Stainless PROP???

[Mr.J.]

Everyone who comes to see my new boat always seems to say "You should get a stainless steel prop"

Ok I'll ask

Why should I?

Why shouldn't I?

[Bass Addict]

"You should get a stainless steel prop"

Ok I'll ask

Because there not paying for the prop....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Seabass81]

Hey Its John over at Oziles (petrie island) . We now sell props and I am starting to learn a fair bit. When it comes to stainless it is just pure performance. The tensile strength and pure rigidness give you nice holeshot and good top end without the power robbing flex that occurs with a standard prop.

With that being said the down side is if you hit something to hard the shock is absorbed by the lower end more so then the prop. So greater risk of internal damage.

Best of luck and pm sent!


John

[jwhite]

Everyone who comes to see my new boat always seems to say "You should get a stainless steel prop"

Ok I'll ask

Why should I?

Why shouldn't I?

Hard to give you any advice without first knowing what your boat/engine is.

[plncrzy]

I have owned and compared props in the past. When I lived in Alberta, I traveled to Northern Sask. with my 16' Blue-Fin and 90hp Envinrude. I fished large Lakes and traveled great distances to catch the BIG pike and lakers... anyway, ...... I carried extra props... one of which was a stainless prop... The stainless prop hardly ever cavitates... and as mentioned already, gives much better performance. With my GPS in hand, I did notcie higher speeds while running the exact same size/pitch prop.

Prices are much higher.. but as I had noticed... You can buy props for your boat on Ebay from the USA for significantly less than you can buy anywhere in Canada... I don't know why that is, or if anything has changed in the last few years since I sold my boat, but back in 2005, the price of buying and shipping a prop from the USA was about 70% less than buying anywhere in Canada.

[CNs]

Mr J.

Welcome to the world of props.

1) Stainless Steel (SS) work better with larger motors such as yours.
2) SS is stiffer and does not flex as much as Aluminium (AL). This means better performance speed torque etc.
3) as previously mentioned if you hit something with a SS prop it may cause bigger damage
4) You need to know what the maximum RPM's for your motor is
5) When going to a SS prop you don't just replace the AL prop with the exact same size. You may need to try a few different props to see which one works best. Buying from Ebay you won't be able to do this. Work with a dealer (Laurentien for example) they should alow you to test a few props. Or find a used one locally and test it first.

Before you go with a SS prop you might want to consider a jack plate first.

Jack plate will help performance and handling.

Good luck

[Mr.J.]

So far everything I have heard about stainless props has been 100% consistant.

Ok

What about the composite props?

The idea has caught my interest.

[hatterharry]

So far everything I have heard about stainless props has been 100% consistant.

Ok

What about the composite props?

The idea has caught my interest.

Composite is getting to be on par with Aluminium as far as results. However, if you hit something with Composite, it will shatter so forget about repairs (repair shops can work wonders on Aluminum props).

My experience is on par with the others; SS will give you SLIGHTLY better hole shot and speed, but if you hit something it could (most SS prop kits are designed to guard against this) cause serious lower unit damage. If you run areas where striking objects is a real possibility, go with aluminum --- which can be repaired easy and is easier on the lower unit in the event of an accident. If you run big open water, go with SS.

[Mick]

Mr. J

All of the points made about SS props are valid.

I have a question for you. What are you hoping to gain? Is 2 or 3 mph going to make a huge difference? You mostly fish local waters - how often are you making 20 or 30 mile runs. Seriously, what difference will it make? It will give you a better hole shot - but do you need that? You have little kids that you want to pull on a tube or skis. Do you think you'll have a problem with that as your boat is set up now? If you don't have a problem getting out of the hole towing the kids - spending the cash on a SS prop seems (at least to me) that you are spending a bunch of cash to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

I have the same basic setup as you - 17 foot, dual console, 115. I thought a lot about the SS prop and eventually came to the conclusion that I would be spending a lot of cash to buy a prop to solve a "problem" that I didn't have. The boat does 50mph and I have no problem towing 3 kids in the tube.

So I dropped 250 on a baitcaster setup from Ed instead

Mick

[jwhite]

BUT stainless props look cool. They aren't as expensive if you order from eBay. A top of the line Merc prop can be had for $400 US tops.

Not too many people decide to go back to Aluminum after running SS.

[Bass Addict]

BUT stainless props look cool.

Only to the Motorist beside you when your stopped at a red light....

[Oziles]

Hi,
Just a few comments re composite. We sell the line of Piranha composite props. They are a hub with replaceable blades. The hub is guaranteed for life (straight exchange) and the blades are individually installed/replaced. This way if a blade gets damaged, it can be removed and a new one installed in minutes. The blades cost in the $30 range, much less than your typical aluminium rework. A few other notes, the blades are 15% stronger than aluminium thus flex a bit less (better hole shot). If one were to be severely damaged, they do tend to partially break instead of
bending, allowing you to return home albeit at a slower speed, and not cause as much engine vibration as a badly bent aluminium blade. Also available are prop kits which provide a hub and two sets of blades, each set can be a different pitch, thus one could use the set based on the requirements of the day. The kit also includes a floating prop wrench and a blade bag.
One last note, we are planning a prop day with the Piranha reps. We will swap your aluminium blade for a composite for a trial run at no cost to you. Details forthcoming...

Cheers
Yves

[Mr.J.]

Without a doubt this is one of the best threads going.

To clarify. I said I was being told I should get a SS prop, I wanted opinions why, didn't really have intentions of getting one unless something special about the SS props came up.

My boat is a 2007 legend 18 Xcalibur with a merc 115hp 4 stroke that I have yet to get onto the water so I have no idea if I'll need performance improvements or not. don't really think I can improve on trolling and I don't care if it takes me 8 or 10 minutes to get to my spot.

I did a bit of reading on the composite props and it's really caught my interest. More knowledge is required but at the cost I can keep spares handy.

[Mr.J.]

Here is an excellent article

http://www.acepropeller.com/clinic.asp

[Erie-Eyes]

Hi Mr.J. - I know a lot of people frown on composite props, but I have been running a Piranha 14x19 4 blade for several years now and have no complaints. My ride is an 186 Princecraft with a Johnson 140hp-4ST (Suzuki) + 9.9 hp-4ST kicker - the boat is rated for 150hp, and in fact I ran a 150 Evinrude for two summers - not that much difference between them performance wise.

I was not the least bit interested in a stainless steel prop, as I had seen too many damaged lower units and being able to go 53 mph instead of 49 mph did not interest me. I originally had a 3 blade aluminum prop but was not happy with the hole shot or how the boat handled in rough water (I do a lot of walleye fishing BOQ and Lake Erie). I switched to the 4 blade Piranha and feel I obtained my goal - better hole shot, and better rough water handling - I liked the idea of never having to worry about a hub slipping, and if a blade is damaged i can quickly change one (I bought and carry 4 of them with at all times.) With two people aboard, full gear, motor trimmed up, I hit my maximum RPM and 45+mph - which is fast enough for me.