ZF Wheels?

[Captain Jay Kavanagh]

I got a new ZF Wheel for the Bite Me for this year.

Anyone have one and how do you like them?

[deadfish]

i've got a set of 5 blades zfs on order to go on a 58 viking. im hualing out the second wk of march to change out a set of 4 blade mich. i've had problems with cavitation burn and they were recomend as a solution by frank and jimmy's prop in ft. laud.

[PacificBlue]

Veem propellers have the best record for solving Cavitation/Root burn problems. They are the best production series propeller available, period. I have worked on many applications and have tested most of the commercially available brands on the market and would not consider another.

The cost is higher than most, up to 2 times, but the results are proven - smoother/less vibration, better fuel mileage at cruise and a higher top end. They are great at matching sizes for each application and are usually right on the mark when it comes to sizing.

Talk to Joel at General Propeller - they will treat you right!

[atlantis]

I got a new ZF Wheel for the Bite Me for this year.

Anyone have one and how do you like them?

We have been impressed with the ZF product and pricing.
There are many quality prop manufacturers right now, and there is such a thing as overkill.

Everything depends on application.

Give us a call for more info.

ATLANTIS
856.231.0106
www.atlantispropeller.com

[Captain Jay Kavanagh]

A buddy of mine picked my new wheel up yesterday, it will be a couple of weeks before she hits the water, I will let you know how it does.

By the way, I have always done business with Wildcat Propeller in Chesapeake. They have always done me right, got my old Austral from him and he has always done the annual straighten/tune/propscan.

Troy is the man.

Wildcat Propellers
888-942-4260
757-485-4260

[anthony]

Jay, let me know how that works out. I have Austral 5 blades now and they are great wheels but certainly not high performance wheels...and VERY heavy. Thinking of going to a higher performance wheel that is lighter (less weight and stress on my shafts as well) and using the Australs as my backup set...Veems are what I have been looking at. Tough nut to swallow though...about $9000.00 for a set unless I am mistaken.

[PacificBlue]

I have always wondered why there is so much sensitivity to putting on a set of Veems or custom wheels versus a lower priced solution?

I would never consider the BEST solution as overkill, and while propeller brands like ZF, Michigan, Hung Shen, H&S, S&S, Teignbridge, and Acme have good series product in their line-up, they are not the equal of Veem. Just check and see what Viking installs as standard today - Veems. It's for a reason. Now, I will say that they really make a significant difference for boats that can attain speeds over 35mph. Under that, you can get by with a good series propeller, but there are advantages amongst each. I would certainly require that all your propellers would be scanned and delivered in at least a Class 'S' condition.

Every dollar spent on propellers has a major impact on your boat, as the money is working for you every revolution the propeller makes. I often draw the analogy towards performance car tires. You can put a lower cost solution on a Corvette Z06, but you are not going to pull the highest g-load or best slalom time with that product. your performance will suffer.....

I have tested all the above Propellers on boats that have gone over and under the 35mph cut-off point and the most interesting fact I recorded was that under 35 mph, the Teignbridge Aqua Foil and ZF Faster propellers came out closest to the Veem propeller, but over that speed it was not even close.

Just sharing my experiences

[atlantis]

Pacific - I can see you are knowledgable and I agree 100%.

You've picked up on what I was trying to say. The initial post said nothing about boat speed. I'm sure your recommendation for a 25 kt cruise vessel might differ from a 35 kt cruise vessel. Again- application.

Captain Jay- Wildcat uses Prop Scan Technology (as do we) and I'm sure does superb work. If they recommended a Faster wheel for your application- I'm confident you'll be pleased with the results.

If you ever need a repair in N.J. I'm sure Wildcat would recommend us. I have told customers of mine to use Wildcat when they needed repairs in that area (many winter down there) and have even faxed Prop Scan reports to them.

Have a great season!

ATLANTIS
856.231.0106
www.atlantispropeller.com

[deadfish]

capt jay have you tried your zf wheel yet? we put the boat back in the water today but could not run it in the ocean with a photo tac. in addition to the new zf wheels, we added shaft tubes and a new furno 295/two new transducers.
it seems i've gained a couple of knots on the top end and plane off at around 1500/1550 at 20knots wot 35 knots. will try to get in the ocean in the next day or two if the ocean ever lays.

[Captain Jay Kavanagh]

Yes, been fishing about a month now on it.

I would say about a knot of usable speed, but fuel burn wend way down, 3-5 GPH at normal cruise range.

Silky smooth too.