Stainless Steele or NO..

[Rooster in the Grove]

I have a Mercury 90HP with Command Thrust on a 2021 Bennington SVL, 20ft. long. Is there any reason I should go to a stainless steel prop on this type of boat?

 

[Scott06]

Pfopbably not worth the money. Are you looking to correct any performance issues besides the fact that its a pontoon boat?

 

[Rooster in the Grove]

Pfopbably not worth the money. Are you looking to correct any performance issues besides the fact that its a pontoon boat?

I really don't know....some experienced fisherman with the 250HP motors told me to go stainless. But we are just cruising and pulling the occasional tube around.....and the 90HP, is it really going to give noticeable performance changes with a PONTOON.

 

[JimS123]

If you have a 14' tinny with a 9.9 you don't need SS. For all others, its worth the extra cost. Just my opinion.

 

[Stinnett21]

Are you currently propped right? Is your motor turning at or close to the top end of the RPM range? If not you need to re-prop anyway so yes go stainless. If no other reason for durability. It's not worth a high end Mercury prop but I'd look at Solas or Turning Point. Watch for their exchange policies and be prepared to exchange until it's right.

 

[rallyart]

One situation where a Stainless prop is worth the extra cost over aluminum is when you have floating debris in the water. The lake I boat on has a large change in water level from the winter to spring. This results in logs, branches and bark on the surface after the water has gone up. My aluminum props would regularly get dinged, bent or chipped. One of my props wound up a full inch lower in diameter or years of use. The stainless prop I switched to, being stronger and thinner, never had an issue. It was cheaper to own and gave a smoother ride (flywheel affect) with a slight increase in speed on a 165 hp sterndrive.

 

[Texasmark]

I run SS and has been my preference since my new 1972 125 HP Johnson would bend the prop on something...sometimes a 2" sapling in a freshly filled lake, on every outing it seemed. I am not a buzz head but I do like to run the throttle at the firewall on occasion and make tight turns and run the trim out as far is it will go without blowing out and all that "rot".

However when boating in Lake Austin, Tx. to name one, lots of very large boulders beneath the water, some of which aren't easily seen. I used aluminum when boating in that lake to protect my drive train. Damaged props were just part of the outing when occurring.

 

[QBhoy]

It’s definitely worth it on that engine. If it’s the command thrust it can likely take the larger and superb range of merc stainless props. I run an enertia and a tempest on my ct 115. Huge difference over the standard black max with these of same pitch. Vengeance to be avoided. Waste of time. Just check you have the larger gear case first though. If not...might be as well sticking to a black max. Also great props.
The old fish wives tale of stainless breaking gearboxes etc is now a thing of the past really. They all have sacrificial hubs now. And a stainless will take more punishment before it wrecks the prop too.

 

[Rooster in the Grove]

Pfopbably not worth the money. Are you looking to correct any performance issues besides the fact that its a pontoon boat?

If you have a 14' tinny with a 9.9 you don't need SS. For all others, its worth the extra cost. Just my opinion.

Thanks for the input

 

[Rooster in the Grove]

Wow...thanks guys/gals for the information. There is quite a bit for me to consider. One thing for sure....I need to get this new boat in the water and run some tests prior to just slapping a SS prop on it.

 

[Texasmark]

It’s definitely worth it on that engine. If it’s the command thrust it can likely take the larger and superb range of merc stainless props. I run an enertia and a tempest on my ct 115. Huge difference over the standard black max with these of same pitch. Vengeance to be avoided. Waste of time. Just check you have the larger gear case first though. If not...might be as well sticking to a black max. Also great props.
The old fish wives tale of stainless breaking gearboxes etc is now a thing of the past really. They all have sacrificial hubs now. And a stainless will take more punishment before it wrecks the prop too.

I agree on the plastic replaceable hubs being sacrificial.

 

[Texasmark]

Wow...thanks guys/gals for the information. There is quite a bit for me to consider. One thing for sure....I need to get this new boat in the water and run some tests prior to just slapping a SS prop on it.

So decide what you want to do with the boat, where you want to run, are you a cruiser or a speed joc, current parameters and current prop ID and come back on here. We'll either confuse you big time, or get you on track....usually the latter.