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I just purchased a new E-tec. The Evinrude promotions gives you a free stainless prop, nice. But I have gone back and forth about the benefit of stainless vs aluminum.

Stainless props are obviously stiffer, provide better fuel economy and less deformation under high load.

However an aluminum prop could save your drive shaft if you impact rocks through deformation of the prop.

I decided to go stainless because I could always pick up an aluminum later on. Does anyone have any thoughts on the pro/cons of stainless vs aluminum?

Thanks

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There are no cons for a SS prop...... No reason nowadays to own an aluminum prop as a primary prop......SS are far superior.

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An aluminum prop is would be good to get back home if you were to loose your SS. No comparison between the 2 as far as performance goes.

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you are right about the rocks though. If you run aground (like on rocks) at high speed with an aluminum prop you will totally ruin your prop. If you do the same thing with a stainless prop the prop will not tear up as easily and you run the risk of totally ruining your lower unit. I still think stainless is superior though. To me the moral of the story is DONT RUN AGROUND!

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Depends a lot on where you go. I fish a lot of skinny water. I've chewed up several aluminum props on oyster beds and rocks but I've always made it home. I've had some ugly looking props but they still work and didn't tear up a lower unit. If they had been ss I would have been towed home. If I only fished offshore I would have stainless steel.

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Is my understanding wrong? I always thought the SS prop have a hub kit that acts much the same as the older shear pins. If your prop does hit a stationary rock the hub will spin or shear so that your shaft should not be damaged. I have never owned a SS prop so educate me please.

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Your understanding is correct.....

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Odds are if you plow into heavy covered rocks at speed you're going to end up breaking off the skeg, cracking the gearcase, cleaning off the lower unit, damaging the transom, blowing out seals in the trim hydraulics, etc. The idea that if you hit a big old submerged rock with an aluminum prop and you will be OK, vs a damaging the lower unit due to SS, just doesn't make sense to me.

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You can ruin your gearcase with an aluminum prop. My neighbor and I hit a mushroom mooring that was sticking up, I with my SS prop and him with his aluminum. He ruined his prop and lower unit. I did not with my sst, my prop is still works fine it just has nick in it and scratch in the blade. Did the sst save my lower unit, no I just got lucky (or he was unlucky).


If you want to save your lower unit from ground damage buy a composite prop.

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"If you want to save your lower unit from ground damage buy a composite prop."

Smarter idea would be to avoid hitting rocks and ground all together!

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Dave, thanks for posting this! You hear everywhere that stainless props put your drivetrain at risk, while aluminum will protect you; I've always thought that was a total crock and now you've posted a real world example that proves it!

Tim

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It is an Old Wive's Tale that an aluminum propeller will somehow protect your outboard motor. All modern propellers, aluminum or stainless steel, have hubs that will offer some impact protection.

But it is also true that if you choose to run your new outboard motor onto the rocks, there will be damage. Period. It doesn't matter if the prop is aluminum or stainless steel or what kind of hub you have.

Now if you occasionally run over a sand bar or oyster bed, as Harvey Boysen apparently done, and you use an aluminum prop, it will be mangled. If Harvey Boysen used a stainless steel propeller, it might loose a little of its shine but it would not be mangled.

It's your choice: You can keep buying a new aluminum prop every time you mangle one and suffer the weaker, less fuel efficient performance of an aluminum prop, or you can invest a little more up front and buy a good modern stainless steel propeller and enjoy its vastly better performance and durability. The latter will be less expensive in the long run.

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Tom,
Will you PLEASE run for office, you just make sense!