. From a prop efficiency standpoint it requires the force to spin a three blade prop through water, yet it provides the thrust of a 4 or 5 blade prop. According to him this is not a new concept.
The major issue with this concept is the manufacturing process. The only way to make these props is to CNC them on 5 axis machines from a billet. That drove the cost of the propeller beyond what a regular consumer can afford. What this company has done is make them using additive manufacturing, or 3D metal printing.
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Post by hookedup on May 10, 2019 8:34:37 GMT -5
They answered my query. Right now only commercial, military and custom inboard propellers, but they are working on introducing recreational. They say 9-15% more efficient than current props. Testing methodology and results were independently analyzed, reviewed and validated by Applied Universal Engineering of San Diego, CA and HS Marine Propulsion of Ocean Springs, MS. Sounds impressive, but I suspect the cost could be prohibitive. Additionally, over the years I've dinged several props. I wonder what happens with this prop?
I will say that if I had a commercial tanker a 10% efficiency improvement that would be worth quite a lot. On my boat that 10% would decrease my costs per mile and increase my distance traveled on a tank of fuel, so that would be nice to have if the cost of the prop is in a reasonable range. They'll let me know when it gets close to being available.
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Post by ragtop409 on May 13, 2019 21:30:41 GMT -5
Here is another photo of it on an outboard. Does not look like it has much cup or pitch to it. Ut now you guys have me interested in seeing/learning more. Rag’s
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Post by finatic on May 14, 2019 14:13:14 GMT -5
Now that looks like it would do a hell a job in a 5 gallon bucket of paint.
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