[...] from WhalePower was kind enough to reply with a detailed comment to my earlier post concerning "Whale fin propeller [...]

You are correct! The performance of boat propellors could be significantly enhanced through the use of this technology... The earliest wind tunnel tests on tubercle-enhanced airfoils at the US Naval Academy demonstrated an increase in stall angle of 40% (from 12 degrees to 18 degrees). These results can be seen in the May 2004 publication Physics of Fluids. More importantly, at these high angles of attack lift was increased but drag was decreased, meaning drastic improvements in aerodynamic(and hydrodynamic) efficiency. Since that time, we have demonstrated even further improvements that are not public at this time... We are currently busy working with licensees developing applications for industrial fans, wind turbines and computer fans... no contact yet with boat propellor manufacturers... but first to market has significant competitive advantages if anyone is interested...