January 17, 2007
Aluminum or Stainless? (Props 103)
What prop material is best – Aluminum or Stainless?
Aluminum props: The most common and deliver good overall performance.
Stainless Steel props: Used as an upgrade and deliver better top end performance
The economical choice, aluminum props provide more than adequate strength and are easily repaired. The downside is that it’s fairly easy to bend or nick the blades should you hit something. Comparably, stainless steel props are stronger and generally more durable; that being their greatest advantage.
The strength of a stainless steel prop will help maintain engine performance because they are resilient to the small nicks and bends that can occur with aluminum props. Additionally, because of this strength, stainless steel blades are thinner which results in better efficiency and performance. A thinner leading edge will create less air bubbles on impact, resulting in less cavitation thereby delivering better performance. Stainless steel props generally offer improved performance, better acceleration and higher top end speeds within the same pitch as an aluminum prop.
The major downside to stainless props is that they are much more expensive than their aluminum counterparts. Some view their strength as not only a positive, but a downside as well. Should you hit something (rock or hard object in the water) the stainless prop won’t “give way” like an aluminum prop and the force of impact will be delivered straight to the lower unit. If you operate your boat in waters with rocky coastlines and bottoms it’s often recommended to choose an aluminum prop. In my opinion, I’d much rather replace or repair an aluminum prop than my lower unit.
For more information on props, check out this helpful link. http://www.props.net/propsnet1.html#pitch
Posted by ribcraftusa at January 17, 2007 04:39 PM
Comments
I commercial fished the lower Yukon River for eight years. The river bottom was mostly mud. Stainless props worked great as you were constantly hitting mud bars when drift netting in shallow water. It saved the lower unit. Now I am operating a tour boat at Mono Lake CA. where occasionally there are unseen rocks that you knick. Aluminum props are the best here as they are easy to fix and the lower unit survives.
Posted by: Tom at March 17, 2007 11:20 AM
I've also hear that if you are using a stainless prop and the prop hits a rock and damages the prop, that you also risk doing severe damage to your outboard, as opposed to aluminum props where the damage to the prop is always limited to the prop itself. Is this true?
Posted by: AL at December 10, 2007 06:14 PM
AL
That is true, aluminum being a softer metal will give and bend. The Stainless on the other hand won't bend as much, but the lower unit will take the brunt of the impact and potentially will sustain greater damage.
Posted by: Fred at December 13, 2007 09:00 AM
