AXIOM PROPELLERS

[ALAN FARNWORTH]

I would like to buy a Axiom propeller. I can no longer find their website and they do not answer there phone number. Have they gone out of business.I have a huge amount of prop walk and have read Axiom propellers are good for helping with this

[GUMPY]

They have gone out of business due to being crap.

[mrsmelly]

13 minutes ago, Loddon said:

They have gone out of business due to being crap.

Did you find yours to be no good? 

29 minutes ago, ALAN FARNWORTH said:

I would like to buy a Axiom propeller. I can no longer find their website and they do not answer there phone number. Have they gone out of business.I have a huge amount of prop walk and have read Axiom propellers are good for helping with this

As others have stated they no longer exist. My bro in law forked out for one and it did indeed stop his boat better than his previous prop. However he took it off and replaced with a crowther high efficiency which was marginally better. They were a bit of a gimmick regards narrow boat use hence being toast. 

[MtB]

35 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

My bro in law forked out for one and it did indeed stop his boat better than his previous prop.

 

Well the would do, as they sacrifice forward efficiency in favour of increased effectiveness in astern.

 

A prop can only be optimised for performance in one direction, at the expense of a degree of performance in the other. So if you sacrifice a bit of stopping power it goes better in ahead, and vice versa. Axiom decided to max out the stopping power as a lot of boaters want better brakes. 

 

 

[mrsmelly]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Well the would do, as they sacrifice forward efficiency in favour of increased effectiveness in astern.

 

A prop can only be optimised for performance in one direction, at the expense of a degree of performance in the other. So if you sacrifice a bit of stopping power it goes better in ahead, and vice versa. Axiom decided to max out the stopping power as a lot of boaters want better brakes. 

 

 

Yes precisely, his boat wouldn't stop hence trying an axiom. However he ended up with a crowther that cost him less than the axiom. He sold the axiom for a hundred notes in the end. 

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

He sold the axiom for a hundred notes in the end.

 

Had someone over a treat there, then eh?  

 

 

2 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Yes precisely, his boat wouldn't stop hence trying an axiom.

 

The most effective thing anyone can do to get better brakes is increase the blade diameter. Even just a leetle bit.

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2020 by Mike the Boilerman
speeling

[alan_fincher]

I'm slightly intrigued by the original post - apparently the only one made so far by a new account.

You would kind of think if the web-site has gone, and the phone is unanswered, that the answer to the question is already known.

 

Anyway, keep going.....

[MtB]

40 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

I'm slightly intrigued by the original post - apparently the only one made so far by a new account.

You would kind of think if the web-site has gone, and the phone is unanswered, that the answer to the question is already known.

 

Anyway, keep going.....

 

 

I can make one for the OP.  I'll do it for £2,500 plus VAT.

 

 

P.S. I just won't buy an ordinary prop and slice the tips off in my shed with the grinder like Axiom used to. Honest. 

 

 

 

 

 

[howardang]

2 hours ago, ALAN FARNWORTH said:

I would like to buy a Axiom propeller. I can no longer find their website and they do not answer there phone number. Have they gone out of business.I have a huge amount of prop walk and have read Axiom propellers are good for helping with this

I am intruiged by your comment about "huge amounts of propwalk".  What do you mean by huge; and Is this something that has always been a feature of your boat or has it suddenly got worse?  

 

Howard

[MtB]

4 minutes ago, howardang said:

I am intruiged by your comment about "huge amounts of propwalk".  What do you mean by huge; and Is this something that has always been a feature of your boat or has it suddenly got worse?  

 

Howard

 

If he grinds off square the ends of the bats on his existing prop, the prop walk will disappear just like with an Axiom!

 

 

[Galilee]

I'm going to interrupt to ask, what's propwalk? 

[howardang]

Often known as paddle wheel effect or to traditionalists like me Transverse Thrust. As often is the case, Google is your friend! 

 

Howard

Edited March 5, 2020 by howardang

[RLWP]

13 minutes ago, Galilee said:

I'm going to interrupt to ask, what's propwalk? 

It tends to be more noticeable in reverse, probably because you compensate for it in forwards by adjusting the tiller instinctively. Put the boat in reverse, and the stern moves sideways

 

It can be quite handy at locks - as long as the towpath is on the correct side...

 

Richard

[bizzard]

Prop walk can be very useful in certain manouvers as can the prevailing wind. Both can help if the boats positioned for the expected effect.

[GUMPY]

Surely if you have lots of propwalk you swing the stern in the opposite direction before applying reverse so you stop in a straight line.

Its all part of being a decent helmsman

 

[RLWP]

Just now, Loddon said:

Surely if you have lots of propwalk you swing the stern in the opposite direction before applying reverse so you stop in a straight line.

Its all part of being a decent helmsman

 

I don't usually get time to learn much about the boat I'm dealing with

[bizzard]

A right hand prop will swing the stern to the port side in reverse.

[Bee]

Propwalk can be a right pain and really difficult to live with. Hanging around and trying to keep stationary above a lock or unguarded weir is well nigh impossible, you start to get a bit close to the lock / weir, shove it into reverse and the blasted boat tries to turn itself sideways. A lot depends on the hull shape, slab sided narrowboats tend to have some resistance to the stern tracking sideways and a bit of rudder can generally keep it straight. Cruisers and curvy boats and maybe Springers? can be pushed sideways with a puff of wind or a bit of propwalk and make the poor bloke / lady on the tiller / wheel look like a total fool.  I reckon coping with propwalk is probably the best reason for having a bowthruster, at least the front end would mostly point forwards.

[Alan de Enfield]

One way to overcome prop-walk is to either have contra-rotating props (2 props on one shaft, each rotating in opposite directions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or have two 'handed' props one each side (one righthanded rotation and one left handed rotation) which cancel out the propwalk.

 

 

 

 

[Bee]

I think the two solutions above might be a bit tricky to cram into Bee but re. Axiom I wonder what would happen if you put a 'winglet' on the tip of each blade? Aircraft wings are often fitted with winglets to stop the air rolling off the ends of the wings (?). If any clever people have any thoughts can you please explain without algebra, equations or very long words.

[TheBiscuits]

39 minutes ago, Bee said:

I think the two solutions above might be a bit tricky to cram into Bee but re. Axiom I wonder what would happen if you put a 'winglet' on the tip of each blade? Aircraft wings are often fitted with winglets to stop the air rolling off the ends of the wings (?). If any clever people have any thoughts can you please explain without algebra, equations or very long words.

The shopping trolleys would get totally wedged, not just a bit stuck.

[howardang]

3 hours ago, bizzard said:

Prop walk can be very useful in certain manouvers as can the prevailing wind. Both can help if the boats positioned for the expected effect.

As long as you are aware of how prop walk affects the handling of the boat you can make allowance for its effect and in many cases you can use it to your advantage. That is why boat handlers should spend some time getting to know the handling characteristics of their own craft.  I specifically asked the OP why he described the effect on his boat as "huge" which either suggests that he may be unfamiliar with how it the effect works, or alternatively something has suddenly  happened to introduce it. 

 

It would vert useful if the OP could give more details of his experience, or this thread may follow many others by exploring flights of fancy or irrelevancies. Yes, surprisingly it can occasionally happen!

 

Howard

 

 

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

One way to overcome prop-walk is to either have contra-rotating props (2 props on one shaft, each rotating in opposite directions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or have two 'handed' props one each side (one righthanded rotation and one left handed rotation) which cancel out the propwalk.

 

 

 

 

Quite true but not really helpful for the OP don't you think?

 

Howard

[Man 'o Kent]

My old 70ft Les Allen was so well mannered going astern, my daughter's 57ft boat on the other hand can be, shall we say.,"wayward"?

 

It got me thinking, has anyone ever  tried a Kitchen rudder on a narrowboat?

 

[TheBiscuits]

Never seen one, but I have seen an azipod drive on a narrowboat.  I have still not had a go with it though - in fact I have never seen it move off it's moorings since it's highly memorable maiden voyage from the boatyard! 

[howardang]

31 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

Never seen one, but I have seen an azipod drive on a narrowboat.  I have still not had a go with it though - in fact I have never seen it move off it's moorings since it's highly memorable maiden voyage from the boatyard! 

Here is one demonstrating how it handles

 

Howard