b'FeatureThree blade props can take a bigger bite in the water. Four blades help provide more stern lift.T he traditional argumentbecause many of those 4-blades were4-BLADESis that 4-blade props arenot designed with speed in mind. Instead,The increased blade area afforded by slower, and 3-blades arethe few designs that were availablethe addition of the fourth blade can fast, end of discussion.were intended to cure handling issuesprovide increased water displacement Today, latest trends insuch as ventilation, cornering blowout,capability, lift, and grip, as compared to a the marine marketplace,motor elevation requirements, and hole- 3-blade propeller.constantly fluctuatingshot issues. Without a lot of optionsIn terms of actual boat performance, fuel prices, and shiftingin blade design, and very few of themthese characteristics can combine to economic times are causing boaters totruly intended to be particularly fast,enhance the following aspects:take a second look at this old debate.the 4-blade got branded as slow, while HandlingSpeed is now a much smaller part oftheir other performance benefits were Hole Shotthe boating equation and now practical,largely dismissed.Low-speed planing abilityreal-world performance is the name ofBy contrast, todays 4-blade propeller Cruise efficiencythe game for most people. Which propsdesigns have evolved into both Fuel efficiencyshould you be using, 4-blade or three? all-purpose and highly specialized Load-carrying capabilityThe worlds emphasis on economy andgeometries. These propellers can be Performance in big or following seasefficiency is causing everyone to taketailored not only to address those Ventilation/cavitation resistancea second look at 4-bladed props. In thetraditional handling issues but can also be Motor-elevation capabilitybeginning, the idea that 4-bladed propstailored to improve a boats performanceIn short, a 4-blade propeller can improve were slower than those with 3-bladesenvelope, which can, in some cases, evenall those characteristics that make for was true to a certain extent, but that isinclude speed. practical, all-around boat performance.66FISHING IN GODZONE SEP/OCT 2023'