We have just made the following designs available for sale: A 22m Patrol Boat and a 28m Patrol Boat. Take a look below and feel free to contact us with any interest. 22m Patrol Boat [...]
Vibration: Surface Drive vs Conventional Propellers
May 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
We recently encountered a customer who had severe vibration issues on their vessel. We prepared the graphic below to help explain the causes and differences in vibration between surface drives and conventional propellers. The earliest surface drives occasionally had vibration issues, and the customer had “heard” some incorrect, or grossly out of date, information. The [...]
A Rational Approach to Engine and Propeller Matching for High Speed Boats
May 1, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
The following paper was prepared by our President, Mr. Paul Bezzi, several years ago. We hope you find it interesting and useful. Introduction. I am writing this paper with the aim to help those deciding on which propulsion system to select for their particular application. The majority of yachts and fast boats are targeting [...]
New Naval Architects Directory
March 18, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Speed Afloat was started not only to discuss high speed propulsion, surface drives, and propellers. We always intended this site to be an information source related to high speed vessels. Since naval architecture is so intertwined with propulsion and the ability to achieve high speeds and performance, we felt that it might be useful to [...]
Calculation information… and why we need it (Part III)
March 18, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
This posting is related to engines and gearboxes, and how they impact vessel speed and performance. It is a common misconception that if you simply add more power to a vessel, that speed will increase. Though, on one level this supposition is true, on a different level it is misleading. Oftentimes, a higher power engine [...]
Calculation information… and why we need it (Part II)
March 15, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Continuing on with this brief series, France Helices asks for information related to the hulls. Additionally, before any orders are processed, we review a diagram or drawing of the hull, looking for things that might influence the hydrodynamics of the vessel, and hence resistance, performance, and speed. Hull characteristics, such as steps, can impact vessel [...]
Calculation information… and why we need it (Part I)
March 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
When a shipyard or naval architect contacts France Helices for the purpose of equipping a vessel with SDS, we ask for a fairly substantial amount of information, some may say excessive, about the vessel and its’ mission. Why? Well, because in order to obtain and information that has any real meaning, we simply MUST know this [...]
Auto trim
March 7, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
When France Helices installs an SDS on a vessel, we always include operator training as paart of the package. Operating a vessel at 30 knots is a very different skillset than operating a vessel at over 50 knots. Why? Well, there are many reasons, but one of the things that often confuses crews new [...]
Can surface drive be used with a single engine?
March 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
When we released our SDS1 model at the beginning of the year, we started receiving a number of inquiries related to using surface drives on a vessel with only one engine (and shaft). Is this practical? The short answer is “No”, and here’s why: Propulsion is a matter of physics, with one force being applied [...]
New France Helices Size Table
March 5, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
The following is an updated size, weight, and torque table for the France Helices SDS (Click on image to view larger size). We hope you find it useful. Share! Tweet Follow
