Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

[Hoosier Daddy]

Hello I have heard a lot of pros and cons on this subject. and I am in need of a new prop. I have a 1974 85hp Johnny sitting on a "74" Slickcraft ST170 Tri-Hull. The prop I have now is a Mich/Match alum/13.25 x 17". It's old and has been worked to death. I have seen same prop new and mine has considerably less surface area per blade. This is making it hard to get the hole shot. It takes "several" seconds to get on plane. With a FULL load, several minutes if at all. My top speed in any situation, is around 35mph. This boat should get around 40. Any suggestions?

 

[Tufan]

Re: Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

go for the SS prop - you'll see the difference!

 

[Spidybot]

Re: Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

Hoosier,<br /><br />You've posted this question in another forum as well. http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=17;t=037174;p=1#000002 <br /><br />Check my answer there.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Re: Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

I am sorry about that I misunderstood, I assumed that differant people went to differant forums, I was thinking that I would get a wider array of opinions. Again I am sorry. And thanks for everyones advice. If anyone else has some pros and cons please .........

 

[Spidybot]

Re: Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

No worries, Hoosier. Members here check on all forums all the time and although it may take a little time, answers normally are plenty.

 

[airman]

Re: Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

I've got ss myself, but it does have a couple of disadvantages. The most important is that if you hit something you are far more likely to damage your engine. The hub is supposed to slip and protect against this but they don't always protect well enough. The other con is that the ss, being heavier, tends to give a bit clunkier shifting. The big advantages are that ss performs better and lasts longer. If you boat in an area with a lot of sand and silt, I would lean towards stainless. If the hazards are rocks and logs, aluminum is probably better. No matter what, keep the old one (and tools to change it) on board as a spare.

 

[swist]

Re: Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

I had aluminum props on my first two boats over a period of 6 yrs. They were frequently in the shop for dings and other damage. Several were just thrown away, being too expensive to fix.<br /><br />My current boat has an 11 yr old SS prop which has never been off the boat, and it still looks like new.<br /><br />And this is all in the same waters (typically mud bottom sometimes with buried hazards). Not to mention tons of floating flotsam/jetsam and a maze of lobster buoys/gear.

 

[swist]

Re: Stainless Vs. Alum? Opinions "PLEASE"

I had aluminum props on my first two boats over a period of 6 yrs. They were frequently in the shop for dings and other damage. Several were just thrown away, being too expensive to fix.<br /><br />My current boat has an 11 yr old SS prop which has never been off the boat, and it still looks like new.<br /><br />And this is all in the same waters (typically mud bottom sometimes with buried hazards). Not to mention tons of floating flotsam/jetsam and a maze of lobster buoys/gear.