BBLADES WADES INTO THE WATERS OF POWERBOAT P1
-- Team SW1 Capital is company’s first boat in international offshore V-bottom series

No strangers to the international market or boat racing of any stripe, BBLADES Professional Propellers has taken its first foray into the Powerboat P1 World Championship, through a sponsorship agreement with England-based Team SW1 Capital, with an impressive win at the Scandinavian Grand Prix of the Sea.
While BBLADES propellers can be found on race and pleasure boats around the world, in just about every race series that exists, this is the Wisconsin company’s first partnering with a Powerboat P1 team.
Team SW1 Capital, which is making its first full-season run at the Powerboat P1 World Championship title this year, has experienced a number of setbacks including several serious propeller issues, which essentially cost them a shot at the overall 2009 title, but team owner and driver Daniel J. Cramphorn is crediting the skilled craftsmanship of BBLADES with contributing to back-to-back victories at the Scandinavian Gran Prix, which took place in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Cramphorn explains that the team was forced to purchase a pair of used propellers that “could be described as ‘battered’ at best,” to race in Turkey, and had to rely on the beat-up blades again in Italy when a pair of new props arrived with serious defects. A contact in the U.S. put him in touch with Brett Anderson at BBLADES, but the English team leader says he did not have much hope, “Every blade tip had been taken off and some were bent,” according to Cramphorn.
In the three weeks between Italy and Sweden, BBLADES’ Bob Lucht was able to rehabilitate the damaged props, much to the Brits’ surprise. “What we received back I could not even believe, they were simply better than new,” Cramphorn exclaims. “I asked Brett if these were now only suitable for recreational use, and he told me ‘absolutely not, they are ready to race,’ and that’s exactly what we did with them,” Cramphorn continues, “with substantial wins in both races in Sweden. I just wish we had been using BBLADES for all of our propeller requirements since the start of the season. If we had, I truly believe we would be winning the Championship overall right now.”
Anderson and Lucht have decades of experience working with teams from outboard drag racers and tunnel boats to the largest offshore powerboats and even professional speed water ski racers. “We understand the pressures on a race team,” Anderson says, “from tight budgets to extremely short turnaround times, and we do what we can to accommodate them. You can’t win sitting on the beach,” he adds. While the company works with race teams around the world, “We are very selective about the teams we enter into sponsorship agreements with. We want to make sure they are serious in their efforts to not just race, but to win,” Anderson says. “Team SW1 Capital came very highly recommended and has performed well as wild card entries at the end of last season and again this year. We believe they are the team to beat for the 2010 Powerboat P1 Championship.”
Mathematically eliminated through points from the P1 Championship SuperSport class title this year, Cramphorn has vowed to finish the season in Sicily September 11 – 13 with the most single race wins and are poised to do just that. “Team SW1 Capital has the greatest appreciation for all of the help and assistance we received from BBLADES,” he says.
Based in Princeton, Wisconsin, BBLADES Professional Propellers is a full service propeller company offering consultation, inspection and repair of any aluminum, stainless steel, nibral and brass propellers; “Lab-Finishing” or “Blueprinting” of stainless steel propellers; competitive pricing on new props from Mercury, Hering, Hydromotive, Acme and Turbo; and the most comprehensive propeller testing program in the marine industry.
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Brett, what is the largest pitch prop that Merc. produced for the #3/#4 prop shaft 19 spline 6inch hub and secondly what is the largest that you have seen produced by any and all of manufactures ? thanks

Bblades is number one - I was wondering how the SW1 Capital Donzi was lagging so much in the beginning rounds of the P1 Supersport class then all of a sudden no other boat in Supersport could touch it. had this team had a good set of props from the beginning they would have surely won their class

Back in the day we made the 6" hub 19 spline props in 26-31 pitch in 3 blades. We made 23-35 in 4 blade and actually had a couple years on 5 bladers available too in the 26-35 pitch range. Remember these were all 1 inch higher in actual pitch than what they were stamped as.

We stopped advertising the availability of these spline configurations in 1999 but remained broaching those hubs for a couple years longer. In about 2002, we pretty much said NLA (no longer available). In those days we were broaching many of the 19 spline 1 3/8 bore out to 26 spline 1.75 or 1.88 #5/6 set up. That's part of the reason they are so hard to find.

There really wasn't many other players in that field back in the 1980's-1990's so the 35 was the biggest. Rolla was making them over seas but I honostly can't remember their largest offering.

Brett

Brett, great info my bud needs a set of 4 blade 17x34 for an old 1981 33' Sutphen race boat with #3 drives or a 5 blade equivalent. If ya find some PM me thanks

Brett , just wanted to thank you for getting my replacment prop out to me in time to save my trip, it works just as good as the one i lost when i broke a prop shaft on clarks hill.
thanks again for the great service and the great products that you produce keep up the good work

David Perry

Our pleasure!

I can't believe my partner and myself have been doing this for a combined 42 years. Where does the time go??

Enjoy and keep in touch.

Brett