ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Why Do Boats Have Propellers at the Rear?

Updated on May 26, 2016

If you are a water baby and smitten by the boating bug then a boat or a canoe should be a must have on your wish list. Also now with the advancement in technology you can have a lovely time out in the water like none. Like the boat the propeller of your boat is like the legs of your boat which accentuates the push and make u move forward.

Source

The propellers may seem very miniscule but they are a very imperative part of a boat. In fact for that matter airplanes also have propellers with the only difference is that they are in front in the former and in the case of boats they are in the rear. Well this is mostly because of the difference in design architecture and the working of these two and also the positioning of the engines. The engine in either of the two gives the power to the boat and the propeller takes the thrust to make it move forward. However , we all are aware the push is always a better force as it further assists in moving forward, well Newton’s third law says it all.

Let’s just ponder over as to why the propellers are in the rear side in the case of a boat.

1. Added Safety to the Propeller

When the boat is in water, there are chances that it could get hit by a rock or when approaching the beach or harbor, it could get stuck in the sand. In either of the cases the propeller could get damaged. Thus when the propeller is in the rear the damage will come in the last and an impending damage to the propeller can be avoided. Thus a rear position can be a benefit

Nasty diving accident. Swimmer is hit by prop from a passing boat.

2. Helps in Swift Movement

When the propeller is at the rear, it lifts the hull which further lifts the bow potion of the boat. This further aides the forward movement of the boat. On the contrary if propeller was in front it would create Drag. Also, if propeller is in front then a heavier propeller will be required as it would be working against water and water has much more force than air which is faced by Airplanes .

Source

3. Better Movement with Waves

When you in water, you have to maneuver waves. If the propeller would be in front portion then because of the erratic movement of the waves, the propellers will also move out of water time and again, which will not be helping the boat to move forward. However, when propellers will be in the rear, even with the erratic wave movement they will keep the boat afloat and help it to move swiftly.

Source

Which is Best Propeller to Choose?

Type Of Propellers
Weight
Flex
Repair
Cost
Composite Boat Propeller
Least
Little
Not Possible
Least
Aluminum Boat Propeller
Medium
Little
Easy
Medium
Stainless Steel Boat Propeller
Greatest
Least
Difficult
Greatest

4. Reduces the Pressure on the Seal

The pressure on the front portion of the boat is much greater as compared on the rear portion. Reason being that the kinetic pressure of water is much higher in the front as the boat has to cut itself through the water. Thus the Propeller further reduces a bit of the pressure on the seal by the thrust that it gives.

So we are sure you very well know as to why the rear positioning of the propeller is best.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)