Props

I think they are definitely worth the extra money:

1 - SS props are much more resistant to damage, both nicks and bends.

2 - Unlike aluminum props, where a repair leaves you with less blade and weaker blade, SS props can be strongly welded over damages and as good as new after repairs.

3 - SS props are purported to be better perfomers and more efficient than the others.... I do not know alot about this.

We bumped alot of logs up in Puget Sound over Christmas, yet not the tiniest detectable distortion, nick, nor damage was noted in either SS prop.

John
 
I have used both--generally on the higher HP engines I have gone with the SS props and the lower HP engines the Aluminum props. I keep an extra set of props--and the aluminum would be a good back up. Also consider that if you run at more than 3000 feet altitude you may want to drop the pitch 2"--7,000 feet 4".

I agree with Dr John's assesment. However if there is a hard hit there is more likely to be damage to the shaft or seals than with an aluminum prop. I had a boat with duoprops--hit a small stick--and the props were fine, but a gear tooth was broken off. Eventually I had to get a new lower unit--equal to a whole bunch of props!
 
Understand that this response is from a guy who doesn't have a SS prop. or ever had one. I feel a C-Dory doesn't need speed and a standard aluminum prop works just fine. I don't think they are worth the money for a slow C-Dory.

I have a bad habit of taking boats in places that offer very little draft and feel a little better about wrecking a aluminum prop instead of SS prop.
I don't think a SS prop would the best choice for me. Only because of the cost factor.

Now a performance tournament fishing boat is an other matter. ALso SS props look really cool. If money is not a factor go for it!

A spare prop in the boat with a spare nut and pin is always a good idea.

My two cents

Chris Bulovsky
Washburn Wi
 
Chris,

In the past, I've always been an aluminum fan, just like you. I've knicked and bent many aluminum props. While I was thrilled to have bumped a number of sticks and logs up in Puget Sound without apparent prop damage, Dr. Bob's point of what might break if the props don't is making me rethink that a bit.... Probably best to have the "weak link", safety member to break, in the most accessible, and cheapest to replace part of the drive system.

John
 
I have always used aluminum but am considering switching to SS. For me the deciding factor is the location where I boat most often-Pacific NW. There is a lot of debris in the water here and my concern is if I bend a prop can I change it on the water. I have done this twice in the past but I was younger and the water was very calm. I often fish in conditions which would make it very challenging to change a prop on the water. On the 22 with closely spaced twin engines, the odds of damaging both props is high if I hit an object. There are many factors to consider in the SS vs Al decision.
 
The first year I had my 22 cruiser, I bent three aluminium props going to Alaska and back. All bends were from striking unseen debris.

The second year I bought a SS prop and used that prop to go to Alaska and back and continued to use that prop from 1992 until 2006 when I sold the boat. No damage to the prop in 800+ hours of engine time.

Outboard props have a rubber slip clutch or cushion in the hub to provide some protection from impact damage.
 
Nancy H, thanks for the "Been there, done that" post. Now I know that when I bugger my aluminum props they'll be replaced with SS.
 
Larry- You have a pretty convincing argument for SS. So how much are we talking for a SS prop to fit a BF90 honda or Twin 40's or 50's today?

Chris Bulovsky
Washburn Wi
 
SS props have less flex and will give better performance then an aluminum in terms of both speed and fuel economy.

I don't bang a prop up very often, my last one was also in 1992.

That said I keep a set of aluminum props for new territory or for situations where I would rather break a prop then destroy an outdrive.

They both have their place.
 
Hate to toss another idea into a thread that is going along so smoothly, but: there are also props made of composite materials (ProPulse) that are designed to snap off a blade, if they hit an object, and are quick, easy, and cheap to replace -- just something to consider. There's a bunch of info in the forum entitled Props.
 
El and Bill - I assume two new metal props came with the two new outboards last year for you two... Are you still using those composite props?

John
 
I tried a composite ProPulse, and it was too fragile. It’s not the blades, it’s the adjustment tab, which went out on three blades when we hit some seaweed in Canada. Fortunately we had enough spare blades to fix it after we made it to a marina with the 10 HP Honda, but it wasn’t a happy day.

I replaced it with a Michigan Wheel Apollo stainless 4 blade. It was the only SS prop I could find that had a 16” pitch. The original Honda prop had a 15” pitch. The Apollo is made in Thailand, and the blades were skewed when I first put it on (it vibrated.) Took it to a Michigan Wheel dealer, who straightened it out under warranty, and we’ll have to see how it is. Incidentally he charges $160 to repitch a SS prop, the only one that I found that would, since our motor is counter rotating. The Apollo has a shear coupling to protect the engine.

The ProPulse did allow me to find the correct pitch for our Honda 150, but I wouldn’t want to go cruising with it as the main prop.

Boris
 
We have a SS prop for Constant Craving, with an aluminum spare (with washer, nut and pin), and love it. No damage to the prop since 1999 when it was first installed on an Arima with Honda 90.

The collateral pucker factor that comes with SS is that they are targets for theft. We normally pull the prop when the boat is unattended.
 
I read the info on the "Comp plus" I think.... one of the comp props, anyway. It says not for use in boats over 21 foot long or over 3,000 pounds. That would put most 22 CDs and up out of the loop.

John
 
I used Piranha composite propellers on my twin Honda 40s for about 5,000 of the 7,000 miles of my great loop trip, and was very satisfied. I kept close track of my gas mileage, and figure the Piranhas saved me about half a mile per gallon, and gave me a knot or two top end over the original aluminum propellers. Though I never broke a blade, they're individually replaceable, and each blade costs about $18. According to the manufacturer, if you do hit something, they're easier on your drive train than stainless steel. The composite will shatter, preventing the force of the impact to be passed on to the drive train. Last fall I did a trip up the Wolf River in Wisconsin, where I live, in very shallow water. I did hit something big enough to knock the depth sounder off its mount. One blade on one of the engines shows some slight indication of damage, not enough to replace.
 
We switched from aluminum to propulse shortly after the Yukon River trip in 2003. Dinged up aluminum props on the river even with Mac River Runner prop protectors. Met El and Bill shortly after returning from that trip in Yellowstone National Park on Yellowstone Lake. They told us about the composite propulse and we switched to them for our 2004 trip to Alaska. Worked great then and ever since. Like being able to adjust for pitch for different weight loads and altitude changes. Like from sea level to almost 8000 ft. On Yellowstone Lake we hit bottom on one prop hard enough to break off part of the skeg and Mac River Runner prop protector. Only had to replace one blade out of four. Might be a difference in how the adjustments tabs react in the smaller and larger motors.

Jay
 
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