Want input from everyone for question

[Cooper]

Hey guys I want to get a sensuous of opinions on the subject of prop modifications. I am thinking of doing a thread pertaining to modifying props, balancing, polishing, cupping, pitching, ect,,, I know this is a pretty stickey area in discussions as a lot of people that have poured hours into tweaking their props want to keep the edge over competitors by not sharing what they have done. I'm not asking for others to share but my intentions are to elevate this sport into the 150mph arena. I'm not going to do that but I would like to see several others to. And in my opinion this sport is growing and hopefully manufactuers will be developing new and more advanced products for us to use. Not giving any secrets away as it only takes a few clicks and anyone can find out how to improve stock components. The art is in knowing how to use them. And maybe this will be just the push some need to get to the next level. But I don't want anyone to be cooking components because they put too much stress on motors/ esc. As there isn't really much out there for moderate enthusiasts to learn from. And I would like to learn some myself from others opinions, experiences. What do you think? Good or bad thread? Open the can of worms or keep the lights off?

[blowNover]

I'm shocked this thread has not had much attention or any responses yet. But I myself don't know much about cupping props or any of the so-called secret ways of making a boat go as fast as we want them to but I would sure love to learn guys so I mean I like to see some help on here.

[boredom.is.me]

What blowNover said!

[driftah]

yes we need some insight on this subject like cupping and detounging for dummies lol

[Cooper]

Sounding good so far

[srislash]

I for one appreciate any info on this subject. You can simply throw money at things and get so far,but... prop work IMO is "THE" trick to going further faster.I am basicly a sponge on this subject and should soon be dabbling with prop testing myself.I have been but am thinking of something more serious and factual.

Love the idea!!!

[pond skipper]

In all honesty knowing is about 1/2 the battle, prop work is still a bit of an art form, you can tell someone how to paint fine art but only a few will be able to really paint priceless pieces. But I have also found that most people who have experience with the ins and outs with optimizing props for their boats do tend to be pretty tight lipped about the things they do to their props which is frustrating for new comers and is also a very large Achilles heel for the rc boat community because most people who want to get into it and do find that they can't compete with the fast guys because they don't entirely understand the characteristics and mechanics of props and for the sake of the sport and those who are wanting to become a part of it I say, if you have something to say then get on with it man lol. My 2 cents.

[ozzie-crawl]

I to would like to see a decent how to on props. I dabble a bit but would like to know more.
I like to detounge all my props. I used a couple of m series props a few years ago as a guide and then made a few templates out of coins.
So all I do know is put the coin on the prop (flat side on the hub, front edge of coin on the leading edge of the hub) trace the edge with a scribe and i know both sides are the same and the right shape.

[Peter A]

Mmmm this would be really interesting. I agree that what would be good is if some of those that know could share some basics. Of course there are a few guys that make a living out of prop mods and it is fair enough that they should keep their 'trade secrets'. Prop mods for dummies, or those of us that are keen and handy enough to give it a go would be great, but I suspect though that all the theory will we can get will still need the trial and experience that only time brings. After all the greatest learning comes from making mistakes! I have a couple of props coming that I plan to work on, so I'm going to jump in, learn a bit and see if they can get me more speed. Hopefully I won't wreck a good prop in the process.

[G-UNIT]

search for SweetAccord's album in this fourm, it give you all kinds of info on prop lingo, mods such as detounging, cupping back cuts ect...

[G-UNIT]

search for SweetAccord's album in this fourm, it give you all kinds of info on prop lingo, mods such as detounging, cupping back cuts ect...

[Cooper]

search for SweetAccord's album in this fourm, it give you all kinds of info on prop lingo, mods such as detounging, cupping back cuts ect...
Yes he has by far one of the largest albums pertaining to prop theory and terminology.

[pond skipper]

http://www.rcboat.com/prop.htm

The link above is one that I found most helpful when I was tinkering with props for my mono, it helped me get 64.3 mph out of my 33" seaducer on 4s just from following the detonguing portion of X series octura props without even adding any cupping to the trailing edge yet.

[Cooper]

Yes that too is some good info that has been around for a while now.

[pond skipper]

I don't have any numbers on how fast the boat was running before hand with an x447/3 blade that wasn't detongued but I can say that it was a dog, I could turn the boat around at full throttle in about a 4 ft radius and it would never try to spin out, the esc and caps were always HOT when it came back and just by dropping a blade and going to 50mm the boat will now blow off the water if I don't watch it any turning at WOT would be a bad idea!

[Mike Caruso]

Great Idea
First thing I would like to say is you need to spend money yes buy two props at a time or three. If you do not have a prop gauge sharpen and balance all props. Run them all on your boat GPS helps here to identify speeds of each as they might be different. Now start to modify prop #1 run it again faster great! Modify it again faster again very good. Modify it a third time but this time it is way slower now you know what not to do. This is how you learn about props you have to do the work. I found it to be fun for me over the years starting back in 1972 and adding a Hughey prop gauge added to my understanding. I just got a Steve Wood prop gauge that is wonderful yet you can still learn from other types of prop gauges as simple is good for me too! So paying someone who knows props and will work with you for $50-60 dollars per prop as you can see is WELL worth the money. If you have more time than money try doing the props yourself but if you butcher them just save you money and buy a good prop.
Mike

[grsboats]

I'm boating for more than 40 years and still learning about props.More than modifiyng props I would suggest to first learn how to properly sharp,profile,balance and heat threat a prop.Lot of records were set using stock props.What I use to do with my good props is save them via prop duplicators in case I need a repair or even duplicate that time consuming wheel.I still have my Hughey prop gauge that I use in combination to my Speedmaster just to compare numbers but this is part two of the lesson Like Mike well pointed out give a try to your handy skills working on a prop and check for some improvements.There are well known rules that can be applied to this task but I doubt there is a magical recipe for this topic.Gill

[1truckerdan]

http://www.propline.com/Propeller-General-Information/Propeller_Terminology.htm

[lenny]

Hey :tiphat:
Not sure if you already have this info,
But hear is some links.
http://www.fastelectrics.net/
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/showthread.php?27946-Found-list-of-prop-descriptions-somewhere.......
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/propeller-chart.php

[raptor347]

More than modifiyng props I would suggest to first learn how to properly sharp,profile,balance and heat threat a prop.Lot of records were set using stock props.

Thank you Gill. That's the most important line in this thread. What passes for sharpened and balanced is generally pretty far from good.

The best exercise for learning props:
-Pick one model that you use regularly and buy 3 blanks.
-Prep all three to be identical in stock profile, run them to make sure.
-Modify one and test for performance. Repeat.

There's no replacement for getting your hands dirty.

P.S. WEAR YOUR SAFETY GEAR!!! BC isn't good for you.
-

[Cooper]

I'm boating for more than 40 years and still learning about props.More than modifiyng props I would suggest to first learn how to properly sharp,profile,balance and heat threat a prop.Lot of records were set using stock props.What I use to do with my good props is save them via prop duplicators in case I need a repair or even duplicate that time consuming wheel.I still have my Hughey prop gauge that I use in combination to my Speedmaster just to compare numbers but this is part two of the lesson Like Mike well pointed out give a try to your handy skills working on a prop and check for some improvements.There are well known rules that can be applied to this task but I doubt there is a magical recipe for this topic.Gill
Yup and lots of records are set with modified props too. I know not many are willing to cook their props at 600degrees for three hours, and actually duplicate the two blades profiles. That's kind of what I was talking about to potentially start a thread on. Proper modifications easy and hard. And what they are intended to accomplish and why. More of a hands on how to as a lot of info is out there but not much actual steps in the process. And also potentially learning some myself :). But just wanted to get an idea if it might upset some as prop work separates a lot of boats. And in my opinion all the knowledge and expertise of how to will not enable someone to craft the best shapes possible. I my eyes I agree that it is like an art form with function and not everyone can do it. But we can try :)

[Savage Skidoo]

search for SweetAccord's album in this fourm, it give you all kinds of info on prop lingo, mods such as detounging, cupping back cuts ect...

Right -on G-UNIT , I 2nd that , i goggled all there is on props . I have gotten many different tools to perform the task ahead and was able to put my own spin on them once better at the basic's , READ ...cause knowledge is know how . I'm not no 150 mph guy , but i have made some smooth running props ,i am very lucky to see my buds data logger and the prop mod's that i've done for him to see what works and what dose not . Man this can get expensive . One secret i do know they take time , leave the butchering to the meat cutters . CNC also need work don't be fooled . Mike

[BHChieftain]

Just a case in point on prop mods-- I bought a used M440 that was backcut and diameter reduced to 37mm and it is faster than a standard s/b x442...

Chief

[pond skipper]

On top of proper balancing, thinning, one of the other things that makes a big difference is knowing what props would be suitable for your setup, what the true capabilities of your setup is and what it's limits are, in a simple way to explain what I'm saying is that you wouldn't use cowboy boots to run a marathon, or wear sandals while attempting to climb Mount Everest, so first you will want to determine what your goals are, ill use my p mono as a bit of an example, I wanted a combination for it that would be fast, reliable, and safe. so for the 33" seaducer I picked the Neu 1521 1.5D, a castle hydra ice 240, 2x 2s 40c 7600 mah packs to keep the weight down but the discharge capabilities high enough to feed everything else, now to find a wheel for it, well like probably everyone else here I had to read and research props and figure out what works best for a setup like mine, well it being a mono obviously the best choice is going to be a prop with low lift characteristics that would have enough blade area to get the boat going and enough total pitch to get it to the speed I wanted it to reach, chose the octura X4 series because of the fact that its a very low lift prop, now I knew that on the Neu motors page they recommended an X447 3 blade but knowing I was going for speed more than bite I chose a 2 blade x450, a 2 blade is more efficient anyhow, so my next task was to figure out if there were any popular mods for X series props that would net any more speed from them and sure enough I found that if you detongue them it's like taking the restrictor plate off of them so to speak because you end up completely removing the low pitch area of the blade that's only used at super low speed which is not helpful at all when you just want to push the boat really fast. My goal was to get it over 60 and in taking my time and doing the best job I could just balancing, thinning, sharpening, and detonguing the prop without ever worrying about cupping, back cutting, or changing the rake angle to attempt to change the thrust cone any. And with starting from the absolute basics and getting everything as perfect as I can with the setup I have, I achieved 64.3 mph with what is basically a stock x series prop that had its blade shape changed to that of an m series prop...