Posted on 09/23/2024 1:09:41 PM PDT by Red Badger
Sharrow. reaches out to a larger market with the aluminum MX-A propellerSharrow Marine View 2 Images
Sharrow Marine has quietly been working to disrupt the marine industry with a reimagined propeller it calls the "future of propulsion." The tech originally looked like it might be too expensive and make/model-specific to see that future to fruition in a substantial way, but Sharrow has now introduced the more affordable, consumer-friendly MX-A. Less than half the price of previous models, the latest Sharrow propeller works with smaller outboards of just 40 hp and up, and it's compatible with motors from a who's who of the largest, most popular brands in the industry.
Sharrow has redesigned the common marine propeller by replacing the usual blades with gently twisted loops that promise to eliminate efficiency-sapping tip vortices and cavitation. Put simply, less energy is wasted, leading to claimed efficiency boosts of up to 30%, not to mention smoother, quieter overall performance.
Not only has Sharrow's 150-patent-deep design won a host of major awards from the marine and tech industries, it's been put to the test on numerous vessels, both internally and by third-party reviewers, with some intriguing results.
The first time we took a look at Sharrow's unique propeller design, we noted that the one big drawback seemed to be price. At about US$5,000 a pop to start, they were an estimated 10 times more than a typical propeller, a steep upfront investment that might be difficult to recoup even with a 30% efficiency boost.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
These appear to work for boat propellers as well as smaller plastic ones being able to make drones fly quieter and more efficiently.
later
Why are they machining this out of a solid block of aluminum, instead of investing in foundary tooling so they can cast these ?
What aluminum alloy are they using? It doesn’t say, and matters a lot for marine durability.
They wouldn’t work in the weed moss infested marsh and bayous of Louisiana. They’d clog up.
I thought there were screens for that.................
Reminds me of the ancient Sabu Disc.
Not on a prop
i can 3d print that.
“i can 3d print that.”
Careful there, Oregon has laws against ghost things
How does that work on Sailboat fuel?
She doesn’t go fast, but, can go a LONG way on a sail full of fuel.
I guess we call anything new and different “smart” now...
There's a reason why the world's maritime industry stopped using sailboat fuel to power warships and cargo vessels.
Can you guess the reason why?
Each has three variables: diameter, pitch, and rotation. So a different set of molds for casting are needed. Having some experience with aluminum castings, they tend to break rather than bend in thinner sections like on this prop.
“Why are they machining this out of a solid block of aluminum, instead of investing in foundary tooling so they can cast these ?”
That is a very good question... As a fabricator I would guess that it might be due to the fact Forged Billet Aluminum is much stronger and less prone to fatigue. This is why they stopped selling cast aluminum semi truck wheels many years ago, they are now all forged billet and machined. I can just imagine the forces placed on it in this application.
The doldrums?
Eventually, people will figure how to make these much more cheaply. I could image the price, in constant dollars, dropping by 10X in 20 years.
I got the hint they are matching them to the motor, effectively they're custom made with a multi-axis mill. Further, I would expect a cast aluminum prop to be both more brittle and more subject to cycle fatigue. The former would harm efficiency. With such thin cross sections, the latter would be...
I can still buy decent props for my Yamaha for under $100. It would take a lot of 30% savings to make up the difference.
Especially, after you chip one of these on the coral.
Definitely going to get one for our Ranger bass boat...
Worst part of being 90 is that I have to have one of the children or grandchildren hook up the boat for me...
Second worst is that my wife has an SS knee, arthritis in the other one, and bass fishing is no longer an option for her...
Over a period from 1970 to 2005, we fished many, many rivers, lakes, and impoundments across the southern part of the country between MD and CA...
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