I've looked at the Sharrow. I've been working directly with Power Tech propellers on sizing a prop for the RT27-OB to increase fuel efficiency which will increase range. Conventional prop's are under $1k. A sharrow prop is $5k. That's too much money for me to expose to hitting something underwater. In my prop testing, I've got a 5 blade prop that's pretty close in performance to the Sharrow.
question for you re boat design.... this video makes clear that the boat normally rides bow high ,and you have to stretch your neck to see over the bow when traveling. Why don't boat manufacturers raise the pilothouse a few feet creating a better view and perhaps storage underneath?
The video is deceiving. I don't have a problem seeing over the bow at what's in front. There is actually very little bow rise on the RT27-OB. Normal cruising puts the boat 0-1 degree up. On this trip, we'd brought too much stuff with us (weight in the cockpit). Tools and spare parts and such. So the boat was much heavier than normal which resulted in a 3-4 degree up angle on the bow. The helm seat is elevated several inches which is what enables me to see over the bow easily. (The Lenco autoglide keeps track of the bow angle on the chartplotter).
Have you thought about using a Sharrow prop?
My understanding is they give you a lot more power and range which might be up your alley
I've looked at the Sharrow. I've been working directly with Power Tech propellers on sizing a prop for the RT27-OB to increase fuel efficiency which will increase range. Conventional prop's are under $1k. A sharrow prop is $5k. That's too much money for me to expose to hitting something underwater. In my prop testing, I've got a 5 blade prop that's pretty close in performance to the Sharrow.
question for you re boat design....
this video makes clear that the boat normally rides bow high ,and you have to stretch your neck to see over the bow when traveling. Why don't boat manufacturers raise the pilothouse a few feet creating a better view and perhaps storage underneath?
The video is deceiving. I don't have a problem seeing over the bow at what's in front. There is actually very little bow rise on the RT27-OB. Normal cruising puts the boat 0-1 degree up. On this trip, we'd brought too much stuff with us (weight in the cockpit). Tools and spare parts and such. So the boat was much heavier than normal which resulted in a 3-4 degree up angle on the bow. The helm seat is elevated several inches which is what enables me to see over the bow easily. (The Lenco autoglide keeps track of the bow angle on the chartplotter).
Check out the video at timestamp 15:00 and you'll see the bow really doesn't ride that high. ua-cam.com/video/7pHY9sHlhgw/v-deo.html