Larry Carlson

Bob, the bobcat at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, will soon receive a new facility, thanks to the Carlsons. Every month, Bob will receive a percentage of Wildcat Propellers' profits; the money will help with his housing, food, medicine and any shots he might need. The zoo hopes to have the adoption program in full swing by the summer.

Troy and Crystal Erb

Allison Carlson, an animal lover, came up with the idea of adopting Bob after she and Larry sold their previous business, Black Dog Propellers. The Carlsons kept their black Labradors in the office at their shot in Annapolis, Md. The dogs were a big hit with the customers.

"In using an animal in the logo, people really remember that," Allison Carlson said. "But I didn't want to name it Iguana Propellers or Big Pig Propellers, even though I could've had those animals at the shop. There are so many zoos funded by donations, we decided to do that because it gives back to our community."

Wildcat Propellers, which opened its doors Jan. 4, repairs boat propellers using state-of-the-art computerized equipment.

The Carlsons have plenty of first-hand experience with boats and boat owners; they owned a boat yard in Solomon's Island, Md., for 3 ½ years. They began to notice that when a boat owner sent a propeller into a shop to be repaired, often the "fixed" part still did not perform properly.

"Their boat would still vibrate," said Allison Carlson. "It was costing us money to take the boat out of the water, take the propellers off and send them back. We thought, "There must be a better way.'"

Our professional technicians at work

They would soon learn that there was -- but only in Australia.

The Australian-based company Propeller Dynamics had developed Prop Scan, a method that uses an optical sensor, connected to a powerful computer, to detect the precise contours of a propeller blade and recommend the necessary adjustments. According to Larry Carlson, traditional equipment measures propeller pitch to half or three quarters of an inch, while Prop Scan measures it to a thousandth of an inch.

Without long deliberation, Larry Carlson sold his boat yard and was off to Australia for training. In less than a year, the Carlsons had a thriving business with more than 700 customers. Because they were the first to offer the technology in the United States, boat owners had their propellers flown in from all over the country to be repaired. In time, 13 other shops offering Prop Scan technology cropped up.

So the Carlsons decided to sell their business and open another, choosing Chesapeake from among such options as Tom's River, N.J., and Wilmington, N.C.

"Chesapeake is a dynamic commercial center and a dynamic boating center," Larry Carlson said. "There are lots of opportunities for development."

Often, he said, boat owners do not know that their propellers are at fault for their boating problems.

"… We increase the performance of a boat by increasing the performance of the propellers," he explained. "You see an increase in speed, an increase in fuel economy and the elimination of vibration."

Our sign and seal of continuing quality

In fact, he said, customers often notice a 10 to 15 percent savings in the amount they spend on fuel.

The Carlsons hope to service pleasure boats, commercial and Naval boats. They admit that their prices are higher than those of traditional propeller shops. For a typical 35-foot boat, the cost would be in the $200 range per propeller. But the

Carlsons say that the work is worth it.

"People quickly make up the price difference between what we do and what traditional shops do," Larry Carlson said.

Jim Keller, a Hampton resident, recently read about Wildcat Propellers in Chesapeake Bay Magazine and called to have the pitch adjusted on two 24-inch propellers.

They came back looking just about brand new," he said. "They were very professional and customer-oriented."

James Taylor, the owner of Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, sent propellers up to the Carlsons when they owned Black Dog Propellers in Maryland. Though he also patronizes traditional propeller shops, he has found that the Prop Scan equipment is more effective in solving stubborn problems.

"The results are better," Taylor said. "The propellers always look great to us and the customers are satisfied."

By Joanna Breault, Staff Writer, The Clipper - January 31, 1999

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Clients using WildCat Propellers

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Customers using propellers