Sharrow Props Offers 0% Financing Up to 36 Mo.

Sharrow Marine in partnership with Affirm, Inc. is making buying the $4,995 Sharrow props affordable for almost anyone. For those who qualify, payments can spread over 36 months for as low as $139 per month at 0%  APR. This is a first such financing plan for a prop in the marine industry – another innovation for Sharrow.

For several years some boaters who are used to paying $600 for old-technology props have been asking Sharrow Marine to lower its prices to make them more affordable. CEO and inventor Greg Sharrow has said that he won’t lower the quality of his props, but now he has figured out how to keep both their high-quality -- and make them affordable.

The Program

Sharrow is working hand and glove with Affirm, a financial technology company located in San Francisco, which is now offering credit to buy Sharrow props, spreading payments over 6, 12 or 36 months. The most compelling aspect of Affirm’s program is that qualified consumers will be paying 0% interest.

As we read the fine print (which thankfully is not at all fine), Affirm says that consumers’ FICO scores are considered and the inference is that these scores will determine who is qualified for 0% interest and who will be required to pay interest. (Testing it out, several BoatTEST employees qualified for 0% financing, so how tough can it be?)

Buying is easy. To take advantage of the program, simply go to the Sharrow “Store” on its website, click on the prop wanted – Sharrow MX (150-hp to 450-hp) or Sharrow XO (Large Gear Case, 350-hp to 600-hp), then - 

1. Enter your mobile phone number
2. You may be asked for the last 4 digits of your SS number
3. Click on either the credit card option or “Affirm -- Pay Over Time.”
4. If you select “Pay Over Time” you must select a 6,12, or 36 month term
5. Click “confirm” and you’re done.

Affirm was founded in 2012 by Max Levchin, co-founder of PayPal, and several others. In 2017 Affirm launched a consumer App that allowed loans for purchases at major retailers. The company announced a partnership with Walmart in February 2019. Under the partnership, Affirm is available to customers in-store and on the Walmart website.

In 2021 Affirm partnered with Amazon offering its customers a flexible payment solution.

The Future of Propellers

Heretofore most of the people buying Sharrow props couldn’t get the money out of their pocket fast enough. Clearly, the prospect of a better boating experience for them and their family, and having the latest hi-tech prop to match their hi-tech electronics and boat was a no-brainer.

But for others, paying 10 times more for a new-technology prop was hard to get their mind around. Never mind that they gladly paid $25,000 for a joystick, $6,000 to $10,000 for a chartplotter or $30,000 for a gyro stabilizer – without complaint. This is probably because all three of those products involve sophisticated software, which we have all learned is expensive.

Sharrow Marine has sophisticated software, too – that is what designs and customizes the prop to each boat and outboard engine, transmits that to the 3-D printers to make the plug, and then gives commands to the 5-axis router to mill the prop to a fine tolerance once it has been cast.

Millions of Outboards Ready for Upgrade

Greg Sharrow - eyeing the number of large outboard engines being sold each year with old-tech props, to say nothing of the installed base of millions of outboard motors that have been sold the last 40 years -- did not turn a deaf ear to those saying his props were too expensive.

His solution was to give the mass of consumers what they wanted, an affordable, state-of-the-art high-performance prop with easy to afford monthly payments.

While it’s far too early to tell, this new Sharrow/Affirm program could have a profound effect on boating as we know it.

By now there should be enough accumulated evidence that there are many benefits to these revolutionary props – including being much quieter, making the boat easier to dock because of their tenacious grip, and greatly improving high-speed control and handling because the loop Sharrow props keep the boat glued to the water, for starters.

Then, there is noticeable reduction in vibration, to say nothing about the remarkable gains in fuel economy in the mid-range and the significant gains in range at best cruise.

Taken together - based on our 4 years of testing - most outboard boats on the water with engines from 150-hp to 450-hp can provide a more satisfying boating experience with the new-tech Sharrow props. The number of outboard engine owners who can benefit from this new technology is staggering.

No wonder both the NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association), and Boating magazine have given Sharrow Marine their coveted “Innovation Awards.”

Creating a Sea-Change in the Quality of Life

The Singer sewing machine did the work in one hour that would take 14 hours by hand. Prices dropped for garments, and nearly everyone benefitted from the new technology bought on time. Singer is still the largest selling sewing machine. Sears & Roebuck introduced installment buying in its catalog in 1892, and became the Amazon of its age.

Henry Ford eschewed offering his $500 cars on credit, but in 1919 General Motors rolled out credit for its customers, and leaped over Ford in automobile sales. Credit and spreading out payments changed America forever. And, it might just change the America boating experience by making the upgrade to Sharrow props painless. 

See details on Sharrow propellers and the Affirm program by clicking the link below.