We design all of our propellers inhouse. The company is entirely Swedish and production is performed in carefully selected suppliers, primarily in Sweden to have close contact and monitor the high quality standards we impose on them.
Our propeller design is based on a 4-blade design in which first of all the blades are adjustable to different pitches, but also replaceable in case of damage. The parts are molded in a fiberglass-reinforced polyamide, which is an accepted substitute for cast metal, mainly aluminum. The products are best suited to the market for outboards in the range of 20-300 hp.
Background
The company was founded in the late 90s around an idea to create an adjustable propeller of composite materials. The benefits would be many if the blades could be adjusted without either switching hub or blades. Furthermore, there was a desire to use a plastic material that can be molded and also resist corrosion, etc. The basis for the design came from a long experience of production of pleasure boats in plastic. Tests for a variety of design options were taken, all to ensure a sustainable and reliable product. The raw material was selected in consultation with suppliers who have extensive experience from products in both aerospace and the automotive industry, where price and performance, but not least, high technical standards is an everyday reality for the finished product. Now, here a little over 15 years later and with many props around the world in all the waters, we know that the concept works.
The brand and product
Propulse stands for innovation and creativity in an otherwise relatively conservative navy technical environment. We are, to our knowledge the only company in the world that manufactures and markets a propeller where the pitch can be adjusted and the blades can be replaced. We are constantly working towards improving the quality of the product and refine its design and choice of materials, all to achieve better performance in the water.
The material we use is a high performance polyamide, injection molded under high pressure and temperature. To obtain an even stronger material it is reinforced with glass fiber. Overall, therefore, our propellers just as strong as propellers in aluminum and usually better. If we take into account factors such as weight and performance against corrosion etc. it widely exceeds the properties of aluminum. The polyamide are known to be resistant to commonly used chemicals and petroleum products. If necessary, the propeller can be painted with the most commonly available on the market 1 – & 2-component colors.
We decided early on to use only 4-blade propellers as we know they deliver the most interesting performance to the ordinary boat owner. With the manufacturing process we have, all the blades of the same size are made in the same mold. This keeps the weight difference between the various individual blades of the same type to be almost negligible. This, together with the 4-blade design, results in an extremely well-balanced propeller, which most metal propellers have difficulties to demonstrate.