B, I have not heard anything to indicate the accident was due to al. prop failure. I thought it was due to hot shot cutting the gas suddenly while at top speed.
Stainless props have a rubber hub that absorbs most of the shock when it hits something. I whacked a long, half submerged 4x4 offshore several years ago with a SS prop on a big Yamaha. No prop damage, but it stripped the hub and left us pretty much without power. I was only about 18 miles out, called the Coast Guard and they were about to send out some reservists on a training cruise, said they'd rather pull somebody in for real than pretend to respond to an emergency, so it worked out well for both of use. Having the hub repaired is a lot less expensive than reworking a prop. My last inboard boat was running 24 x 24 Nibral props when I was about finished with the diesel conversion and upgrades.
What are the differences between aluminum and stainless steel propellers?
Aluminum is by far the most popular material used today for recreational boat propellers. It is relatively low in cost, has good strength, good corrosion resistance, and is easily repaired. However, compared to stainless steel propellers, aluminum propellers are more easily nicked or bent. Stainless steel is the strongest, most durable of all materials used for propellers. In fact it is about five times stronger than aluminum. This is its greatest advantage. The strength of stainless steel propellers will help maintain engine performance because these propellers are more resistant to the small nicks and bends normally found on aluminum propellers, often after running for a short period of time. Blades cast of stainless steel can be made thinner for better efficiency. Stainless steel is much more resistant to corrosion. Stainless props can be repaired easily, although more expensively than aluminum. They can cause some corrosion on nearby aluminum surfaces in saltwater if good anodic protection is not used. An aluminum propeller can usually be replaced with the nearest size and blade equivalent stainless steel propeller.
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FWIW ...
The section I highlighted is where SS has a performance advantage. They have thinner more efficient blades all the way down to the blade root. Aluminum props have to be thicker since A is weaker which means more mass churning through the water. More mass = less efficiency. Flexing of aluminium has nothing to do with performance and even if it did a proper design can accommodate for that.
Aluminum props can re-pitched and cupped.
As far hitting stuff the inner rubber hub is what helps prevent shock to the lower unit in either type of prop ... if they have one.
SS props do have less flex, but the bigger downside depending on where you fish, is if (when) you hit schit there is a greater chance of doing damage to the lower end whereas an aluminum prop bend and give quite a bit more. 3 blade for top end/ 4 blade for better acceleration.
+1. Nice boat RD
Thank you sir. I fish Champlain a lot cause I recently bought a summer home on the lake and it is a very big body of water and I can only get limited 3-4 day weekends up there (5 hour trip one way) and it really helps a lot to have a fast boat so as to cover as much water as possible in the limited time I can get there. Lake Champlain is also known for fast approaching storms with high winds and heavy rains so with that rig if something pops up you can beat out a storm much faster than with the boat I had before hand, which was a nice boat but it only had a 40hp Merc that was only good for 35mph whereas this boat, a Ranger 520 Comanche can do double that plus with ease. The lake house I bought has a garage that is long enough that I can store the boat in the garage, so that I'm not spending more gas monies towing the boat back and forth from NJ, so that saves on fuel costs towing it back and forth through the Adirondack mountains which due to the weight of the boat really ads to fuel costs.
B, I have not heard anything to indicate the accident was due to al. prop failure. I thought it was due to hot shot cutting the gas suddenly while at top speed.
I was being facetious.
He can be a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, B...
Sorry Kamo, I don't know everything and have been in a boat that lost an aluminum blade. It's not pretty and I wasn't going nearly that fast. I'll forget the adage that there's no question too stupid to ask.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants.
If being stupid allows me to believe in Him, I'd wish to be a retard. Eisenhower and G Washington should be good company.
