Stainless Prop

Thanks for all your help guys!

BJO. As far as your boat, if it comes with an aluminum prop I would start with a stainless prop 2 sizes less. ( if the aluminum is a 19 pitch try a 17 pitch stainless.) That should put right in the ball park.

You can pick up a good stainless prop for $300 or less. Smaller motors sometimes less. In the early 90's I had a 14 ft smokercraft with a 25hp merc. Deep vee with a floor and livewell. It came with a stainless prop on it. I didn't realize what a difference it made until I started running along with boats that had 30 and 35hp motors. Not only could I keep up but allot of them I went right on by. A stainless prop will give you better hole shots, better top end and more boat lift. I have hit rocks, stumps and sandbars. It never needed a repair. My brother has a lund with a 30hp Evenrude and was constantly having prop problems. I remember one time he had his prop repaired( $30 repair bill)got it back on the water, went 50 feet. Hit a stump and back to the repair shop. The following year my sister in law bought him a stainless prop for his birthday( I assisted with the purchase) and its never been off the motor since. He told me he has hit things since and has yet to damage it. Long story short, run what you feel comfortable with. Its all a preference. A stainless will perform on a small motor just like the big ones. My smokercraft ran at 35mph with a gps. I don't think I could have done that with an aluminum prop.

On the experimentation route. For you guys that are interested.

Brainerd Props takes your CC # as a deposit and will send you what ever prop you want to test. You've got 2 weeks to send it back undamaged and he won't charge you anything. You can do this as many times as you want until you find the prop you like. Once you find the one you like, you keep it and he'll charge you. Pretty sweet deal.

Luremaker make very good points. What works on a boat that is similar to yours may not work on yours. You have to get your selection right the first time or you will be selling a stainless prop at a great discount. Find a dealer that will let you use a couple demo props and go from there.

For that small of a motor, I would never get a stainless steel prop. It's just not worth it for the price and there really won't be an advantage. When I run any river I have my aluminum prop on In case I hit something,I don't want to take out a 500 dollar prop as opposed to 100 dollars for aluminum.I always carry a spare prop on the river in case of hitting something hard.

5300-5500 rpm's is with a fully loaded boat. Total full on gas, gear and people. With a lighter load your rpm's will increase but not alot. Talk with your local marina, they should be able to get you in the ball park. Ask some friends that may have props that are close to what is recommended. The only true way you will know what prop works best is to experiment. Try both aluminum and stainless, I guarantee you will notice the difference.

I would contact Ricky AKA Propman at http://brainerdprops.com/. That man knows props and how to set a boat up.

Yamaha says the f50tlr can safely go to 6000 at wot, and they run it up that high in many of those performance tests. Do you think the mid 5000 range is a better place to be? I have the same motor, and running a 12" aluminum I can only get to around 54-5500 with an Alumacraft Lunker- lighter than the Classic. And the restrictor plate is out... Almost thinking my throttle isn't opening all the way or something.

I have worked on outboards for many years. As far as which prop to use the aluminum is more forgiving than stainless. They are cheaper but dont perform as well as stainless. my choice would be stainless. Why? example. Say you are idling in shallow water and you hit a stump as I have done many of times. An aluminum will bend an cause a vibration at higher speeds making the return trip longer back to the launch where the stainless will take the abuse. As for pitch its all about rpm's. With a fully loaded boat you should be running about 5300 - 55oo prm's at high speed. you may need to try some props to find what works best on your boat.

i think you'll be more in the 13 inch pitch area with that rig

BJO,

You're welcome. My pleasure. Take care and tight lines. If you ice fish, stay safe and dry.

just another 2 cents... you might want to discuss the option of staying with an aluminum prop too...

...might save some $$ by staying with aluminum if you are in an environment where you are likely to bang it up

...alum might be better choice for river ...( hitting obstructions )

...performance enhancements of SS might be insignificant

BJO, been thru a couple iterations of propping a f50 Yammie on a 2011 Alumacraft Classic 165

recommend talking with a dealer and usually they will work with you to test props ( test drives ) to get what works best for you... is worth any possible savings you may get buying elsewhere, in my opinion

there is some good data available for you, so you can have some ideas before you purchase or talk to a dealer

good luck

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/products/perfbull.aspx

here's the performance bulletin specific to your rig... just know that it can be tweaked based on how you load your boat and the performance you desire, etc etc

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/assets/products/otb/bulletins/bulletin_4stroke_midthrustjetport_al_alm_classic165tiller_f50tlr_2011-05-26_alm.pdf

Thanks Radioman