[EricH]

Originally Posted by Greg Peshek

We're using a XOAR wood laminated prop. Nothing particularly special, somewhere on the order of $30 per prop. While I'm not quite sure if they're balanced or not, it's certainly been quite smooth in all of our test runs.

-Greg

For better performance, try balancing it. If you don't have a prop balancer, all you need to make one is a couple of magnets, a steel rod, and something to stabilize the prop along the rod. Oh, and a freshman with fine sandpaper...

Find a place that is non-drafty. Set up the magnets just over a rod-length apart, and put the prop on the rod. "Hang" rod between the magnets, and give the prop a light flick. If it just turns, turns, turns, stops, it's balanced. If it stops, then reverses, then it probably isn't. lightly--very lightly sand down the heavy side for a few strokes. Repeat until the prop doesn't reverse.

Now, the motor doesn't have to fight against extra weight half the time. Overall faster prop...