Confused about prop rotation

Someone please simplify prop rotation for me.

My understanding is CW = Standard = Right Hand = Most common on boats
and that CCW = Reverse = Left Hand = less common on boats.

When I determine whether my prop is CW or CCW, am I doing that looking at the prop from the front of the boat or behind the boat?





Lastly, I want to take all this and verify which prop rotation favors regular vs. goofy surfing.

I've read so much on this and I keep getting it all confused.

Right hand rotation favors goofy surfing.

that looks like LH rotation to me. that prop spins counterclockwise/left when looking from the back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPWHjVyM2q4

I'll put this up for everyone even though I already texted you the answer.

For prop rotation, I'm going to compare this to swimming with your hands cupped, cupped hands = prop blades.

Looking at the back of the boat, you can tell how the prop rotates by looking at the blades. If the straight part of a blade is in the 12 o clock position and the rest of it is to the left of it, it is left hand rotation (CCW). Reverse that for right hand rotation (CW).

With the left hand rotation as shown, the prop does two things, it pushes more of the wash towards the starboard side of the boat, it also torques the port side of the boat down some as well.
Think of if you are swimming forward. You have your hands slightly cupped and pull water downwards and back during your stroke. This pushes your "wash" backwards" and provides your torque, or propulsion forwards. If you were to put the majority of that stroke going up towards the surface, you would be swimming down and your wash would be going up.
This is the same as the prop and how it rotates, it cups the water and pushes it towards the side the "cup" or concave is. This is more noticeable on the 6 o clock position because it has somewhere to go, vs the 12 o clock position where it hits the hull, so the direction a blade is pointing at 6 o clock is where most of the wash will be directed.
Because it is grabbing the water in the concaves up the blade (cups) it is pulling the boat slightly to the side that the prop is rotating in the direction of.

In terms of surfing, this does two things. If you have a left hand (ccw) prop rotation, your boat will naturally list a little to the port side, which is ideal for surfing regular. It also throws more wash to the starboard side and away from the pocket, which helps make your pocket bigger than it would be on the starboard side.
On the starboard side, you are kind of fighting against those two forces with a left hand (ccw) prop rotation. The list can be taken care of with more weight, but the wash being directed in that direction will not only make the starboard side more turbulent, but also not as long.

I hope I explained that right to make it easy for everyone to understand.

Ways Acme explained it to me years ago was think of it as a big screw. Its the direction it would "bite" if you were screwing it into a soft material, like sand or mud. In our case water. Thats from looking at the back, yours is left hand, Counter clockwise.

Definitely a left handed prop.

More water sport boats are LH than RH.

Originally Posted by rallyart

More water sport boats are LH than RH.

Yeah, I can see that now.

99% of boats are L/H ( Even Nautique now).... like the one you have..

If your boat backs to starboard its LH if it backs to port its RH.