Anybody have these?

[luckydave215]

http://www.compositecarbonfiberprop.com/ They look pretty interesting. I can see where their flexibility might reduce vibration (but I wouldn't want to hit anything in the water).

 

[Liquid Asset]

I Have seen that web site, and have woundered how well they work. There is a 50 Hatteras that has them. He has a testimonial on their site. It seems to me you almost have to be willing to waste the money to try them because if you purchase then, they are custom made for your boat, so it is a risk. I cant decide what to think about them.

 

[MikeP]

I'd let the rest of the world sort these out for at least the next 10 years. At the moment they strike me as a solution for which there is no problem.

 

[Genesis]

I'll tell you a story about composite props....

In the outboard and I/O realm there is a company called Piranha that makes composite props with replacable blades, just like the Contour. This is quite cool. The claim is that the composite is both stiffer than aluminum (but not stainless) and will break before your gearcase will - the latter being kinda important and one place where stainless falls short in many cases.

Weeeeelllll. I had one of these on my little runabout for a while. It was great - until I broke two blades on two successive outings attempting deepwater ski starts.

We did not hit anything. The blade broke off at the root.

Piranha was good about replacing the blades, BUT missing one blade ENTIRELY makes for an engine you cannot operate - at all - due to HIDEOUS vibration.

After two in-water changes (in deep water) I gave up. The prop sits in my garage.

BTW, the other thing about the Piranha is that it was competitive with aluminum - and much cheaper than stainless. The Contour's are significantly more expensive.