Southampton-based CJR Propulsion (
www.cjrprop.com) has launched a rapid design and manufacturing service to deliver bespoke fully machined Class S propellers in just two weeks.
The precision-engineering specialist is the only propeller manufacturer in Europe able to offer this level of responsiveness, following a £4 million investment in its facility.
The reduction in lead times for propellers with diameters up to 1.5m has been achieved through an end-to-end design and production solution that can support boat owners and operators in their most challenging moments.
Six weeks or more can be saved by combining 3-D mobile scanning, computational fluid dynamics and lifting surface theory design software, robotic mould-making, CNC machining, and pick-and-place production automation.
Mark Russell, managing director of CJR Propulsion and CJR Fabrication, said: “Regardless of whether or not we have the original vessel and engine data, we can reverse-engineer any supplier’s prop and stern gear setup.
“Using the data we gather, we can then accurately determine the vessel’s existing performance and understand what enhancements are available through our approach.
"The performance, efficiency and longevity benefits differ from project to project, but we have had customers gain two knots in their boat’s top speed — just by replacing the original props with ours.
"We have also solved vibration and cavitation issues.”
The service has been specifically developed to meet the needs of charter businesses, owners, and new-build and refit yards, which need a high-quality but also timely solution to damage or performance issues, and it has already been used by several early adopters.
In one instance, a UK-based super-yacht owner was able to replace his damaged props in just 12 days, securing charter revenue amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Mr Russell concluded: “We often get called in when a vessel’s existing props aren’t performing as intended. It could be the result of damage, but — more often — it is simply that the props aren’t very good.
“If a vessel has just been delivered or is about to start its season, and things aren’t right, we can step in and fix the issues in a timeframe that the owner is likely to accept.”