Aluminum vs stainless props

[Cup420]

I saw a video this morning that got me to thinking. Triton 175 sport with a 50hp yamaha 4-stroke. When I bought this boat, it had a stainless prop. The guy said it was because he just wanted one. The video said that stainless is good for 150hp and above and aluminum is good under that. Do I have too much prop on my 50hp?

 

[racerone]

Depends on where you do your boating.-----Depends on how careful you are.-----Do you have a chart plotter?-----Hitting a rock with stainless can do a lot of damage to lower units these days.

 

[flashback]

i believe pitch would be the deciding factor.

 

[99yam40]

i believe pitch would be the deciding factor.

diameter, pitch, and how many blades all make a difference

 

[boscoe99]

Shape and size of the blades also comes into play.

 

[Chris1956]

Aluminum props are routinely used on BBCs with 330HP. They are suitable for most/all motors.

Some people think that SS props are more efficient than Al ones. They are definitely more durable. I ran my 18' I/O boat on a shallow creek. The silt and mud would rip up an al prop in short order. I bought a SS prop, and it never had any damage from hitting bottom.

 

[boscoe99]

The video said that stainless is good for 150hp and above and aluminum is good under that. Do I have too much prop on my 50hp?

Any type of propeller can be too much, or too little, for any size or type of motor. That is why there are so many models of both materials in any number of diameters, pitch, number of blades and shapes of blades.

One size or type does not fit all. Different folks want different things.

As long as your propeller will allow the motor to run in the upper end of the RPM range when at WOT with the boat loaded, engine trimmed up only to best boat speed, and you are happy with the performance of the boat and motor, you are fine.