STAINLESS OR NOT

[JimS123]

I bought a new 18' Caravelle tri hull in 1972 with a 125 Johnson, factory aluminum prop. In 1973 the SST came out and since I dinged the alum almost every time I took the boat out I spent the $185 for the SST as I previously stated. One of my better decisions in life.

Sometime later our work group at the company had a picnic at a park on a lake. I was alone in the boat and it didn't happen immediately, but I got 5 skiers up with that rig, I think I remember the pitch was 17", top speed alone, no water toys, was 39 indicated. No doubt most if not all the skiers were on 2 and at least a couple were light weight folks. Only stayed up for several hundred yards as one and then two fell off.....forgot how to ski....and we terminated the experiment. But I was amazed at pulling that stunt off.

Love the story. THAT's what can't be quantified to justify the expense of SS.

I don't remember what I paid for the SST back in the 1970's. 30+ years after I sold the boat I happened to see it along the side of the road for sale. The upholstery was trashed, the gel faded and chalked and I shed a tear for what was once my pride and joy. But, interestingly enough, the ole' SST still looked good.

My last prop cost about $800. To me it was money well spent.

 

[Texasmark]

Love the story. THAT's what can't be quantified to justify the expense of SS.

I don't remember what I paid for the SST back in the 1970's. 30+ years after I sold the boat I happened to see it along the side of the road for sale. The upholstery was trashed, the gel faded and chalked and I shed a tear for what was once my pride and joy. But, interestingly enough, the ole' SST still looked good.

My last prop cost about $800. To me it was money well spent.

I remember the $185 easily as that was a lot of money back then for just a prop and wife and I had 4 offspring to raise trying to have some fun with water sports........but it was well worth it. No more prop problems, or lunch breaks across Dallas to a prop shop hoping to make another trip across Dallas before the week end coming up with a repaired aluminum prop.

 

[airshot]

In my 60 plus years of boating, I can count on one hand the number of aluminum props I have damaged. While some can, I could never justify the cost of a SS prop for an extra 1-2 mph. In my younger days, working at the boat shop, most of our lower unit repairs came from outboards that had SS props, guessing the stronger prop transferred the damage to the next weakest area. But today's boaters are all about performance no matter the cost. Glad to see the boating economy doing so well.

 

[Texasmark]

In my 60 plus years of boating, I can count on one hand the number of aluminum props I have damaged. While some can, I could never justify the cost of a SS prop for an extra 1-2 mph. In my younger days, working at the boat shop, most of our lower unit repairs came from outboards that had SS props, guessing the stronger prop transferred the damage to the next weakest area. But today's boaters are all about performance no matter the cost. Glad to see the boating economy doing so well.

It all depends on where you fish and I agree SS can tear up a LU/geartrain. I fish clean water and keep track of the depth. When I was having problems in 1972 the lake had just filled about 3/4 of the way and the saplings were still alive and everywhere. A lot of times the engine was near idle.

I was fishing lake Austin (TX.) once and was putting along at a reasonable clip, glass smooth water......I happened to be standing at the helm and all of sudden, this boulder, probably 20' across and about 6" under the surface appeared. I did a hard right turn, had the throttle at the firewall and had enough speed and time to make the U-turn and miss getting damaged. I was real lucky. I guess doing what i did lifted the prop and skeg adequately to miss hitting the boulder......I didn't have a depth sounder then....even before Heath Kit sold them....my first.....wouldn't have worked anyway as the boulder was a boulder.....not a sloping sand bar.

 

[cyclops222]

I am desperate for spring.
Almost told a sea story.

 

[Texasmark]

I am desperate for spring.
Almost told a sea story.

Let her rip. I'm surfing this site and others just killing time waiting for the next polar vortex to come down here..due Tuesday thru Friday......can't wait. Ha Ha. I bought my dog a new heating pad, replacing the old one, for her dog house ensuring she will be warm...due tomorrow. She weighs over 65# and has never been in the house. Have no idea what she would do If I brought her inside.....but I can think of several undesirables. She has heated feed and water bowls.

 

[gbrowne63]

my boating is in the canadian shield. lots of rocks and shallow water. i haven,t damaged a prop since i got power trim but before that probably 2 props a year.

 

[cyclops222]

I UNLOCK the manual motor lock downs as soon as I am in deep enough water

 

[jimmbo]

Neat thing about SS Props, is that don't shatter like an AL on an Impact, but they will keep hammering the Rocks, and bending/tearing the Blades, and bending Propshafts, and damaging other Parts of the Driveline

This one caught an Underwater Cable. No Damage to the Lower Unit
AL Mercury


This one hit a Rock Ridge about 2 1/2 ft under the Surface at 22mph. Bent the Propshaft too
OMC RAKER

 

[cyclops222]

The older I get the deeper the water has to be.

 

[Texasmark]

Neat thing about SS Props, is that don't shatter like an AL on an Impact, but they will keep hammering the Rocks, and bending/tearing the Blades, and bending Propshafts, and damaging other Parts of the Driveline

This one caught an Underwater Cable. No Damage to the Lower Unit
AL Mercury
View attachment 405936

This one hit a Rock Ridge about 2 1/2 ft under the Surface at 22mph. Bent the Propshaft too
OMC RAKER
View attachment 405937

I totally agree that your water determines your prop material. Case in point, a new local lake was being built and as the story goes the lake started filling before the builder finished his work and got his equipment out.

The real bummer in this miscarriage, is that up one of the creeks that made one upper arm of the lake is a WPA concrete bridge with concrete railings and all that. At full pool, the top of the concrete railings are about a foot and a half under the water. The water is usually murky.

Its been a lot of years since I boated on that lake and I hope that over the years somebody came to their senses and marked that spot with danger buoys.

Another instance was lake Austin, Tx. On my first outings there, I was boating along at cruising speed and out of no where this very large boulder (maybe 15' across) appeared just under the surface. Since I was standing at the helm and watching the smooth water for such, I was able to do a hard right turn, firewalled the throttle and doing that brought the lower unit high enough to clear the boulder. No marking of any kind warning of that water hazard.