Sharrow Props

loubeer said:
Very lively discussion with a lot of opinions. It seems that innovation is a contentious, winding, bumpy road. Not sure if the sharrow props are going to be successful and I certainly don't have any skin in the game, but I applaud the effort. I do feel that finding significantly better boat propulsion efficiency is going to be necessary to maintain interest in future power boating.

Ten years ago, who would have thought we'd have acceptance and as many electric street vehicles as we have today!?!?!
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I think the main issue with the Sharrow is the price. It's so far out of line with what even expensive regular props cost that it's just not going to be a viable option for the average consumer. I believe it is superior to a basic prop, but is it necessary? Ever seen Navy submarines in dry-dock? They usually have the props covered. Those prop designs are classified because they do offer significant enhancements. And on a nuclear submarine, every advantage counts. Innovation is great and necessary, but until that product can be produced at a consumer-friendly price it just won't catch on. Remember when big-screen TVs used to cost thousands of dollars?
 
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Mustang65fbk said:
Anyone over there with actual experience that has purchased them before or is it mostly just a dumpster fire of a thread like they oftentimes are?
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mostly arguing, but 1 or 2 guys have put them on. i know one of the guys provided feedback
 
VCR's were also 1000 bucks... microwaves very expensive too when first introduced. They got dirt cheap as time went on so maybe there's hope for us average boaters.
 
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Automated14 said:
VCR's were also 1000 bucks... microwaves very expensive too when first introduced. They got dirt cheap as time went on so maybe there's hope for us average boaters.
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Yes... but both of those products were priced that way because they were brand new to the market for public consumption, they didn't have a thousand different brands competing to bring down the price like they do today, and it wasn't like one brand of VCR or microwave was $1k when all the rest were $150 or less. Same goes for computers back in the late 1980's to the early 1990's when I was growing up, and I think our first Apple/Mac desktop was around $3k or so, when today you can get a laptop or even a desktop for around $1k or maybe even less. That's the biggest issue here that I see with the Sharrow props in that propellers have been available for the public to purchase since longer than I've been alive. On top of that, you've got some propeller brands selling their products for less than $200, yet the Sharrow props are listing theirs for $5k a piece, and with some applications you see very minimal performance/fuel economy gains. At that price, it could be 20 years or more before they start to bring down the costs, if they're even still in business at that point. And even still, I doubt they'll list them competitively to what the other majority of propeller manufacturers are selling their products for. Nowadays, almost everything is made overseas and sold on Amazon, to where you've got literally hundreds if not thousands of different manufacturers of now DVD/Blu-Ray players and microwaves or other household appliances. Which only brings the cost of products down even further than before. During the late 1990's to early 2000's it seems like was the time when VCR's started becoming obsolete and DVD players were coming out. I remember they were around oh probably $400-$500 when they did first come out, now you can find one on Amazon for less than $25.
 
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Automated14 said:
Very accurate... the ratio of money spent vs confidence doesn't add up

motor vehicle cold air intake: few hundred at most and you can find dozens of people who have put the same on your same exact vehicle- Low buy in and a pretty accurate idea of what you will get for the money even if you ignore what the manufacturer says.

Sharrow: few thousand dollars and except in rare instances, you can't find anyone who's put one on your same exact boat with same power. High buy in and ZERO idea of what you will get for your money and all you have is what the manufacturer says.

Of course, this will likely change over time as more and more people buy them. I feel like you will see them more on new builds as the cost of the prop becomes a drop in the bucket compared to a new boat build... but it's a budget buster on a repower.
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They do have a 30 day return policy for either another prop size or full refund.
 
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