what brand of prop

boatnut74

boatnut74

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
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i have a mercruider pre alpha and am looking at getting a couple new props. Solas price seems hard to beat but are they comparable to the others. thanks
 
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steelespike

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
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19,069
Re: what brand of prop

Generally the Solas props have been predictable and have good results.However with prop selection results can sometimes be surprising.
 
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walleyehed

Admiral
Joined
Jun 29, 2003
Messages
6,767
Re: what brand of prop

If it's a pre-Alpha, make sure your current prop is cupped...if it's NOT, reduce 2" for new cupped prop. And yes, Solas aluminum props are as good as anything I've tested in that material.
 
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craze1cars

Lieutenant Commander
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Dec 26, 2004
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1,822
Re: what brand of prop

Walleyhead, I found it interesting you specified "aluminum" in your response. Do you have a less favorable opinion of their stainless props? I have a Solas stainless I have been very satisfied with. But admittedly I have never had opportunity to do direct comparison with anything else...
 
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jkust

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Aug 2, 2008
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4,942
Re: what brand of prop

I bought a Hustler alum prop for my boat last year for my sig boat and of my many complaints and general let down, the material seemed much softer than the oem Black Max. Although it was the same pitch as my BM, I lost several hundred RPM's equating to 4 or 5 mph. It has exhaust holes on the side and so sounds a little more agressive. They are very cheap however. On the plus side, I could not make it ventilate no matter how aggressive the turn or how high I trimmed. I could trim it up to the point that at WOT it would shoot an impressive rooster tail I though not possible with this boat. It provided alot of nice bark but no actual bite.
 
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steelespike

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Messages
19,069
Re: what brand of prop

He may have refered to the al prop because of their predictable and usually good performance especially compared to any stainess prop at about triple the cost.
There is no doubt a ss prop can usually improve overall performance over most aluminum props but that could vary from a few mph to a few tenths of a mph.
It seems that the Hustler props have a reputation for both surprisingly good performance and surprisingly poor performance.Sometimes to the point of wondering if they are miss labeled.
They are a really agressive prop and need to be selected carefully.
 
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