On Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:29:15 -0700 (PDT), Katie Ohara
wrote:

It is a seriously hot day, over 100 here in N. FL and my wife decided
last night she wanted to go blueberry picking at a U-pick place near
Wacissa. Got up at 8:00 and went there and picked berries for an hour
till we had 3 gallons and then went about 1/4 mile to he springs at
the headwaters of the Wacissa River. As early as 11:00 am it was
packed with people escaping the heat by going into the icy spring
water.

Our blueberry season is going to be really late this year due to all
the cool and rainy weather. If we get some sun and heat, it's going
to be a good crop though and with all the rain this Spring, next
year's syrup, berry and apple crop is going to be spectacular.

An air boat arrived and I watched it closely because this one was
different, made by a company called Seminole and it had a 5 bladed
prop. Sure enough it was MUCH less noisy than all the others with
only 3 or two blades. I talked to the owner and he told me about a
new type of prop where the end of the blades twist and are offset so
that when it spins a blade does not run into the compressed air from
the preceding one.

Sure it was five and not six? I saw one of these the last time I was
down in SC - 14' that looked to be 6' foot or so wide. The blade you
are talking about is also carbon fiber, not wood or aluminum which
helps with the noise. I believe they are called Warp Drive props and
are also used in hover craft hulls.

Go ahead - ask me how I know that.

Hell, I'll tell you anyway. My neighbor is a hover craft freakazoid
and has built a bunch of them over the years. :)

The latest incarnations of his designs include this type of prop.











He was considering buying one. Very interesting
We had our daughter's (Katie) kayak and we rented a 14' canoe and went
downriver to the spring run of Big Blue Spring and up the run to the
spring and it was packed with over a dozen boats of all types and
probably 40 people lounging in the cold water beating the heat.
I am used o my family's 45 year old 18' Grumman canoe that is very
lightweight, sturdy, stable and turns on a dime. This 14' canoe of
plastic was a barge by comparison that did not like to turn. I
hypothesize it is he extra length that makes the Grumman so
responsive, anybody know?
On the way back upriver, I had a chance to directly compare 5 of the
old airboat types to this new one, the new one was MUCH less noisy,
impressive. Its operator was also very courteous toward everyone
else.
By the ime I got back to the landing, evn though I had guzzled a whole
liter of gatoriade, I was feeling awful. GAWD is it hot.

Frogwatch