Is an aluminum steel prop better than stainless?

[Christine Rios]

Seems more and more people in this forum choose aluminum steel prop than stainless.
Why ? Is an aluminum steel prop better than stainless?

 

[QBhoy]

I believe a black max ally is better than some stainless props. Yamaha k series props I think are also better than some of them too. Props like a vengeance for example...I think are utterly useless for anything other than being shiny

 

[Jamie Mcintosh]

I think aluminum prop is a good choice as its affordable price,which can save you much boat prop cost while stainless steel prop is more expensive. Also,the repair cost of aluminum prop is lower than stainless prop. Aluminum Boat Prop VS Stainless Steel Prop

 

[dingbat]

Stainless has a higher tensile strength which allows the designer to make lighter, thinner cross sections which create less resistance.

Stainless is also tougher which holds up better to wear and tear. The leading edges on my SS prop are still sharp and crisp after 3 seasons in SW. The blades on a aluminum prop don’t make it a season before they start to round, further increasing resistance

Having said that, better performance comes from the better prop design. A better designed aluminum prop will out perform a poorly designed SS prop.

 

[Scott06]

I believe a black max ally is better than some stainless props. Yamaha k series props I think are also better than some of them too. Props like a vengeance for example...I think are utterly useless for anything other than being shiny

Comon beside being shinny the vengence helps the dealer make money... its an inepxensive way to say your new boat comes with a stainless prop...

One other advantage of aluminum if you boat in water that has obstructions that eat props and gear cases you are better off with Aluminum.

 

[poconojoe]

Stainless props are more ridgid, less flexible, better performance and much stronger than aluminum.

But...if you hit something with a stainless prop, you may damage internals since the prop is so sturdy.
In a way, the aluminum prop is sacrificial in that it will take the damage instead of your internals blowing up.

Maybe stainless would be ok if you were boating in big open waters with less chance of hitting something.

Personally, because of where I go boating, I'll stay with aluminum.

 

[Earl Cordova]

When I started boating I preferred aluminum because I kept hitting things and it was easy to fix.
But after I put in a quality depth finder in front of the wife and taught her to yell out when to watch out, I have only used stainless props.

 

[QBhoy]

I should also add...that I think stainless is always a better option. My previous comments were simple as an answer to the question asked. I also still truly believe that the old fish wives tales of stainless props being a risk of damaging gearboxes and drive trains...are old news. Those takes go back to when stainless props were hard splined onto the prop shaft with no protection at all. These days...99% of props are protected by sacrificing hubs. It just isn’t a thing anymore, to be honest. That said. If you aren’t sure about the water you boat in...it’s 50/50. An ally prop will damage more easily than a stainless for sure.

 

[Chris1956]

Gee, I think it depends on how much stuff you hit, and what kind of boat you have. In our shallow bay (sand and silt bottom), you will grind up an aluminum prop, with an 19' I/O runabout. The I/O weight causes the boat to dig in upon acceleration.

In that case a SS prop is better, as sand and silt have no effect on SS. Of course there are no rocks to hit, which is important, as hitting rocks with a SS prop will ruin the hub or destroy the gearcase, hopefully the former.

On our 21' OB powered boat, the boat does not dig in and hit bottom when accelerating. I use the Turning Point Hustler aluminum props. They have a high performance shape like the SS props, are about 1/4 of the price and hold up real well.

 

[JimS123]

As an inexperienced youngin I used to hit things too. Ruined a few aluminum (not aluminum steel) props beyond repair. Then, I learned how to not hit things any more.

A friend showed me the performance with his Stainless Steel prop, so I bought one too. Better speed, better fuel economy and better hole shot.

That was 1975. Haven't had an aluminum prop since then. One single time I did hit an unmarked sandbar, and the SS prop suffered no damage at all. If it had been alum, I'm sure it would have gone to the prop shop.

My last purchase was a Mercury Enertia. I gained 3 mph, dropped prop slip by 4% and reduced gas gunsumption by 10%. Gotta love VesselView for data collection. May not be cost effective, but when it runs that awesome who cares.

 

[Mcfltfyter]

Is "aluminum steel" a marketing gimmick or something? The fact that nobody mentioned it makes me wonder.

 

[Scott06]

Is "aluminum steel" a marketing gimmick or something? The fact that nobody mentioned it makes me wonder.

I thought it was you smoking something, who is marketing an aluminum steel prop