I'm not entirely certain of the best way to word my questions...or even how, specifically to ask them, so pardon if this seems like a "jumbled mess". Adding confusion to the c chaos, this isn't related to any one specific boat - these questions could be applied equally to a monohull, a cat, a hydro, or outrigger. In my case, right now, this relates to three different boat of two different types (mono & cat), and two different motor/prop configurations (single & twin). Anyway, here goes nothing.....

To start, I'm going to ignore the 2- vs 3-blade part of this mess, as that would probably mess with people's minds too much...as I've been known to say, "Start easy, then go hard." Assume the same motor, ESC, and battery for all possibilities, and assume that the motor & ESC are more than capable for all possibilities. In regards to diameter & pitch, I'm going to first toss out a couple of 'pairings':

1715 vs 1814
1716 vs 1815
1716 vs 1814

For these pairings, think of them as all 2-blade and/or all 3-blade combos. Just looking at these combos, in terms of speed, stability, and any other points you might think of, what might be the advantages/disadvantages of each over it's "paired partner"? Also, how would power draw, and ESC & motor temps, be affected? For each pairing, which prop would you prefer, and why? If there's any noticable difference, of each pairing, which would be better for racing (where speed AND controllability matter), which for just 'having fun' (where stability is more important than speed), and which would be better for all-out speed runs?

Taking things up (or down, depending on how you look at it) a notch...now we get into the 2-blade vs 3-blade...here's a few more parings to consider:

1716 2-blade vs 1715 3-blade
1815 2-blade vs 1814 3-blade
1815 2-blade vs 1715 3-blade

For these pairings, the same questions apply. I'm still in the somewhat early in the learning stages of FE, but I think these questions, and the answers to them, could help veterans & newbs, alike.

Yes, I could have selected any number of props...but, in my attempt to keep this as incomplete as possible, I chose to limit the props to just these four diameters/pitches. As readers gain more understanding of the interaction between just these four, we should all be able to apply what's learned to other diameter/pitch combos.

Let the games...and gain in prop knowledge...begin.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place