The Ideal number of blades would be one (1) because a single blade does not have other blades disturbing the water flow ahead of it. Unfortunately, trying to get a single blade propeller in balance would be impossible. A two blade propeller is used on sailboats because they are trying to reduce drag. The problem with two blade propellers on power boats is the propeller would require a very large diameter to get the blade area required for effective thrust, as a result, three blade propellers have proven to be the best compromise between; balance, blade area and efficiency.

In the recent years, as engines on outboards and stern drives are being run at increased heights and speeds, four and five blade props have become more popular. They reduce vibration and improve acceleration by putting more blade area in the water.

On outboard motors, four and five blade propellers will also reduce chim walk and steering torque. On inboard boats, four and five blade propellers may be smoother.

Each boat should be evaluated on its own merit. Bay Propeller uses state of the art specialized computer programs to determine if your boats performance could be improved by a four or five bladed propeller.