Marine Propeller Association Meets in Las Vegas
One of the new lathes at Accutech marine Propeller in Dover, NH. High levels of precision machining are key to accessing the power and efficiency of modern engines. Accurately machined propellers and shafts better transmit engine power while reducing fuel consumption and drive train wear.
November : The latest in marine propeller technology and research was the topic and goal at the annual National Marine Propeller Association (NMPA) conference in Las Vegas.
The average boat owner may not often think about this part of their boat, but it is almost all that NMPA members think about. The three-day event attracted propeller shops from around the country to learn and share information.
There is no school for training technicians in the assessment and tuning of marine propellers and no set standards for tuning propellers. Propeller manufacturers do have standards, so as NMPA has grown over the last 20 years it has developed standards. NMPA is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan where there is a standards board, a certification commission and a director.
All NMPA members are propeller shop owners, manufacturers or provide ancillary services. The conference featured training sessions and seminars with some of the top hydro dynamics people in the world.
Larry Kindberg, owner of Accutech Marine Propeller in Dover, N.H. and Chairman of the Standars and Certification Committee at NMPA said, “we are trying to take the ‘wild west’ aspect out of the marine propeller business. He was referring to tuning propellers without training and doing it without referring to an industry standard. Members attend this conference to share information, improve their ability to provide better service and become certified propeller technicians.”
Kindberg said modern engines are very complex and propeller technology s increasingly sophisticated as well. Asian companies are developing more highly precise machining techniques for propellers, and metallurgy is improving the performance of the metals used. The combination of all these and other factors is changing the role and the understanding of the marine propeller in vessel performance.
Kindberg said, “owners know they have a propeller, but they think the engine moves the boat, but it is the propeller that moves the boat. When the propeller is properly tuned, and it is the correct propeller for the boat, these things make it a different boat - different in power, fuel efficiency and overall performance.”
Kindberg said the recognition the importance of the correct propeller for a specific hull and a propeller that has been accurately tuned is growing with the price of fuel. Precision is the keyword from the very complicated and very expensive new engines all the way back to the outer edges of the propeller blades.
Accutech Marine Propeller is holding a full day seminar and hands on demonstration for 24 Landing School students in January. Association website: http://www.nmpa.net