NEW WORLD RECORD: Canyon Bay 28h with Sharrow X10™ Propeller (The Great Loop Challenge)

Racing for a Cause

Flowers was inspired by his own battle with stage-4 melanoma, during which he and his wife Tammy witnessed the struggles of children facing cancer.

“We spent a lot of time in hospitals during my treatments,” Flowers explained. “We saw so many kids going through the same things, and I told Tammy, ‘We need to do something about this.’ The statistics shocked me—43 kids are diagnosed with cancer every day. That’s when I started brainstorming ways we could help.”

Captain “Red” Flowers set out to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer research.

The idea of breaking the Great Loop record came from a friend who suggested that Flowers use his boating expertise for the cause. “I thought, 'This is right in my wheelhouse.' So, we set the goal: Raise $1 million for pediatric research and break the Loop record at the same time.”

To support the effort, Ross Toepel of Canyon Bay Boats donated a 28-foot Canyon Bay 28h for the journey. From there, the plan gained momentum. “Ross didn’t just build me a boat at cost—he donated the whole thing,” Flowers recalled. “I about fell out of my truck when he said that. I couldn’t believe it.”

Sharrow Joins the Mission

As Toepel prepared the Canyon Bay, he reached out to Sharrow Marine, hoping the company’s innovative propeller could boost fuel economy and overall performance. “Fuel efficiency was key for a run of this length,” Toepel said. “If Sharrow could increase our economy and performance, it would make a huge difference.”

“The Sharrow people came down, took measurements of the boat, so the prop would be right not only for 400-hp V10, but for the boat as well,” Flowers said.

Scott Porta, Capt. Red, Jim Burns, and Greg Sharrow in Detroit, about to install the Sharrow X10.

The Sharrow team had been working on designing a specific new prop for the Mercury V10 platform, and after Greg Sharrow took the call from Toepel, he put the project into high gear.  Red Flowers would get the first Sharrow V10 off the production line. 

By the time Flowers got to Detroit, the home of Sharrow props, its brand new X10 propeller was ready to be installed on the boat’s 400-hp V10 Mercury engine. When I got to Detroit, they hauled me out of the water, had the engine serviced, cleaned the boat up, and they installed the Sharrow propeller there. 

The plan was to have Flowers test the prototype Sharrow X10 prop on the 600-mile leg from Detroit, through Lake St. Claire and Lake Huron, and then down the length of Lake Michigan to Chicago. Since Flowers had already operated the boat for about 2,000 miles, he had a very good idea of what speed and fuel burn he could expect at every RPM.  He would compare that with what the Sharrow provided in report to their techs when he got to Chicago. 

A prototype Sharrow propeller was installed on Captain Red’s Great Loop Canyon Bay 28h.

“The Sharrow X10 was a game-changer,” Flowers said. “It lifted the boat better, handled better, and was smoother than any other prop I’ve ever run.  That propeller was unbelievable. I actually got a 3-mile-an-hour-an-hour better top end with it, too, which is incredible.”

“Because it increased our range at the speeds we were running, we could go farther between pit stops,” said Flowers.  “That actually saved us one full day going from Detroit to Chicago because of the window of time we had each day to get fuel from the marinas.”

This was the very first V10 Sharrow prop, and a number of boat builders had been promised that they could try the prototype as soon as possible. Once the boat arrived in Chicago, the plan was for Flowers to give the prop back to Sharrow Marine, so it could be bicycled around to boat builders in the heart of the season.  

Performance Gains with the Sharrow X10

The performance improvements offered by the Sharrow X10 weren’t just anecdotal.

After Captain Red’s record-breaking run, Sharrow Marine’s techs revisited the Canyon Bay 28h in September 2024 to conduct thorough tests, comparing the X10’s 3-blade and 4-blade versions against the boat’s stock Revolution X 22" pitch propeller. Both Sharrow propeller configurations outperformed the standard setup, according to the company.  

For the Detroit to Chicago 600-mile run the Canyon Bay 28h was fitted with the 4-blade props.  Here are the numbers Sharrow techs recorded during their controlled tests in September:

•    Fuel efficiency improved from 18% to 20% at speeds between 30-40 MPH.
•    Top-end speed increased by about 3 miles per hour.
•    The Sharrow prop made the boat quieter, even with an already-quiet Mercury V10 400hp engine.
•    Close-quarter maneuvering was dramatically enhanced: “It grabs the water differently,” Toepel said.
•    Handling was smoother, with no vibrations, allowing Flowers to feel more connected to the engine: “It was so smooth, it felt like I could feel the cylinders in the engine going,” he noted.

With the boat running 12 to 18 hours a day, going 15% to 20% faster in the cruising range was important.

“We spent $17,000 on fuel for the whole trip,” Flowers said. “If we had run the Sharrow X10 the entire way, we would’ve saved 20% of that cost—thousands of dollars that could have gone toward pediatric cancer research.”

The Road Ahead: Beating His Own Record

Flowers raised nearly $500,000 for pediatric cancer research on this first run, counting sale of the boat which will go to the charity, and he’s already planning a second attempt to raise the remaining funds. With Canyon Bay committed to donating another boat and Sharrow Marine onboard again -- this time for the whole route -- Flowers hopes to shave a couple of days off his own record.

When we asked him if he was doing it again, he said: “Oh, 100%. You know what? We couldn't even afford not to run it now. 

“We’ll run the Sharrow prop for the entire trip next time,” Flowers said. “With the fuel savings and better performance, we can’t afford not to. Every dollar saved on fuel goes toward the kids.”

Toepel echoed Flowers’ enthusiasm: “The combination of the Canyon Bay 28h and the Sharrow X10 is a perfect match. We’re gratified to be part of Red’s journey and proud to offer Sharrow props as an option for our customers moving forward.”

Readers who would like to help Red reach his goal of raising $1 million for pediatric cancer research should donate to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Report by Alistair Temp, BOATTEST.com

Additional performance data from Sharrow Marine's testing in September 2024 with a 3-blade Sharrow X10 Propeller: