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TESTIMONIALS FROM
AROUND THe WORLD.
From Australia.
( The Mighty Murray River)
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Piranha Propellers
Australia
PO Box 59
GOUGHS
BAY
VICTORIA
3723.
Attention - The Manager
Dear Jim,
As you know, I recently cruised
down the Murray River all the way from
Albury in NSW to Goolwa in South
Australia.
I was engaged by “The
Australian” newspaper to skipper a
Savage Fibreglass cruiser transporting
journalists along the river over the
entire 2,185 kilometre distance.
The trip was organised to give the
journalists an opportunity to witness
and report on the plight of the Murray and because of
my background I was considered to be the
appropriate person to skipper the
boat.
Think you already know I am a
third generation river-boat skipper and
my wife and I currently operate a River boat Restaurant
located at Swan Hill as well as some Hire
Houseboats.
So ... I was asked to
skipper the boat and I accepted. My
knowledge of the river was invaluable and because of it
I knew I would be travelling through
some very remote areas where any sort of
help would either be non-existent or hard to find.
I
would also be responsible for the safety
and the schedule of some very
busy people.
Since
the boat was less than five metres long there was not a
lot of space to carry an unlimited supply
of spare parts and my instincts and
experience told me I could need a lot as the Murray
River is a graveyard for boat propellers.
That's when I decided to fit a
Piranha Propeller to the sixty
horsepower outboard because I knew
I could recondition the prop in minutes
... . without special tools .... by myself .... no
matter where I
was.
BINGO! .... What a
relief .... You have no idea how comforting it
was for me to know I only needed to carry
some spare blades and that was very easy
to do because they required very little space and
were also very light to carry in the
boat.
Amazingly ... I only needed
one spare blade in total over the entire
2185 kilometre distance.
Even
better .... The propeller was very efficient in
operation and worked wonderfully well
for the entire journey.
I'm also convinced
everything the manufacturers claim about
protection for your lower unit is
true.Whenever I engaged forward or
reverse gear I noticed the lack of
grinding or clunking noises.
I also noticed it was significantly easier
for the motor to spin the propeller up to
speed, presumably due to the lighter
weight of the composite propeller .... amazing stuff.
As you can see I am delighted I made
the decision to use your product and I
thought you would like to know the outcome of
that decision.
Yours
sincerely,
CAPTAIN BILL HOGG
Swan Hill. (On The Murray River)
Victoria.
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From Croydon.
(An Eastern Suburb Of Melbourne).
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Piranha Propellers
Australia
PO Box 59
GOUGHS
BAY
VICTORIA
3723.
Attention - The Manager
Hi Jim,
I tried the 11.5” 13 pitch prop today and it is almost perfect!
Wot with 1 up I get 34MPH according to the speedo at about
5800- 5900 rpm. This is spot on.
With 3 up I get 32mph at 5600 rpm. It get's to the plane
without any fuss at all and the motor sounds better too!
If the speedo is correct I am getting about 90% efficiency from
the prop – this is fantastic. I was carrying between 1/3 and ˝
tank of fuel ( about 50 litres).
It appears that each 60 – 70 KG of load drops the speed by
about 2mph and the revs by about 200 rpm.
Thanks for all your support in getting this right.
Yours
sincerely,
Peter Olsen.
Croydon.
Victoria.
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From The Central Highlands Of
Tasmania
Jim Calder
P.O. Box 59
Goughs
Bay
Victoria
3723
Australia.
Dear
Jim,
I would like tell you how impressed I am
with thePiranha Propeller I have fitted
to my outboard motor. I use a 3.9 Stacer
Proline (a rather heavy boat at 120 kg bare) with a 15
hp Johnson for fly fishing in Little Pine
Lagoon in the Central Highlands of
Tasmania.
Recently after coming in
from fishing I was approached by 2 Parks
and Wildlife Officers for a ride across
the Lagoon so they could fight a small
scrub fire as there was no vehicular access. So off we
went with 3 adults, a fire fighting
pump, 400 mts of hose, spare fuel and
an assortment of other
equipment.
Little Pine Lagoon is
about 1 km. wide, 2 km long and is only
about 2 mts deep at the deepest point
with a speed limit of 5 knots. As
we approached the opposite shore I
clipped a small submerged rock and
unfortunately broke off about 1/3 of 1
blade.
After unloading all the gear
we inspected the damage and became
concerned about how the motor would
perform on the return trip. As the fire
was going to take a couple of hours to put out I took
the boat back across the Lagoon and was
going to arrange for another fisherman to
go and collect the P & W Officers after they
had finished.
To my
great surprise there was no vibration and no loss of
performance at 5 knots and 1 decided 1
would do the return trip and pick them
up rather than inconvenience one of the other
fishermen.
So back
over I went keeping a close eye out for the offending
rock (which I missed this time) and
picked up the 2 men and all their gear
and returned to the other shore. On the way back one of
the Officers asked me if I had replaced
my damaged prop?
I told him NO and at
the end of our journey he insisted on looking
at the prop and was amazed the damaged
prop was still on the
motor which had
performed faultlessly.
I had left my
spare prop blade at home I had to continue using
the
damaged prop for the next 3 days. I
drift fish with a fly rod from the boat
some times travelling from one end of the Lagoon to the
other to start fishing with the
wind.
The performance of the
propeller even though damaged was
faultless
and I would have no hesitation
in recommending them to anyone.
Yours
truly,
NEIL
BRYDON
Penguin
Tasmania
7316.
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From Victoria Point
On Moreton Bay
Queensland.
From: Michael Knight & Associates
To: ahoy@mansfield.com.au
Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 4:09 PM
Subject: Piranha Propellor
Many thanks for your assistance on the telephone on Tuesday after our perusal of your very informative website.
I am pleased to advise the Propellor / Spare Blades / Prop Tool and Mesh Gear Bag all arrived here in Brisbane Bayside at 8.30am
this morning (Thursday.) Great effort.
I put the prop straight on the boat. 6 minutes to put blades on hub, get old prop off and the Piranha on ! "Effortless".
Couldn't wait to test it. It was a good day so straight in to water at ramp 2 km away.
Must admit I was apprehensive - nearly two tons of boat - I thought prop would flex / slip for sure.
First impression was the engagement of forward gear in the bravo Leg. Gone was that "thump" we got with the massive Stainless 4
blader.
"Nothing" the boat just starts moving.
"Out of the hole" the back end lifts so much faster - it is more of a surge straight out of the water than the stern down drag out.
Boat sits more level with less trim and porpoises far less when disturbed by boat wakes etc.
Really good in tight turns at 35 mph - really digs in and no cavitation with leg at the straight line setting.
I am back to the old figures of even 1,000 rpm for each 10 miles an hour. 2,000 rpm gives 20 mph, 3,000 gives 30 mph, 4,500 gives 45 mph.
All in very satisfied.
A great product - already recommended it to two Boaties at ramp who were watching my "test flights".
Michael Knight
Director
Michael Knight & Associates Pty Ltd
Victoria Point West,
Queensland
Australia
NINE MONTHS LATER ... MICHAEL BOUGHT ANOTHER BOAT POWERED BY A 90 H.P. SUZUKI ... NATURALLY HE ORDERED ANOTHER PIRANHA PROPELLER.
From: Michael Knight
Date: 03/15/06
To: ahoy@mansfield.net.au
Subject: RE: Replacement Hub Kit. 2006 Suzuki 90 HP 4 Stroke Outboard
Jim,
Got hub okay and fitted it.
On water test - great difference.
Still revs out to 5,000 rpm (right on book figure).
Gains 5mph !
Can trim up much further without cavitation and / or porpoising (that is why it goes faster.)
Up "out of the hole" better as well.
Seems to run smoother than the standard Alum 3 blade I took off.
Best regards
Michael Knight.
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From Bourke New South wales.
Note.
Given that Australians generally regard Bourke as typifying the "Outback" the following testimonial is a great example
of how boat owners can repair their own propeller anywhere.
Peter and Jennifer Kelly
Bourke
New South Wales
2840
Hi Jim,
I tried both the 97/8 x 111/4 and the 109D Piranha propeller blades several times and have settled on the 109D as most suited to my boat.
I have to say that I had no idea a prop would would make SO much difference!!!
I even pulled my wife out on water skis last weekend -- something it had never gone close to doing before.
Makes me wonder why I did'nt do it earlier!!??!
Please send another set of blades for spares as discussed.
Regards,
Peter Kelly.
Bourke.
N.S.W.
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From Glenthorne New South wales.
Glenthorne
New South Wales
Hi Jim,
I have been very happy with the piranha prop over the last 12 months.
After taking on a rock bar and seeing how well the prop survived the impact I was impressed.
I was still able to cruse back to the ramp at 3/4 throtle with no vibration even with the damaged blade.
Thanks and Regards,
Barry.
Glenthorne.
N.S.W. |
From Port Macquarie On The N.S.W. Coast.
John Glover.
Port Macquarie.
N.S.W.
Jim,
Just a quick note to say thanks for the new prop. I find the boat is running so much better, comes out of the hole a lot quicker and more speed up top.
Great product and have told friends with boats so u may have some more sales, again thanks for your help.
Regards.
John Glover.
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From The Hawkesbury River N.S.W.
Hi Jim,
we have now run our boat with both the 13" and 15" pitch blades in the Piranha hub.
The results of our testing with both sets of blades has been spectacular! (Although this needs to be considered in the context
of where we started i.e. a damaged original propeller and feedback from the previous owner that the motor always had ventilation problems.)
With the Piranha fitted the boat ran very smoothly and there was no sign of ventilation throughout the rev range while traveling in a straight line but some ventilation or cavitation
could be induced with sharp turns.
The 13' pitch blades revved beyond the max R.P.M. with only two people onboard but should be ideal for towing a ski-tube.
The 15" pitch was very impressive - it ran fast and smooth. The boat was a pleasure to drive and travel in on the relatively flat river. Whether any new propeller would also have achieved this result or how much can be directly attributed to the Piranha
prop I'm not sure - but the end result exceeded my expectations.
It's a shame Piranha don't make an appropriate 4 blade prop to fit my motor as I feel this propeller would also be suitable to our needs.
In my opinion the Piranha propeller is an alternative worth considering. I am extremely happy with it's performance on my boat and the ability to easily change blades is an added bonus worth having.
Thank you very much for all your help and advice over the last couple of weeks. I am very happy having chosen a Piranha propeller and would gladly recommend it to anyone having a similar boat.
Regards .............. Steve.
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From Papua New
Guinea
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Jim
Calder,
P.O. Box
59,
Goughs
Bay,
Victoria,
3723.
HI
Jim
I finally got out in the boat and the propeller made a big
difference as well as the new spark
plugs plus overcoming leaks in the fuel
line. Half throttle is about 4500 R.P.M.while full
throttle produces around 6000
R.P.M.
The Piranha Propeller has
smoothed out the whole motor no end
through all speed ranges. Fuel economy
changed noticeably for the better with
the motor using about 25 Litres less for 3 hours
running time.
I guess the new plugs
would have made a big difference as
well. It was really great not to have the the
throttle flat out to get up on the plane
....thanks again for your help.
Regards MIke.
Papua New Guinea.
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From The United States Of
America
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By JOHN FLEMING
Last year I was doing tests on various
types of propellers for the Pontoon and Deck
Boat magazine,which I currently write
for.
During those tests I had the
opportunity to test a pair of Piranha
propellers and the results of those
tests were so surprising to me that I
wrote a separate article on the results of the tests for
this newspaper.
The
propeller is of a modular, composite, construction. It
utilizes a very strong composite material
for the body of the propeller and
the blades are replaceable in to a
central hub.
I ran those propellers
over logs and mud banks last year and they
really impressed me with their strength
and resiliency.
This year the Piranha
people came east ( the prop is
manufactured in California ) and I was
invited to the party! If you want to see
real destruction testing you should have
been at those tests.
We tied a log
six inches in diameter and eight feet long to a pair of
webbed straps. The straps were held down
by two concrete blocks
on each end so
that the log could not be carried off.
We then floated the log at each end
to make certain of solid contact with
anything going across it.
Now we had
a log that was four inches beneath the surface and
held in that position. We took a 20 foot
boat with a Merc Cruiser sterndrive as a
test boat and began to run over the log. At every
crossing we could hear and feel that
solid “thunk” from the violent contact.
More than half the passages across
that log resulted in little damage
or no damage at all to the propeller! Occasionally we did get
damage to the blades and sometimes that
damage was very substantial.
Those
composite blades are so light that the loss of large
portions of them resulted in little
vibration! After three impacts on one of the
propellers we had enough damage to
replace the blades.
The engine still
showed little vibration, the boat could have run for
some distance if necessary. Moreover, it
took 1 minute 28 seconds to remove the
propeller and replace all three blades!
Imagine the feeling of security this
gives a person who operates in the Mobile
Delta, the South Florida Flats Country or the Canadian
Wilderness.Those places where there are
no repair shops and the loss of a
propeller blade may mean the loss of power to return!
During that year in which I ran the
Piranha propeller on my own boat I
learned a few things about the effects of salt water on
an engine equipped with these
propellers. The effects of electrolysis are cut
in half or possibly even further.
Unlike the stainless steel
propellers that you normally use, the
Piranha does not react with the
aluminium gear case! If you intend to
leave your boat in the briny water, don’t walk,
run to the first place where you
can by one! Your engine will be very pleased
and before many days you will also.The
reduction in corrosion and electrolytic
action is just the beginning.
The
load on your gears and your clutch dog are significantly
reduced when you shift through forward,
neutral and reverse.Yes, these blades
are light compared to stainless In fact, they
are even lighter than aluminium and quite
a bit more resistant to impact.
Then there is something going on
that I am not too sure about but it is
real none the less. The Mercury outdrive that we used
for our tests was the same unit that
Brad Stahl used for the first test he
ever ran on the propellers which he
designed!
The Piranha propellers have
been around for years and that
outdrive has been used for more than 800
impacts! We engaged in about 50 such
impacts during our test days and believe it or not, the
unit has never been rebuilt.
Mercury builds a truly rugged drive
system and no small amount of
that
resistance stands as a tribute to the strength of the
drive. Yet I have never seen any drive
invented by man withstand so many hits
as that old unit has
absorbed.
Rather obviously, the
Piranha propeller has substantially reduced the
load imparted to the gears and the
propeller shaft at impact. So much for
the strength, the convenience, and the other features
of this propeller, how about performance?
The Piranha is very slightly faster
than an aluminium propeller, gives a
small amount of improvement in fuel mileage but is
slower than a stainless steel propeller
on high speed hulls such as a bass boat.
On runabouts, pontoons, houseboats,
john boats and the like, it is as fast as
any. If that is not enough consider the very
slow potentials of the unit. Blades for
Piranha are available in very
low pitches.
They can
be used for sailboats and other applications where
towing heavy loads is a quality in
demand.
Would I recommend Piranha to
the pontoon and deck boat owner?
YOU BET I
WOULD!
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These propellers
are available in three blades or four blade
configurations and the hub has a
lifetime guarantee! Once you buy a
propeller, you will never need anything more than blades
from that time forward.
Piranha propellers are available in
three blade style to fit most outboard motors and
sterndrives from 280hp down to 9.9hp ... some brands even
as low as 6hp.
Three and four blade Piranha boat Propellers are
available to fit outboard motors and sterndrives between
70 and 280hp ... including the Volvo Penta Duo Prop System.
You can see for yourself why a Piranha Propeller
is becoming
the propeller to have on your boat.
Boat Propellers Australia are the authorised Australian distributor for Piranha Boat Propellers and Piranha Hydrofoils.
Order your "Piranha Hydrofoil" ... "Piranha Gear Bag" ... "Floating Prop Spanner" ... your "Perfect Prop"
by clicking on the "Contact Us" link in the left hand margin.
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