Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

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dtmackey
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Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby dtmackey » Tue Jun 21, 2022 11:58 am

To see a large company [like Yamaha Marine Precision Propeller] partner with Sharrow to get their propeller technology into mass production is nice. I hope the outcome will be to bring down the price of Sharrow propeller technology to the common person.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/yamaha-marine-precision-propellers-sharrow-130000491.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

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jimh
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby jimh » Tue Jun 21, 2022 12:56 pm

DT--thanks for the very timely notice about this agreement.

Here is the press release.

BusinessWire wrote:June 21, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

GREENFIELD, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Yamaha’s U.S. Marine Business Unit announced today a new manufacturing and limited supply agreement between Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers (YPPI) and Sharrow Marine. The terms of the agreement allow YPPI to cast Sharrow Marine’s award-winning propellers in YPPI’s state-of-the-art facility and foundry in Greenfield, Ind. Yamaha will also offer Sharrow Propellers through its boat builder and dealer distribution channels.

“Sharrow Marine’s choice of YPPI as a manufacturing and distribution partner underscores Yamaha’s leadership position in the casting industry,” said Jonathon Burns, General Manager, Yamaha US Marine Planning and Development. “Through YPPI and our new relationship with Sharrow Marine, Yamaha can offer boat builders, dealers and customers an even greater number of options when it comes to maximizing boat performance through propeller selection.”

Yamaha will offer the Sharrow Propeller™ as a new option to more than 100 of the world’s leading boat builders and its network of more than 2,000 dealers. The Sharrow propellers will have unique SKU numbers for Yamaha dealers to easily order for their customers.

Sharrow Marine won an NMMA® Innovation Award during the 2020 Miami International Boat® Show for the Sharrow Propeller™. Recognized for its original design, the Sharrow Propeller offers improvements in fuel efficiency and boat performance.

“Yamaha has world-wide respect for the quality and dependability of its products. We’re proud to have the opportunity to have YPPI cast our high-tech propellers in YPPI’s new, state-of-the-art casting facility in Indiana,” said Greg Sharrow, CEO of Sharrow Marine. “We’re also excited to have access to the Yamaha distribution network, which will dramatically accelerate our efforts to deliver the Sharrow Propeller™ to boat motors across the world.”

YPPI, a division of the Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, designs and builds stainless steel propellers for distribution around the globe for Yamaha Outboards. YPPI and Yamaha work together to design propellers to fit the thousands of different boat applications in the market. In total, YPPI manufactures over 300 different propellers.

Sharrow Engineering, LLC is a nautical and aeronautical engineering company dedicated to the research and development of revolutionary high-performance propulsion technologies for the maritime and aeronautical industries. Sharrow Engineering is the parent company for Sharrow Marine, LLC, and Sharrow Commercial Marine, LLC. Company offices are headquartered in Detroit, Mich. Sharrow Engineering, LLC, has assembled a team of the world’s top aeronautical, nautical, aerospace, and mechanical engineers to assist with the company’s core mission to reinvent the methodologies and technologies used for propulsion in the 21st century.

Yamaha’s U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of Yamaha Marine products in the U.S. including Yamaha Outboards, Yamaha WaveRunners®, Yamaha Boats, G3 Boats and Skeeter Boats. Supporting 2,400 dealers and boat builders nationwide, Yamaha is the industry leader in reliability, performance, technology and customer service.

Full text at https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/ ... 005301/en/

jimh
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby jimh » Tue Jun 21, 2022 1:07 pm

Yamaha Precision Propeller Industries resulted from Yamaha Marine taking over Precision Propellers of Indiana.

Precision Propellers was an independent propeller manufacturer, and Yamaha was one of their customers for OEM production of Yamaha-branded propellers.

Precision Propellers was also the U.S.A manufacturer of TURBO-brand and STILETTO-brand propellers. They may have also been the OEM for several other engine brands, such as HONDA and SUZUKI propellers.

With this new agreement to utilize Sharrow designs and advanced casting techniques, the cost of a Sharrow propeller should come down. Up to this point many of the Sharrow propellers were being milled out of big blocks of aluminum, resulting in enormous cost of product.

With the current price of conventionally designed cast stainless steel propellers at $750 and rising, I am not sure those propellers are in the price range of "the common person." Maybe they're affordable for the upscale recreational boater.

dtmackey
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby dtmackey » Tue Jun 21, 2022 1:37 pm

I do not consider most of the people on CW "average". Seems many of us are over 50, have owned our boats a long period of time and possess many years of experience and know more than what the "pointy end" of the boat is called.
Last edited by dtmackey on Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

jimh
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby jimh » Tue Jun 21, 2022 3:20 pm

dtmackey wrote:I do not consider most of the people on CW "average". Seems many of us are over 50, have owned out boats a long period of time and possess many years of experience and know more than what the "pointy end" of the boat is called.
Yes, I agree. And they get older every year.

macfam
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby macfam » Wed Jun 22, 2022 10:57 am

The Sharrow propeller design is interesting. I will need a [a sea trial of a Sharrow propeller] on my boat to see if the Sharrow propeller has the benefits that Sharrow claims.

ASIDE: My Yamaha dealer has made some good money with me as a customer. My boat has a 2021 Yamaha F300 4.2.

jimh
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby jimh » Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:19 am

The Sharrow propeller certainly has shown improvements over conventional propellers in several tests. A summary of testing conducted by BOATTEST.COM was published at

https://boattest.com/Sharrow-Propeller

The principal benefit of the Sharrow propeller over conventional propellers seems to be improved fuel economy. The concept that an expensive propeller can repay its own purchase cost in saved fuel depends mostly on the amount of fuel that will be consumed. If a boater consumes several thousand gallons of fuel each year, the prospect for realization of saved cost is much better than for boaters who only consume perhaps 200-gallons of fuel per year in their boating.

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Phil T
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby Phil T » Fri Jun 24, 2022 11:28 am

Having provided prop advice and counsel to hundreds of boaters over the years, I believe [for Sharrow propellers to obtain] market penetration and [market] share will take a very, very long time.

Most dealers for loose engine sales sell (or include in the package) the cheapest and lowest-quality propeller possible. Explaining to an owner who just spent $12,000 that be ought to spend $500 on a prop is difficult. Convincing them a stainless steel propeller is better overall than an aluminum propeller like pulling teeth.

It will be the OEM manufacturers who will lead the introduction of Sharrow propellers into the marketplace--if they see a benefit to themselves.

I applaud Sharrow teaming up with PPI as they are a great company.
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dtmackey
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby dtmackey » Fri Jun 24, 2022 1:23 pm

Phil T wrote:Most dealers for loose engine sales sell (or include) the cheapest and lowest-quality propeller possible. Explaining to an owner who just spent $12,000 that be ought to spend $500 on a prop is difficult. Convincing them a stainless steel propeller is better overall than an aluminum propeller like pulling teeth.


"Most dealers" sounds like an assumption or based on a small local market in a remote area. I don't see that in my area with many with boats rolling off the lots at prices of six-figures or more, pre-rigged with power, propellers and gear. Re-powers may be the area where people try to negotiate aluminum and stainless, but in this market people are taking whatever they can get, especially with long lead times on some propellers. I can see the budget boater concerned over a propeller, but I think that is regionally driven in economically depressed areas. Dealers don't have to deal with the budget shoppers since someone will come in right behind them and pay full price and be upsold on accessories and other dealer items.

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GoldenDaze
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby GoldenDaze » Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:54 pm

From an engineering perspective, the Sharrow propeller is an interesting and innovative design, as well as a work of art. From a practical perspective, I sincerely believe it's a solution looking for a problem to solve.
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Don SSDD
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Re: Yamaha and Sharrow Reach Agreement on Propellers

Postby Don SSDD » Sat Jun 25, 2022 6:27 am

I think it will be the hot thing giving bragging rights to those who want to show off their stuff. Should see them on all those big 4 outboards boats and all the fast seeking boats.
It will be interesting to see the changes it brings to fuel economy and performance, it sounds too good to be true but if Yamaha bought into it, they must have tested it.

It is a work of art like a Clarke Troller.
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