Stop fearing shallow water - Expect more from your propeller!!!

The single biggest shortcoming of conventional mud propellers is their ability to perform in shallow water bodies that have a hard-packed mud/sand bottom. Conventional mud propellers are designed for just that…mud…soft, deep mud. These propellers have a reputation of four-wheel-drive performance in soft deep mud, but not every body of water has this kind of bottom. There are many regions across the US that have hard-packed mud and sand bottoms, such as coastal marshes and the mountain west. In these regions the bottom is so hard-packed and abrasive that a conventional mud propeller isn’t able to dig down to generate thrust. In the few soft spots you may find, the sediment is so abrasive that propeller wear is severe. If you’ve ever run these conditions, you know how frustrating it is to be in a floating boat that is unable to get or stay on plane. You also know how easy it is to completely destroy a new propeller in these conditions. So what’s the solution?

The Roost

Until now, you had to get out and pull your boat, push-pole, idle to deeper water, or spend a small fortune buying a new propeller every couple of outings. Maybe you’ve done all of these things. The days of being stuck in shallow water with a hard bottom are over. The Roost, from Roost Marine LLC, features a revolutionary patented design that gives you a unique combination of performance qualities that everyone desires, but until now, no one has experienced. The Roost’s revolutionary design does NOT require soft mud - or mud at all - to get you on plane and keep you there! After hundreds of hours of testing, Roost Marine has produced a unique propeller for surface drive mud motors that gives you a perfect combination of hole-shot, top end speed, and shallow water capability.

Improved performance

The Roost offers more than just improved performance in shallow water. There are many other performance advantages over conventional mud propellers.

-Hole shot. Conventional mud propellers are designed to slip a lot as you start out. This is an important performance attribute in pure mud because the engine needs to be able to gain rpms in thick mud. The problem is when your propeller isn’t starting out in mud. Since it’s easier to spin in water rather than mud, it’s typical for conventional propellers to exhibit excessive slip when not starting in mud. This is experienced as excessive engine rpms when starting out, as well as difficulty getting on plane, due to excessive slip. The engine will rev to cruising rpms and stay there while the boat slowly catches up in speed. Sometimes the slip is so excessive that the boat is never able to get on plane. The Roost reduces over-revving on starts while still allowing the engine to rev enough to build power. As the boat accelerates, the rpms will begin to increase and the boat will continue to accelerate.

-True Surface Piercing Design. A surface piercing propeller is one which is specifically designed to operate at the surface of the water. Surface piercing propellers are known for their efficiency which results from air following the blade under water, thereby reducing drag. In order for a propeller to operate correctly at the surface, it must be designed differently than conventional propellers. That’s because approximately half the propeller is submerged during operation. Running propellers at the surface which aren’t designed to be run there, typically results in extremely high slip. If the propeller slips too much at the surface, then the operator is required to trim the propeller deeper so it can get more grip and slip less. This is most noticeable when running with heavier boats or loads in the boat. The Roost is specifically designed as a surface piercing propeller which means it doesn’t slip too much at the surface, even with heavier boats and loads. This reduced slip means you can keep your propeller trimmed up and out of the mud, giving you longer propeller life.

-Cornering. When you make a turn in a boat, the drag increases. This increase in drag makes the boat want to slow down and in some cases, it may even slow down enough that it begins to fall off plane. Excessive deceleration and falling off plane in turns, is one of the downfalls of conventional mud propellers. This again comes from the high amounts of slip these propellers experience under load. The Roost’s unique design resists excessive slip or blow-out in turns, which helps to keep your boat on plane through the turn, as well as helps you exit the turn faster.

-Super Cruise. Go the same speed as everyone else with less throttle. The idea of super cruise comes from the F-22 fighter jet, which is capable of very high speeds without the use of its afterburners. The same concept is true for the Roost. Its unique patented design provides higher than normal speeds at reduced throttle settings. This lets you enjoy improved gas mileage without getting left in the dust…and when you floor it, then you can leave everyone else in the dust….or rather, your roost!!!

-No Artificial Governing. Some conventional mud propellers are sold for their ability to govern your engine. If you think about it, it really doesn’t make sense. Your engine already comes with either a mechanical governor or electronic rev limiter. Why does the propeller need to govern rpms also??? The fact is, it doesn’t. The governing effect that conventional mud propellers have creates the illusion of always having the perfect propeller. In reality, the propeller is either slipping excessively or excessively difficult to turn as rpms increase. This causes the engine to run in a narrow rpm band regardless of boat load or operating conditions. It sounds great in theory, but this governing effect is created at the expense of performance. If you’ve ever tried to get more speed out of your boat, you know the problem. You lighten the boat load, but your rpms don’t increase, neither does your speed…and you’re not at the engine’s max rpms. This is what we are referring to as artificial governing. The geometry of the conventional mud propeller restricts the rpms even though the propeller has less load to push, which restricts you to lower speeds. The Roost does not artificially govern the engine. It’s high-efficiency design is always trying to accelerate, which means if you lighten your boat, your rpms will increase and you will speed up.