stainless steel boat props- polished vs. black

[rfuerst911sc]

It's been a while since I have purchased a boat prop, back in the day aluminum was the material for the base model prop and an upgrade was a polished stainless steel. I see now the stainless props are offered in polished and black.......is the black painted ? And is there a difference in performance between polished and black ? The aluminum prop on my 1988 Yamaha 90 has some nicks in it so looking for a replacement, a little added performance is not a bad thing . I will keep the aluminum for a spare. I have found locally a 17 pitch Yamaha brand prop for 275.00 which is a decent price, I know Yamaha does not make the prop. But there are plenty of places online that have Solas, Stilletto or Michigan Wheel for around 269.00 for three blade polished SS with no shipping cost. The boat is a 17 ' center console that normally will have two people on board but occasionally 3-5.

[widgeon13]

You don't necessarily have to go to stainless to get improvement in performance, you could change the pitch of the new prop and stick with aluminum. Stainless will transmit the potential damage into the gears as opposed to just bending or nicking a prop, cost more to repair and while they look nice seem like a waste. Just my $.02 worth.

[rfuerst911sc]

After I posted I did some online surfing and it looks like the black SS props were done that way for several reasons. For instance it is cheaper to apply black paint/teflon than the labor intensive polishing. Second is for stealth purposes, the theory being a black prop is assumed to be aluminum to thieves and they move on to a shiny prop. Widgeon you make a good point about the aluminum being more driveline friendly. I will do more research .

[RF5BPilot]

I had a 26' with a Volvo I/O duoprop that a previous owner changed to stainless.
- Mechanics made the point that an aluminum prop becomes the weakest link, so if you hit something hard, the prop folds. If you use stainless, if you hit something hard, the shock is transmitted to the engine/transmission -- with possibly greater damage and more $$$.

- I ended up switching back to aluminum because my boat stayed in the water and the stainless props were just too much for the zincs, causing galvanic damage to the outdrive. Shouldn't be a problem for you.

[Teutonics]

Instead of replacing, you can always have the aluminum prop repaired/rebuilt at a fraction of the cost. There are several reputable rebuilders online that provide quick turnaround.

[intakexhaust]

Aluminum for budget minded, trashy waterways, channels. With stainless, blade has less flex gains performance plus fuel efficiency. Always keep a spare on board (not a plastic one either) so you don't ruin a weekend. A variety of different props closely matched to your application is worth it. You might want one for the hole shot in pulling skiers or inflatables, or perhaps day cruising fuel sipping, or one for top end bragging rights. (I used to have an old Merc inline 6 'tower of power' 2 stroke on a little 17' and jack plate. Spooky little ride but used to tick the fellows off with their heavy 454ci powered 24'-30'. They would eat my wake every time. LOL)