Indigo Radial Winglet prop?

[Bold Rascal]

Is anyone using the new Radial Winglet prop offered by Indigo?

http://www.atomic4.com/propeller.html

[Dave Neptune]

Luv the ole one!!

Bold, I have been using the older style for many years now ande I absolutely love the way it works. My boat is 35 feet and around 14K with a 25' waterline. I tried about a dozen props over the years until I came across the Indigo and since I have not looked back. The biggest advantage is the small 3 blade creates very little drag when compared to the larger diameter two blades and the other 3's available and you get all of the advantages expecially in reverse. I am concidering the modification on mine at the end of the season though. Note the Indigo is much quieter when motoring and the helm does not shake like with the two blades.

Dave Neptune

[Sony2000]

It says the winglets eliminate the noises generated by the tip vortices, at high speed.
That's a stretch. Some marketing mind dreamed that up. It's like saying the price of housing always goes up.

[Dave Neptune]

No noise really

Sony, so all of the new aircraft with the winglets to eliminate turbulance are also a marketing skam? They do make a big reduction in noise. I know a guy who bought a boat and liked everything about it as far as how the A-4 performed. When he did his first haul-out the yard manager told him his prop was bad as he must of backed into something. So off the the prop shop it went fo9r straightening (the tips) and refreshing. He already bought a new Indigo as once his old one was fixed it did not work as well and it was noisey at cruise speed. The winglet is also starting to show up in some heavier displacement applications on trawlers.
Have you seen the new Campbell designs, that fly through the water via "lift" instead of resistance. The leading edges are blunt round like a slow flying aircraft wing. Only played with 2 of those and wow do they work and that is also with very narrow blades but no winglet.

Dave Neptune

[Ball Racing]

It says the winglets eliminate the noises generated by the tip vortices, at high speed.
That's a stretch. Some marketing mind dreamed that up. It's like saying the price of housing always goes up.

Sony, until you try it, you shouldn't stake such claims.

[toddster]

It's not that the "winglets" are new, it's that they have a slightly different shape now.
I've been running with the previous version since October, but I'm afraid that I changed too many variables at once to know for sure what the prop does. The prop walk seems reduced, compared to the old 2-blade, but also there doesn't seem to be as much power in reverse.



The data points are a little iffy at the top end of the curve because I was taking measurements in a narrow side channel (to reduce wind & current effects) with a lot of traffic and steering starts getting "exciting" when the old cow makes like it's trying to plane

[67c&ccorv]

I am running the "original" Indigo prop...a huge improvement from the old 2-blade 12X7 that came with my Corvette.

I may have to buy the new one as a "spare"!

[Al Schober]

Just to toss a monkey wrench in the works, I'm currently using the plastic prop from CDI. Very happy with it. It's probably about 10 years old now.

[Sony2000]

Winglets were designed to delay the flow of water from going over the edge of the prop on the sides ends and meeting the flow of water on the other side doing the same thing. The delay translates into greater power for the same size prop. Also the curve sets up a spiraling of the two flows while they are merging.
Anything else produced is secondary and possibly not that important.

[ndutton]

Prop theory again? Oh no.

On the other hand, the last go-round was pretty entertaining.

[sastanley]

Just to toss a monkey wrench in the works, I'm currently using the plastic prop from CDI. Very happy with it. It's probably about 10 years old now.

Al, I toyed with the CDI prop in my little mind. I got a good deal on my Indigo (I know I do not need to link to it) and I have been satisfied with it.

I also just did a 16+ hour delivery on a C-30 with the old standard 12 x 7 2-blade prop and it worked just fine as well. I did not have calibrated instruments, nor a tach, but it did seem that the engine speed was a bit lower compared to the Indigo, but that is all conjecture.

I guess my biggest concern with the CDI was have you ever had a broken blade? Could you limp into port with only one functioning blade?

[Sony2000]

Breaking a prop on a sailboat is very infrequent. But it is better to break a prop that hits something, and save the power transmission system, than do the same thing with a big bronze blade.

[sastanley]

Sony...I understand your argument and I agree. I guess initially I was thinking the CDI was a weak point since it was plastic. However, with a big keel in the way, you are right..the possibility of whacking something with the prop is relatively miniscule.

I still wonder though..might you whack something with a bronze prop that you wouldn't notice, but might break a plastic prop? That is really my question...

Even something as simple as a crab pot or lobster line might be enough to snap a CDI prop maybe??? I dunno..I am guessing. I do not own a CDI prop, nor do I want to make negative comments about a company I have no experience with.

[romantic comedy]

I have the Indigo prop on my Tartan 34 since 2001. It is a good prop.

With sailing, there will always be a compromise with the prop, if you want to actually sail. My boat has always backed in a circle, especially when trying to set the anchor. I have backed into about 15 knots, for a 1/4 mile. I just needed to adjust a bit along the way.

2 months ago, I was out in 35 knots, and the boat made 2.5 knots into the wind, with 5 foot seas. Now I love the prop.

I recommend the prop. I also agree with the indigo rpm and speed figures.

[joe_db]

Indigo prop = single best engine improvement of anything I have ever done

Also note these bent-tip props are fitted to aircraft. I know of at least one such airplane that was grounded by the FAA until they "fixed' their bent prop