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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/boat-propeller-160-impacts

A three-blade propeller at 3,200 rpm can strike about how many times in one second?

About 160 times per second.

  1. About 16
  2. About 1,600
  3. About 160 ✔

Why: That is why the Coast Guard says to shut off the engine whenever people are in the water near your boat. A person can be struck many times before anyone can react.

Huh, didn't know that: In 2024 there were 169 boating incidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller.

The dad joke
Why did the propeller go to therapy? It kept going around in circles.
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Sources

  1. USCG Boating Safety Division, Engine Cut-Off Switches https://uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/engine-cut-off-devices.php
  2. USCG Recreational Boating Statistics 2024 (COMDTPUB P16754.38) https://www.uscgboating.org/library/accident-statistics/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2024.pdf

Test yourself in the game

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That's stuff everyone should know.