This side view of the preliminary propeller design is a crucial step in ensuring the linkage lengths are correct, and generates the desired motion.
Regular boat propellers can unintentionally harm marine life due to their sharp blades spinning at high speeds. One solution to this problem is to develop a propulsion system that eliminates sharp blades. Inspired by the tail-flapping motion of whales, this design uses a four-bar linkage mechanism to propel boats in a safer, more eco-friendly way. I was given a model of an example boat and designed the propeller based off of those measurements, as shown below.
