Are Sharrow Marine propellers worth a try.

Aquaholic said:
I think if they have a booth at the boat show, and you can book a prop demo/sea trial with your boat, they would probably sell some if the seat of the pants feel is that noticeable, or obviously if you’re looking at a fuel flow gauge.
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I always watch my fuel economy. Particularly when I'm up island or on the central coast where fuel can be a 3 hour commute. My boats economy cruise varies between 3500 and 3700 depending on its weight which seems to be out of the pay off for the Sharrow. What also is a worry, is how fragile the Sharrow looks. I'm in skinny water from time to time (Gold River/Spider Channel). It looks to me like it would take very little to significantly deform that prop and you aren't going to file the damage out to get you home. I'm happy with the 2 miles per US gallons +or- my boat gets and it hops on a plane in no time. It doesn't bring much to the table for me. Having said that they maybe suitable for some applications and they do look flashy which will appeal to some people.
 
I talked with a guy at Lions Bay marina who’s running a Sharrow or 2 . Can’t remember if it was twins…. He said 20% better fuel economy and a lower rpm to run back and forth to cabin on Gambier. I personally wouldn’t risk it with the amount of wood in our waters … They look too fragile to me
 

This is for a 150hp to 450hp engines​

​

Sharrow MX™​

For​

The Sharrow MX is the ultimate choice for serious boaters, offering a tailored-fit design for unmatched performance. Each propeller is meticulously selected by our expert engineering team from thousands of designs to perfectly match your boat and motor. Manufactured from scratch in Detroit, Michigan, using high-grade stainless steel alloy, every Sharrow MX undergoes advanced aerospace-level treatments and is CNC-machined to an extraordinary tolerance of +/- 2 thousandths of an inch—making it 2X stronger than traditional propellers. This breakthrough in propeller technology delivers unparalleled strength, precision, and performance.

4,995.00 us or $6,500 Canadian

Warranties is good for manufacture defects.
 
WELL darn they dont have for a 350 duo prop and here i was gonna fork out 13 grand for something shiny ..... id have to burn ALOT of fuel to even see it justified.
 
I talked to a guy who ran a set of Sharrows on a Hewes 250 Alaskan with twin 200's. He saw a 10% fuel savings and could stay on plane quite a bit slower than with his previous props. I can't recall the exact speeds, but it was a big difference, like 5mph slower or something.

If a person is trying to save enough fuel to pay for these, it's going to be tough to justify. For me the value would be in increased range, slower planning speed for rough weather and the reduced noise.
 
Flashman said:
I talked to a guy who ran a set of Sharrows on a Hewes 250 Alaskan with twin 200's. He saw a 10% fuel savings and could stay on plane quite a bit slower than with his previous props. I can't recall the exact speeds, but it was a big difference, like 5mph slower or something.

If a person is trying to save enough fuel to pay for these, it's going to be tough to justify. For me the value would be in increased range, slower planning speed for rough weather and the reduced noise.
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A 4 blade and hydrofoil give similar drivability characteristics. Also less low speed wander. Not sure on fuel range improvements though.
 
It would be great to see these made for kickers. Aluminum vs stainless, so it would bring the cost down. The added power/efficiency would be great for the smaller motor. Plus, less cavitation and annoying vibrations. But, I think the reduced noise would be the most enjoyable benefit. I hope they bring these out in a smaller lineup soon.
 
Stoisy said:
It would be great to see these made for kickers. Aluminum vs stainless, so it would bring the cost down. The added power/efficiency would be great for the smaller motor. Plus, less cavitation and annoying vibrations. But, I think the reduced noise would be the most enjoyable benefit. I hope they bring these out in a smaller lineup soon.
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Could do it with 3d printing and a brushless electric trolling motor, super quiet and pretty good power
Stoisy said:
It would be great to see these made for kickers. Aluminum vs stainless, so it would bring the cost down. The added power/efficiency would be great for the smaller motor. Plus, less cavitation and annoying vibrations. But, I think the reduced noise would be the most enjoyable benefit. I hope they bring these out in a smaller lineup soon.
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This^^^
 
I have a set of Sharrows on my twin 300 yamahas. Definitely not snake oil, though agree they are expensive. Spent over $500K USD on my boat so what's another $10K, really. Didn't buy them for the increased fuel economy, though that was a bonus. I was having issues staying on plane at lower RPMs, tried multiple different props (3 vs 4 blades, mutiple pitches, longer tunnels, etc). Nothing got me where I wanted to be so ordered a set of Sharrows and was beyond happy with the improvement. Better grip was needed for 3-5' following seas, better tracking in the slop (reduced bow steer), and much quieter cruising. Better grip in reverse is also real, docking is moderately better and a bonus.

As for prop repair, I purchased the Sharrow Care support for $700 USD per year to get full replacements for any damage incurred. Sharrow is a small company but sells a solid product and has excellent customer service. I wasn't sold by all the online paid endorsements. Friend of mine have a set on their water taxi and convinced me they're real.

Here's why I bought them: better hole shot, lower planing and cruising speed, and quieter cruising at much lower RPMs. Improved safety and comfort. This graph -- based on data collected in both directions and averaged -- best demonstrates why I bought them. The hole is gone, replaced with a straight line.

1731731087431.png

If they ever introduce Sharrows for the 25hp motors, I'll buy one for my kicker. Better maneuverability while getting broadside to a fish is worth it to me.

Barry
 
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BarryA said:
I have a set of Sharrows on my twin 300 yamahas. Definitely not snake oil, though agree they are expensive. Spent over $500K USD on my boat so what's another $10K, really. Didn't buy them for the increased fuel economy, though that was a bonus. I was having issues staying on plane at lower RPMs, tried multiple different props (3 vs 4 blades, mutiple pitches, longer tunnels, etc). Nothing got me where I wanted to be so ordered a set of Sharrows and was beyond happy with the improvement. Better grip was needed for 3-5' following seas, better tracking in the slop (reduced bow steer), and much quieter cruising. Better grip in reverse is also real, docking is moderately better and a bonus.

As for prop repair, I purchased the Sharrow Care support for $700 USD per year to get full replacements for any damage incurred. Sharrow is a small company but sells a solid product and has excellent customer service. I wasn't sold by all the online paid endorsements. Friend of mine have a set on their water taxi and convinced me they're real.

Here's why I bought them: better hole shot, lower planing and cruising speed, and quieter cruising at much lower RPMs. Improved safety and comfort. This graph -- based on data collected in both directions and averaged -- best demonstrates why I bought them. The hole is gone, replaced with a straight line.

View attachment 112511

If they ever introduce Sharrows for the 25hp motors, I'll buy one for my kicker. Better maneuverability while getting broadside to a fish is worth it to me.

Barry
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Interesting comparison but the 400 rpm difference at WOT suggests that the pitch selection is not apples to apples between the different props.

I’m not familiar with running twins on a bigger boat but 16.57 mph at 4000 rpm seems slow to me. That is a slip ratio of 49% with a 15P prop and a 1.75 drive ratio.

Is it normal to have this much slip in the mid rpm range and not get up on step with properly pitched props on twin F300s until after 4500 rpm? If so I can see the need for a performance boost but this issue just doesn’t occur with my single F300 application on an obviously much lighter boat.
 
Not claiming apples to apples, just showing before/after the re-prop. Definitely a ton of slip until on step then you could back down to perhaps ~4200 (on a good day) and maintain cruise around 24-26kt. I played with 15/17/19 pitch SWS2 props as well as a couple Merc 4 blades without much success -- the slip was still there and planing speed wasn't much different. The hole may have been shallower with 17/19's, don't care -- it's still a hole. In hindsight I should've started with XTOs but they were too new at the time and unproven to me. I'll move up on my next repower. The Sharrows are simply amazing. I'm now cruising at ~24kt 3900/4000 rpms and can stay on step as low as ~1900rpms. Time is money, and after months of trying different props at my own cost I said F it and slapped on the Sharrows and walked away with the problem solved. Totally different boat now, to say the least. Plenty of grip, control, safety, comfort.

Boat is a Coldwater 35x11, guessing the weight is 15-17K combat ready:

1731779147841.png
 
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Not meant as a challenge; just an observation that pushing a large boat like yours up on step is a completely different animal than my boat at 1/3 the weight with a single F300. Sharrow props appear to have overcome the mid-rpm issue in your case.

Glad they worked out for you but in my case I don’t experience any hole in my hypothetical graph as I quickly get up on step and experience 10%-13% slip all the way from about 3000 rpm to WOT. Therefore, Sharrow props aren’t likely to offer me enough improvement to justify the costs.

Beauty boat by the way.
 
I’ve been tracking the whole Sharrow story since they first hit the market—part of the reason was a guy I know was given a pair four years ago when Sharrow first started their marketing campaign on the West Coast. That guy runs twin F300 on a boat similar weight as mine and when he started hyperventilating about the 20% fuel savings and that low-RPM planing characteristic that I wished I had on my boat, I was all ears. A couple of seasons ago I plunked a down-payment down on a pair——I have a 14K boat with twin DF300’s . My main issue at the time was a big stern-heavy boat that struggled getting out of the hole and once out of the hole, if I didn’t keep her at 3,600 + it would fall back in to the hole.
I had 6 x 6 volt house batteries in the stern (250 lbs) and a Yamaha T-25 kicker so I was running the poster child boat (stern-heavy) that a pair of Sharrows I’m sure would benefit the most

I ultimately backed away from the Sharrow table and got my down payment back in my wallet—-main reason was the wait time was too long and there was no guarantee that by the time I bolted them on, the summer season could have come and gone

But when push came to shove, I backed down because of the riskiness of running a pair of delicately machined flukes around wood and rocks.

The best repair insurance or manufacturer’s guarantee you could purchase wouldn’t mean sweet F-all if you’re in the middle of nowhere and hit a log…where I do my boating, I decided that if I ever run Sharrows it would only be with at least one replacement Sharrow in my lazarette and from a $$$ standpoint, that’s a bridge too far
 
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