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Testing Propeller Guards

Virginia Tech drone impact tests: dejavu boat propeller guard tests

Virginia Tech researchers have been studying ways to make drones safer, including simulating drones crashing into humans. Drones share air space with humans, just like boats share water space with humans. Virginia Tech released the video above on YouTube 6 January 2017. While recreational drones crashing into humans is relatively recent event, boats have been […]

Rating Propeller Guards per USCG’s New Propeller Test Procedure: the Numbers

We examine the propeller guard Rating system and the numbers and data behind those Ratings as defined by the new U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) / American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) Propeller Guard Test Procedure. The new propeller guard test procedure (originally called the Propeller Guard Test Protocol) assigns ratings (typically 0,1,2,3) to prop guards […]

USCG Propeller Guard Test Procedure – an initial review

USCG released the new Propeller Guard Test Procedure / Propeller Guard Test Protocol earlier this week on September 11, 2013. We have since had time to quickly read through it and have a few comments: 1. The entire document appears to have been re-written since the October 2012 version. A quick comparison of page 3 […]

Propeller Guard Test Procedure Released by U.S. Coast Guard

Many years in the making, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) released the final version of the Propeller Guard Test Procedure / Protocol today, September 11, 2013. The US Coast Guard news release quotes USCG’s Phil Cappel as saying, “The report provides the means to evaluate the boat performance characteristics and the level of protection […]

Boating Industy Has a Double Standard When it Comes to Testing Propeller Guards

The boating industry promotes one standard for testing propeller guards in court cases or when evaluating propeller guards proposed by those outside the boating industry, and a different standard when their own propeller guards are being tested. They want to test your guards trimmed full under at speed with the same propeller used on the […]

Propeller Guard Test Protocol Draft: PGIC Public Comments

ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) and CED (CED Investigative Technologies) recently completed a draft of the Propeller Guard Test Protocol. We announced they requested public comment from interested parties by April 11, 2012 on our Propeller Guard Test Protocol Released by ABYC/CED for Public Comment page. We sent in our comments today (April 11, […]

Log Strike Testing Part 1: Log Strikes and Log Strike Systems

As outboard motors began to increase in horsepower, speeds went up, and striking submerged objects became more dangerous. Manufacturers designed systems to handle the loads created from striking logs or other submerged objects, and ways to test those systems. We (PGIC) cover log strike testing because the industry often uses log strike tests to evaluate […]

Log Strike Testing Part 2: A History of Log Strike Testing at Mercury Marine / Dry-land Impact Testing

A Discussion of the History of Log Strike Testing at Mercury (Kiekhaefer Corporation), Kiekhaefer Mercury, and Later at Mercury Marine, a Brunswick Company Please be sure to review Part 1 before reading this section. In Log Strike Testing Part 1: Log Strikes and Log Strike Systems we review what happens during a log strike and […]

Log Strike Testing – 1950’s Mercury Video

Log strike tests have long been used by Mercury to prove their outboards and stern drives could survive the impact of striking submerged logs and other floating or submerged obstacles. In the original log strike tests, Mercury’s test crew used concrete weights to position telephone poles horizontally in open water, then ran boats over them. […]

Propeller Guard Test Protocol Rough Draft Released by ABYC / CED for Public Comment

Effectiveness of Propeller Guards About 2006 the U.S. Coast Guard began consulting and contracting with some experts to produce a test protocol for propeller guards. The American Boat and Yachting Council (ABYC) and CED Investigative Technologies are now finalizing that process for USCG. CED Investigative Technologies is a forensic engineering and accident reconstruction firm specializing […]