stainless vs aluminum prop

[h2oTherapy]

I've been thinking of investing in a stainless prop. I have run aluminum props on my run-about since I owned it and have been fairly happy with them, but I do a lot of river boating and once a year I hit a sand bar and snap a blade. A friend had a stainless version of the same size and pitch of my prop. For grins, I put it on my boat and (I swear to god) I got a few extra MPH (4-5) at WOT. His prop also has a unique feature, it seems like they cut the tips off the end of the blade (a flat edge instead of a rounded tip)by design.<br />At $30/year for aluminum prop repair, I can't justify going to stainless with an upfront cost of $400 or more, but I can justifiy it if I get more speed (and enjoyment) from my boat. Any thoughts?<br /><br />h2oTherapy <br />(more speed = better therapy )

 

[SeaDawg]

Re: stainless vs aluminum prop

Do a search on "prop" on this site, because there have been several prop debates in the past. <br /><br />I love em, but others don't. It will give you good informative info, if you read them though.

 

[Joe S.]

Re: stainless vs aluminum prop

If you're hitting something hard enough to snap a blade each year you might want to look into a composite prop like Piranah that lets you switch out blades. Stainless props are strong but not invincible. Hitting something hard enough to snap an aluminum blade will most likely bend a stainless blade not to mention to added impact on the lower unit. Instead of the $30 repair bill, you will have a $100 repair bill. However a stainless prop will give you better performance because they have less flex thus they can have more aggressive cup. If the stainless prop you tried gave you a 4-5mph top end increase I'd say your aluminum has been rebuit a few too many times. You should gain 1 to 2 mph with a little better hole shot. I run a stainless that actually decreased my top end but improved handing incredibly over the aluminum.

 

[agefhx]

Re: stainless vs aluminum prop

Here's a small article on the subject<br /><br /> http://www.boatingmag.com/features/features.html?FeatureID=69&page=2 <br /><br />Im personally gonna stick with aluminum, there's alot of stumps where im fishing.

 

[Grumps]

Re: stainless vs aluminum prop

Lord knows, I'm no authority but here's my experience for what it's worth. The prop on my 100 Mercury took second prize to a rock in a strange harbour. It was an interesting, but not pretty sight.A marine mech(whom I trust) checked the runout on the shaft, .002 well within spec. Said they could sell me a ss prop, but if I had one on when I bit the rock, I would almost certainly have wrecked the bottom end. Maybe so, maybe no, I still run aluminum.