Cant buy a good fast one, so make your own!

[john527]

prop start to finish.jpg

[DeanFHobart]

Very nice... keep up the good work.

[john527]

few more 750 mod props being finished...
new props 1.jpg
new props 2.jpg

[DeanFHobart]

On the history side of three blade propellers.... The first one I saw was on Clark Maloof’s D Stock Hydro at the 1977 Bakersfield California Stock Outboard Nationals. The first one I had for my A Stock Hydro, was made from two Kamic #48-23636 two blades cut into 120 degree wedges and welded together by Dick Fickett and finished by R. Allen ‘Papa’ Smith. And it did work.... I broke my own A Stock Hydro 1-2/3’s, 5 mile competition record at Lawrence Lake, Yelm, Washington in 1979 with it.

[Big Don]

First 3 blade I saw was on Vern Kargus BSH in 1976 at Hinton WV Nationals in inspection, after he won. Little did I know he would become my future father-in-law.

[DeanFHobart]

First 3 blade I saw was on Vern Kargus BSH in 1976 at Hinton WV Nationals in inspection, after he won. Little did I know he would become my future father-in-law.

Now that is cool....What type of boat did Vern run at that time?

[Chip Trampe]

Most likely a medium sponson B Sid-Craft.

[Art K]

Charlie Holman has been welding 4 blade props out of 2blade props for years. Have several in the trailer now. Does great work.

[Tom10W]

Vern had a new boat built specifically for the 1976 Hinton Nationals. Ron Anderson and Bobby Hering (A & H) built him a Hedlund style boat with totally different deck lift and a very wide bottom for the huge Mile and 2/3 Hinton Course. We tested a ton down at Kaukauna then went to Hinton. It was his first race with the boat. He won 4 straight heats for the Championship. I have to say it's my proudest moment ever from boat racing. Beats my championships by far as I was so proud of him. So the discussion is really about 3-blades. My dad was welding up 3 and 4 blades since about 1972 for sure. We tested a ton for years. When I was getting my "temps" for driving, one of my first long drives was to a foundry where my dad was getting estimates to have 3 and 4 blades cast. I know Vern and Craig Dewald had conversations over coffee about prop technology. He was running 3 blades at the Dayton nationals (1974 and 1975) for sure. I think he ran one in Utah in 1973 as well. He (we) would run 4 blades at local races all the time to test them in race conditions. My dad lost races due to the greater cause. The 4 blades were really hard to get on plane but held great and powered through our small, rough river courses. This was of course on the 1964 mid-sponson Sid Craft that Chip mentioned. Once he got the A & H and was able to handle the huge Hinton corners, the rest is history as we believe he was the first to win a stock nationals with a 3-blade. Unfortunately a 1977 car accident put an abrupt stop to all of this. There are still a good number of wood pitch blocks in my mom's basement. The castings were never finished.

[john527]

1978, Dick Sidor and the Sobel's were making 3 blades, and with Dick's expertise touch put our A hydros,B hydros and 25SS hydros out in the front of the pack quite often!

[john527]

A few more 4 blades done and ready for testing...
prop box.jpg

[john527]

Couple more D mod wheels finished last week using our new bronze pitch block
bronze 1.jpg 2 new.jpg

[john527]

one of our props after balancing

[DeanFHobart]

Couple more D mod wheels finished last week using our new bronze pitch block]

Are you making your own pitch blocks? And then ‘Tweek’ the pitches from there?

Keep up the great work.

[john527]

the blocks are from the late Dick Sidor, the bronze block is the only one we modified

[crfabbro2F]

Couple more D mod wheels finished last week using our new bronze pitch block
bronze 1.jpg 2 new.jpg

Are you applying a hardening process when they are finished?

[deeougee]

You can’t harden stainless. Hardness in stainless is attained from the metallurgical process. You can only anneal stainless ie. “soften”.