The Propeller Handbook     

The Propeller Handbook The Complete Reference for
Choosing, Installing, and Understanding Boat
Propellers.

All the questions are answered in this complete reference, the first of its kind. This clear, easy-to-use handbook for all small boats is written not for Ph.D.s seeking the latest wrinkle in high-tech propeller design, but as a practical aid for the average mechanic, engineer, boatbuilder, fleet operator, serious
yachtsman, or naval architect.

• Why wont your engine reach its top rated RPMs?
• Why is your propeller shaft vibrating?
• Why doesnt your boat reach the top speed claimed by the manufacturer?
• Will more or less propeller pitch improve your boats performance?
• Is a square wheel (pitch equals diameter) best?
• Is a folding prop best for your purposes?
• Should you choose a two-, three-, or four-bladed propeller?

All these questions and more are answered in this complete reference--the first of its kind.

We have highly recommended the Propeller Handbook to our distributors and repair stations, and have multiple office copies that our sales people refer to.--Michigan Wheel Corporation

This book will answer almost every propeller-related question youre likely to come across.--Ensign

Without doubt the definitive reference for selecting, installing, and understanding boat propellers.--Royal Navy Sailing Association Journal

This book is for everyone who has ever had to make a decision about a propeller: mechanics, boatbuilders, boat service yard owners, boat owners, as well as naval architects. Dave Gerr and International Marine made a complicated topic understandable and put it into a handbook that is easy to use.--WoodenBoat

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. Power: Understanding Engine Performance
Chapter 2. Estimating Speed: Effects of Power, Weight, and Hull Type
Chapter 3. Propeller Anatomy: Parts and Definitions
Chapter 4. Blade Characteristics: Blade Shape, Cavitation, Special Propellers, and Rules of Thumb
Chapter 5. Crouchs Propeller Method: The Empirical Method for Calculating Propellers Using Slip
Chapter 6. The Bp- Method: The Power Factor Method for Calculating Propellers
Chapter 7. Installation Considerations: Blade Clearances, Shafting, and Propeller Weight
Chapter 8. Tugs and Trawlers: High-Thrust, Variable-Loading, Controllable Pitch, and Ducted Propellers
Chapter 9. Sailboats, Outboards, and Go-Fast Wrinkles: Propellers for Special Applications
Appendix A. Measuring the Hull: Procedure for Determining Displacement
Appendix B. Measuring the Propeller: Procedure for Finding Diameter and Pitch
Appendix C. Shaft Taper and Coupling Dimensions
Appendix D. Decimal Exponents
Manufacturers and Suppliers
Bibliography
Index

Author Biography

Dave Gerr is a naval architect specializing in the design of yachts and commercial craft to 180 feet. He has worked on vessels ranging from 440-foot cruise ships to a 60-foot BOC racer, a 60-mph jet-drive runabout, a 7-knot, 25-foot cruising motor launch, 100-foot aluminum motoryachts, and an assortment of 40- and 50-foot auxiliaries and motorsailers.

Owner of his own design firm, Gerr is a graduate of Westlawn School of Yacht Design and has studied physics at New York University and industrial design at Pratt Institute. He has a particular fascination with the relationship between science and art, function and beauty, and finds in naval architecture a rewarding harmony among these.

Dave Gerrs articles on boat design have appeared in Cruising World, Ocean Navigator, SAIL, Yachting, and WoodenBoat. He is a contributing editor for Boatbuilder and Offshore magazines. He is the author of The Nature of Boats and The Elements of Boat Strength, both published by International Marine.