A high-performance boat propeller works by converting torque into thrust. Propeller blades are designed to displace water, to create the most efficient forces to lift and move the boat forward.

As the propeller rotates, it pushes water backward, creating space in the front that water must rush in to fill. This creates a pressure differential that draws water into the propeller from the front and accelerates it out the back.

The more air that is pulled behind the propeller, the more thrust or forward propulsion is generated. Balancing this with lift is critical to ensuring your prop design matches your boat and set-up.

For instance, "natural lift" found in a Mod VP or Tunnel Hull design might allow the prop design to spend more energy pushing the boat forward, while a heavier v-bottom might require the prop to spend more energy lifting the boat.

While the art of designing a propeller is fleeting, here are 8 design features that are the building blocks of a winning stainless steel propeller. They are the fundamental aspects of science, that we can tweak to find improvements.