| Propeller Diameter (ideal) | How To | ||||||||||
| Formula | |||||||||||
| D= ( 632.7 x ( shaft HP exp 0.2 ) ) / ( RPM exp 0.6 ) | |||||||||||
| 18 | Ideal Minimum prop diameter for hull | ||||||||||
| 16 | Maximum prop diameter permissible. | <-- See Min Prop Dia sheet | |||||||||
| 42 | SHP | ||||||||||
| 2000 | RPM | ||||||||||
| 14 | Theoretical ideal prop diameter (inches). | ||||||||||
| This is for a "standard" 3 blade prop with 33% Disc Area Ratio, | |||||||||||
| This "standard" configuration is the ideal form of propeller. Use of propellers with a greater Disc Area Ratio | |||||||||||
| or a greater number of blades is recommended only for special applications such as fishery. The use of props | |||||||||||
| with lower DAR and/or two blades is recommended only for special applications such as racing sailboats. | |||||||||||
| These special applications should consider the use of alternatives to the rigid propeller, such as variable | |||||||||||
| pitch or folding or ducted designs. | |||||||||||
| The more a prop deviates from "standard" configuration, the greater the trade off in lost performance at one end | |||||||||||
| of the curve to boost performance in the other. A low drag sailing prop will not have sufficient area to generate large | |||||||||||
| thrust. A large area towing prop will have a high drag when sailing. A high thrust prop is not a high speed prop. | |||||||||||