Stainless props

The Black Pig · 15 September 2013, 17:50

I have a tohatsu 60c hp two stroke

My question is,

Is it worth the extra cash to upgrade a to a stainless steel prop just because it is harder?

Mine is a little chewed but it gets by

jyasaki · 15 September 2013, 19:51

IMO, no.

Stainless is harder, but if you're already doing damage to an aluminum prop, stainless isn't going to help a whole lot. It is harder (meaning less deforming on impacts), but that impact force gets transferred to the rest of the drive system (expensive to repair); and any damage to the SS prop is a *lot* more expensive to repair compared to aluminum (likely well beyond the cost of replacing an aluminum prop.)

FWIW, when I run in areas where grounding is likely (or a certainty, usually), I pull my SS prop and run aluminum. Works out cheaper in the long run.

jky

paddlers · 15 September 2013, 20:00

Good advice above !! Swopped my ally prop for a stainless this year for the slightly better performance until I hit a rock....

Now got a driveshaft with twisted splines on my 15hp two stroke and a bill for £300.

thomas · 15 September 2013, 20:02

I've gone the other way, took off the SS prop and put an aluminium one on. I don't tend to hit things but if I do I'd rather knacker the prop and not the gearbox.

Wibs · 15 September 2013, 20:25

Sorry to hijack.....

How important is condition? Mine is also a 'bit' chewed, nothing major, in fact small 'dinks' on a couple of the blades.

Spending £100+ on a sparkly new one isn't going to give me 10% top end is it?

macattack101 · 15 September 2013, 20:34

Any dents will cause vibration and a loss of thrust. A stainless prop is great if you go over 50 knots but otherwise can be a liability to your gearbox if you ding it off the seabed.

spartacus · 15 September 2013, 20:37

Tempting, but no.

I have the same engine and considered getting a Solas stainless steel prop last year. Currently run a 15", but reckon I could get a few extra knots with a 17" propeller.

I clipped a rock (still can't work out how I did it), but these things happen even when you know the coastline. Cost me £60 to get it rebuilt at Steel Developments. Better that than a broken prop-shaft though. Save your money, or consider upgrading to another aluminium propeller. Should top out at around 5,850 rpm at wide open throttle.

The Black Pig · 15 September 2013, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by spartacus

Tempting, but no.

I have the same engine and considered getting a Solas stainless steel prop last year. Currently run a 15", but reckon I could get a few extra knots with a 17" propeller.

I clipped a rock (still can't work out how I did it), but these things happen even when you know the coastline. Cost me £60 to get it rebuilt at Steel Developments. Better that than a broken prop-shaft though. Save your money, or consider upgrading to another aluminium propeller. Should top out at around 5,850 rpm at wide open throttle.

I think I will take the advise of keeping with Ali as I am always beaching, I wonder if increasing from my 13.75 x. 15" to a 17" will drop the pulling power
From standstill to tug out a skier?

jyasaki · 16 September 2013, 01:27

I've always had luck with filing off any dings, and hammering back any slight bends (big bends will snap when bent back; either get it professionally repaired or replace.) Never noticed any loss of performance in any realistic sense (I'm in a "rare to run WOT for any length of time" kind of area.)

On the current boat, the aluminum prop's I've bought don't perform as well as my SS, so a slight loss of performance from reworking wouldn't make a noticeable difference in any case.

jky