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Stainless steel has five times more stress tolerance than aluminum which means the blades of a stainless steel prop can be much thinner than those of even a Mercalloy aluminum prop. The blades often tend to be thicker than stainless steel.
Propeller questions come in all the time - which type is better aluminum or stainless.
Stainless steel propellers vs aluminum. A stainless steel prop is better than aluminum if you are looking for the best performance durability and gas mileage out of your boat. Their only downside is they tend to cost more than their aluminum counterpart. The Advantages of a Stainless Steel Propeller.
Stainless steel propellers also offer boat owners many advantages. Whats the Difference Between Aluminum and Stainless Steel Props. The biggest differences between the two are the weight and the stiffness of the prop and thats where the horsepower comes in.
A good rule of thumb is that if your outboard pushes 150 horsepower or less aluminum might be the best option. A stainless steel prop is more durable. If youre often in water where your propeller may encounter an obstacle a stainless steel propeller will be more resistant to damage than an aluminum one.
One of the benefits of aluminum propellers is their low cost. They arent as durable but they will do the job with a smaller horsepower engine. Our prop expert Andreas Kuppe explains the differences between aluminum and stainless steel propellers and how they can impact your boating experienceQues.
STAINLESS-STEEL PROPELLER PRO Stainless props provide better performance because their blades flex less. In fact its quite common for a stainless-steel propeller all other things being equal to out-perform an aluminum propeller by as much as five MPH at top-end and two to three MPH at cruising speeds. One reason why many boaters choose aluminum propellers over stainless steel applications is because aluminum weighs about half as much.
These propellers are also very easy to repair when damaged. While aluminum is a great choice it can flex under extremely high rpms and this will cause a drop in pitch. The blades often tend to be thicker than stainless steel.
The most common understanding of the difference is that stainless steel propellers perform better than aluminum propellers. This is only half true. Material Stainless vs Aluminum only accounts for approximately 10 of the actual performance of the propeller.
My 14 X 17 Aluminum prop did 5600 rpm at 34 mph. My stainless steel Raker 135 X 20 prop does 5200 rpms at 42 mph same day gps testing. The biggest advantage is not top speed but responsiveness in.
Stainless steel propellers provide better mileage than aluminum propellers possibly more than a composite depending on blade foil design. The stainless steel propeller provides more speed but in this horsepowersizeRPM range only 2 3 MPH more. Stainless is tougher no doubt about it.
Aluminum propellers have many advantages and are by far the most plentiful in the freshwater market. You can almost guarantee that for every single steel prop sold there are 10 aluminum props. In saltwater stainless steel is king but you can say that is.
The main downside of stainless steel props is the price. Stainless steel is a more expensive material than aluminum. A stainless steel prop can be twice as much or more than the price of an aluminum prop.
Repairing stainless steel is more expensive. Stainless steel props weigh twice as much as aluminum so you need a more powerful engine. Material Stainless vs Aluminum only accounts for approximately 10 of the actual performance of the propeller.
The other 90 of performance is in the blade design. Well designed aluminum propellers will out perform an average stainless steel propeller. So its important to research a propellers performance before your purchase.
I basically want to try to get more speed. My stainless on my other boat gave me a little more at the same rpms. If running a 14 14 x 21 stainless performs the same as an aluminum counterpart Ill stay with the same dimensions.
I just thought that you had to automatically go up or down one degree if going to stainless from aluminum. Aluminum props are the most common due to their affordability performance value and reliability in nearly any situation. Many boaters choose aluminum propellers over stainless steel because they weigh less and are much easier to repair when damaged.
This allows for the use of smaller engines further reducing costs. January 5 2019 at 330 pm 1823315. On a 150 hp a stainless prop will definitely make a difference in performance.
An aluminum prop will run just fine but there will be flex in the blades. A stainless will hold its pitch no matter the. Stainless Steel Props.
The properties of stainless steel result in a propeller that offers more performance and more durability than an aluminum prop. Stainless steel has five times more stress tolerance than aluminum which means the blades of a stainless steel prop can be much thinner than those of even a Mercalloy aluminum prop. My results after putting on a 17 pitch Stainless prop to replace my aluminum 19 pitch prop.
Propeller questions come in all the time - which type is better aluminum or stainless. The truth is each have their strengths and weaknesses and in certain. I am presently running a aluminum 17 pitch prop on my 2004 115 classic Mercury pushing a 19 foot Princecraft Deckboat low 40s MPH.
I am very happy with the performance but am considering going to a Stainless Steel prop. I called three different dealers and got three different answers on what pitch they recommend on the SS prop.