A hybrid approach coupled with a surface panel method for the propeller and a Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model for the hull with the propeller body forces are presented for predicting the self-propulsion performance and the effective wake field of underwater vehicles. To achieve a high accuracy and simplicity, a radial basis function (RBF) based approach is proposed for mapping the force field from the blade surface panels to the RANS model. The effective wake field is evaluated in two ways, i.e., by extrapolation from the flat planes upstream of the propeller disk, and by direct computation in a curved surface upstream of and parallel to the blade leading edges. The hull-propeller system of a real propeller geometry is further simulated with the sliding mesh model to numerically verify the hybrid approach. Numerical simulations are conducted for the fully appended SUBOFF submarine model. The high accuracy of the RBF-based interpolation scheme is confirmed, and the effective wake fraction predicted by the hybrid approach is found consistent with that obtained by the sliding mesh model. The effective wake fractions predicted by the two methods are, respectively, 4.6% and 3% larger than the nominal one.