Varifold Propeller Expert Dr Roderick Sampson Discusses the year ahead for King Propulsion

LEESBURG, Va. - Dec. 31, 2014 - PRLog -- Dr Roderick Sampson, Principal Naval Architect at King Propulsion, a Virginia based Naval Architecture Consultancy and agent for both Varifold Folding Sailboat Propellers and Bruntons SigmaDrive recently published a blog on his website with a review of the first year for the Start-up. The blog entitled, “That noise is the sound of 2014 swooshing by,” shares some of the trials and tribulations of the first year and how the second year will improve and grow the business even further.

Dr. Roderick Sampson writes, “ We launched Varifold Folding Sailboat Propellers this year and got our online store up and running.  It has been fun watching people order anodes from their anchorage in the Caribbean or some snow swept yard a little further up North.  The Varifolds too have been great.  A diverse cross section of sailors who wanted quieter faster boats with low drag under sail contacted us and we were able to help them with a competitive price and a great product, all from our little base here just outside Washington DC.  The owners loved to phone up and quiz me about all things propulsion.  I do actually enjoy it and besides which other propeller company has a Naval Architect and a PhD answering the phone and talking to customers?”

The entire blog can be found at http://kingpropulsion.com/blog/varifold-2014

To learn more about Dr Roderick Sampson or King Propulsion Visit http://kingpropulsion.com

About Dr. Roderick Sampson

A Professional Naval Architect and Lecturer, Dr Roderick Sampson is known as an expert and innovator in his field of Propeller research, experimental ship hydrodynamic and propeller cavitation. While Naval Architecture is his passion, it is his second career; his first career was as Professional Cruise Ship Photographer. This introduction to ships and the sea had a lasting effect with Roderick and he returned later in life to University as a mature student to study Naval Architecture and use his creative skill set in a different direction.

Roderick has over 15 years experience as a Qualified Naval Architect and has worked with a varied client list of both large and small commercial companies, the US Coast Guard, the National Science Foundation, numerous universities, experimental testing facilities and shipyards around the world.  Roderick was also popular lecturer at Newcastle University with a gift to engage students on the merits of Ship Resistance and Propulsion and managed the world famous Emerson Cavitation Tunnel experimental facility conducting research, funded consultancy and ambitious student projects.

In 2013 he co-founded his current venture King Propulsion, a Naval Architecture consultancy start-up specializing in ship resistance and propulsion, ship performance analysis and small craft design. King Propulsion has since become the US representative for the Stone Marine Group representing brands such as Varifold Folding Sailboat Propellers, Bruntons SigmaDrive and Stone Marine Propulsion. Despite these commitments Roderick still maintains a position at the University of Newcastle in the UK conducting research and training in the Emerson Cavitation Tunnel several times a year.

Recognized as a innovator in cavitation, propeller and ship model testing Roderick has authored 28 peer-reviewed papers on a diverse range of hydrodynamic topics from High speed catamarans, full scale cavitation and propeller ice interaction. One of his many accolades is being part of the University lead team who designed and built the groundbreaking R/V The Princess Royal an exceptionally innovative Deep-V catamaran research vessel built for the Students of Newcastle University.

Roderick is an active member in Royal Institute of Naval Architects (RINA) the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and the American Yacht and Boat Council. Rod has appeared on documentaries aired on the BBC, the UK’s Channel 4, and the Guardian Newspaper talking about Propeller design, cavitation and the history of propellers.

Roderick holds a PhD in propeller hydrodynamics, a Masters degree in Marine Technology and Bachelors Degree in Naval Architecture, earned during a fun and productive period at Newcastle University in the U.K.

Roderick lives in Leesburg with his partner Lisa, their 3 larger than life siamese cats.  He enjoys getting out to enjoy the Potomac, building plywood prototype boats and working on his old Audi TT.