S/S props vs. Aluminum

[Runco]

Does anyone have any pros or cons as far as speed and performance goes on a 23'Sceptre 260 I.O. And what size seems to do the job best?

[John R]

Yeh - don't use stainless if you fish anywhere from Quarrantine Rocks to Pegotty Beach [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] . Beyon that, I have nothing of value to add...

[Mark]

John R,

How bout elaborating a bit for those of us not from your neighborhood? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[ocuyler]

What?

[Trayder]

I think John is stating that if one fishes amongst rocks, go alum.

I learned the hard way on the Contender this past Fall. With a stainless prop you can easily bend one of the shafts in your lower unit when you strike a rock. I tagged a rock with my port Counter rotating engine at a slow trolling speed and bent the shaft. Insurance called the whole lower unit a loss. Lucky me, new lower unit [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] and higher ins. rates [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Alum on the other hand will self destruct before damaging the Shaft. requiring a new prop, $100 and may be a new skeg.

[ScottM]

Jack,
So I guess that "Rapier II Kryptonite" prop you want is out of the question [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] . I've heard kryptonite is harder than stainless AND titanium. Looks like we'll be faster after all with that new Ficht (fingers crossed)! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

John,
Don't forget the approaches to Boston Harbor inside Deer Island heading towards Castle Island. There are a few hidden surprises there too.

[John R]

John,
Don't forget the approaches to Boston Harbor inside Deer Island heading towards Castle Island. There are a few hidden surprises there too.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeh & no structure of fish by the Graves either [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

That's all - like Trayder said - just rocky ledges to break lower units...

[ocuyler]

I guess we've all been there - on rocks. Cruising in the 32' Carver aft cabin gives me a new respect for staying in the channel. Our water is down 19" from this time last year. That more that the 23's draft. Should be an interesting year...

Otto

[Bigshot]

I won't run anything but SS props but if I lived in area that was rock infested I would probably get something else. Chances are though that if you hit something hard enough to bend a prop shaft, the SS had nothing to do with it. I hit a submerged dock in the channel at about 30mph in my Hydra-Sports and ripped off one blade and pretzeled the other 2 and sheared the skeg. The prop shaft was BARELY bent and that was with a SS prop. I doubt an alum prop would have saved anything.

If you want to save your propshaft some, get a skeggard. It will hit the rock first raising the engine, etc so your prop clears. How do I know, I slammed a rockpile at about 25mph in my 15' Whaler with a skeggard and SS prop. BAM! Blew the snot out of the skeggard but my prop did not have one nick in it. Cheaper to replace a $100 skeggard than a prop or shaft.