Stainless Steel Props

[Full Moon]

Are stainless props available as large as 24X24? If they are, would I want to put them on my 41 Conv? I know every one here talks about other materials but I would think the stainless would stay cleaner and be easier to clean if they got cruddy. Plus they would be more ridgid so less flexing would mean more consistant thrust.

 

[Passages]

I'd be concerned about hitting something and messing up the tranny. A bent bronze prop is about $350 to fix. A tranny would be a few bucks more.

 

[Walter P]

I had a pair of 24 x 23 x 1 3/4 four bladed Stainless Steel props on my previous 43 MY (1980 model). I actually had 3 sets of props for that boat, a standard bronze set, a Nibral set and the SS set. Both the Nibral and the SS props made a marked improvement in the performance of the boat. Which was better? Hard to tell for sure. I think the SS ran smoother and I was able to squeeze about an extra K on the top, but since we rarely if ever run full out it didn't matter.

The cost of SS props is very high (not that Nibral is cheap), and the return on investment is questionable. Also if you run SS it's a good idea to have break away couplings on the shafts - saves gears when you hit something. I must say however that I ran the SS props for about 8 or 9 years and never had to have them redone even with occasional brushes with the bottom (never hard). They looked great and clean up was fairly simple each spring or fall.

My advice is use the extra $ for another electronic toy or new carpet etc..
Buy Nibral

Walt

 

[jim rosenthal]

There are some great new wheels available from ZF and Veems that I am looking at for Blue Note. As far as I know, most of the newer designs are not available in SS. I could be wrong on this. I would stick to Nibral below the waterline, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Full Moon]

Jim, I'm not familiar with Nibral. I've heard about it but don't know what it is. Does it resist growth and barnicles any better than bronze? Here in the tropics I can have mine cleaned and within 2-3 weeks its like I hadn't done anything.

 

[Nonchalant1]

FullMoon,

Nibral is bronze. It is just a different alloy with more nickel which makes it much stronger and stiffer. It'll collect marine growth about the same.

Have you tried the PropSpeed stuff, or Petite zinc coating, or STP? A different thread showed others having some results with those, but maybe in a different marine environment than yours.

Doug

 

[Full Moon]

How do I know which props I have, Nibral or regular bronze? I had them both reconditioned about a year ago and they went back on with no protection. Then I was on the mainland for May and June so when I got back they looked like clubs instead of props. I am about to pull out for a bottom job so I will put some kind of coating on them, that's got to help.

 

[REBrueckner]

Props that aren't used for propulsion during the marine reproduction cycle will get loaded with growth. I get two seasons in NY to Maine, no paint, on my props because I run my boat frequently May 1 through Nov 1 when I liveaboard and cruise full time. That's our growith season. But my shafts get some mussels and barnacles, though painted, the second season and I scrape them underwater.