PH: (02) 9890 1766
info@dhporter.com.auYour propeller has one job: turning everything your engine produces into smooth, efficient forward motion. How well it does that job comes down to accuracy. Two propellers can share the same diameter and pitch on paper and still behave quite differently in the water, and the difference is usually in how closely each blade matches the others.
That’s where we focus. At DH Porter, we make fixed-pitch propellers to order and finish every one in our North Parramatta workshop. If your boat needs a folding, feathering or other specialist propeller instead, we supply those too. Whether you’re replacing a propeller, fitting out a new build or repowering, we’ll help you get the right one.
Whether you need a replacement for an older boat, a better match after a repower or propellers for a new build, we can help. We make and supply fixed-pitch propellers in 2, 3, 4 and 5-blade designs for yachts, powerboats and commercial vessels, each one matched to the boat it’s going on.
Most of our propellers are made in manganese bronze, our standard alloy. It’s strong, tough and easy to repair, and it’s a proven choice for a wide range of boats. Nickel-aluminium-bronze (NiBrAl) is stronger again and more resistant to corrosion and cavitation, so it’s often chosen for hard-working commercial vessels, and aluminium is available too. We’ll recommend whichever suits your boat best.
Whatever size or style you need, you deal with us from the first conversation to the finished propeller.
Every propeller we make follows the same careful sequence:
ISO 484-2 is the international standard for propeller manufacturing tolerances. It grades a finished propeller by how closely it matches its design, blade by blade: pitch, blade shape and thickness, and the spacing between blades. Class I is the standard’s high-accuracy grade, and it’s what we work to as a matter of course.
Plenty of production propellers are made to a looser grade. When the blades differ from one another, each one does a slightly different share of the work, and you feel it as vibration through the boat. A propeller in class shares the load evenly across every blade, so it runs more smoothly and does what its numbers say it should.
The right size matters more than anything else. Pitch and diameter need to suit your hull, your engine, your gearbox ratio and the way you use your boat, and getting that combination right is where experience counts.
The easiest way to start is with a phone call. We’ll talk through your boat and what you want from it, send you our sizing form for the details, and then work out the size and type with our sizing software before we quote. If you already know exactly what you need, that’s fine too: we’ll quote from your specification.
Got a propeller that’s close but not quite right? Re-shaping and re-pitching could be the answer, and it’s worth asking about before you buy new.
Under sail, a fixed propeller drags through the water and slows the boat down. Folding propellers close their blades and feathering propellers turn them edge-on, so there’s far less drag and the boat sails faster. We supply and repair:
We also repair and service Bri Ski folding propellers.
Damaged a propeller? There’s a good chance we can fix it. We repair inboard and Volvo Penta IPS propellers, folding and feathering propellers, and stainless steel outboard and sterndrive propellers, bringing them back into class on our Prop Scan system. Assessment and advice are free, so it costs nothing to find out. See propeller repairs for how it works and how to get your propeller to us.
We also make propellers for axial-flow irrigation pumps, cast from our own patterns and put through the same process as our marine propellers.
Whether you’re replacing a propeller or starting from scratch, give the workshop a ring on (02) 9890 1766. We’re always happy to talk it through, and the advice is free.
