Steve you were lied to...
Steve, There is a very real and very big difference in reverse performance of different propellers. Taking the 3 most common types, folding, fixed, and feathering reverse power increases in that order. The reasons are very simple. No witchcraft. A folding propeller is held open by the centrifugal force of the shaft spinning. Unfortunately in reverse the flow of water across the blades is trying to close the blades. It is common then to have a folding propeller that is half open in reverse. This produces much less thrust than a fully open propeller. There really isn't a fix either. The more rpm's you use the more centrifugal force you generate, but the more flow across the blades you get also. A fixed blade propeller is wonderful for powering in forward, but the shape of the blades is specifically for efficiency in forward. Put the propeller in reverse and the curved shape of the blades actually sheds water instead of "grabbing" it. Result - a fixed propeller works in reverse, but not as well as it does in forward. A feathering propeller works well in forward. Typically the blades are straight and the blade area is larger than a comparable fixed propeller. (A fixed propeller could have more blade area, but the drag undersail gets to be unexceptable). The result is roughly the same performance in forward as a fixed blade. When you put a feathering propeller in reverse the blades rotate around and present themselves to the water just like in forward. So you get exactly the same performance in reverse with a feathering prop as you do in forward. Make sense? Again, very real, very BIG differences in performance in reverse. If you ever use all 3 types of propellers you will immediately notice the difference in reverse. No reason to live with lack of power if you choose not to.
