Australian Technology Makes FWB Success
Northwest Florida Daily News

There's never been a way to measure a prop this accurately until now.

Computer based measuring enables Coastal Prop Technology to accurately fine-tune a propeller, eliminating any vibration, improve engine efficiency and increase fuel mileage.

"It's phenomenal, the positive feedback we have had" says Mark Daily, General Manager. "In the six months we have been in business, our growth has necessitated the purchase of a second machine, which we now have in operation."

"We were experiencing lost time in the repair, with having to share a machine with our other technician, Randy Anderson.  Now, we each have our own machine to work from and production will be more efficient.  We can offer a faster turnaround time for props.  Realizing that having your boat out of the water is costly both in expense and lost revenue, we wanted to offer the best possible service in the fastest time possible," states Mark Daily.

In an effort to increase efficiency, Coastal Prop Technology has assigned the task of work Flow Manager to Margaret Shafer.  Her job will be to check in props as they come in, take down the information required and assign a technician to scan and repair and keep the work flowing smoothly.

"As well as the obvious advantages to having your props repaired by our system, one thing of importance to me is the fact that making your props efficient, the environment will also benefit greatly.  A boat using fuel more efficiently will thereby lessen the waste polluting the waters," Margaret says.

In addition to having a second machine, Coastal Prop Technology is making plans to open another shop on the East or West coast of Florida.  This will be managed by Randy Anderson.

"We believe this is the future for propeller repair in the United States.  The amount of serious inquiries we have had from other prop shops and business people around the country as well as Mexico and Puerto Rico has shown us that this industry is growing and here to stay," Anderson says.

Coastal Prop Technology has had people from all over the United States come to their business to see this equipment.

"We are committed to maintaining the highest possible standards for props in this area and are excited about introducing this technology in south Florida.  We have our third machine on order and are pleased to be able to expand the employee base in Florida," says Anderson.

Coastal Prop Technology expects to hire at least two more employees for the Fort Walton Beach location and two to three for the south Florida location in the near future.  Presently included in their expanding employee base is Judy Rickard in charge of Marketing and Sandi Barnes in charge of finance.  Their duties will include all future location expansion.

The equipment uses a rotating table with an optical scanner and a distance measuring probe to calculate the pitch of propeller blades.  This enables Coastal Prop technicians to repair propellers to within .01 percent pitch of each other.

The benefit of perfectly pitched props is increased fuel economy which translates into savings for customer.

Daily said he has worked in the marine service industry for 18 years before becoming involved with Coastal Prop.  "My biggest headache in marine service was always props," he said.  "No one ever knew what was wrong with them."

"The most unbelievable thing is new props," Daily states.  "We can take a brand new propeller and make it even better.  When we finish a prop, there is no question that it will perform its best."

Art Barnes, owner states, "We were all set to open up a regular prop shop until we heard about Prop Scan®. I sent my son, Larry Barnes, and Mark Daily to visit the other shop in the United States and after their report back we ordered the equipment that day."

"As Mark has stated previously, the response has been tremendous.  We would like to say thank you to all our customers for giving us a try and for all the kind words we have received back from them," Barnes said.