Propellers: Choosing the Right One for Your Boat

If you’ve noticed that your boat isn’t running quite as well as it should be, you might want to change your propeller!

Symptoms of a propeller that’s over the hill range from loss of speed to poor fuel consumption. Thankfully, their replacement is fairly straightforward. What’s not so simple is the choice you’re confronted with while perusing your options.

Without a propeller your boat is useless. After investing so much money it’s worth taking the time to research your choices thoroughly before making a hasty purchase.

Read on and let’s work out which type of propellers are best for you!

Types of Propeller

There are many different types of propellers to choose from. They are generally grouped by construction materials such as stainless steel and aluminum. Pleasure boat propellers, such as the type you’re most likely looking for are categorized into six general types. Basic aluminum, high-reverse, cleaver, chopper, basic stainless steel, and high performance.

There are also three types of generally similar blade designs. The conventional or round-eared blade, weedless blade, and cleaver blade.

Each material, shape, and size contribute to the overall performance of your boat and are often specialized to the environment you’re most likely to be journeying through.

Boat Propellers in General

The world of boats and boating is an esoteric one. Dedication to a hobby with such a long history has determined the depth of people’s understanding concerning even the finest minutia. Of course, propellers are a subject of great interest and discussion in particular.

There are many trains of thought when it comes to the behavior of different shaped propellers, their size, material, and their optimal use. Thankfully, out of the years of experience people have garnered through enthusiastic testing and use of their boats, a general consensus has been reached.

The choice of the discerning propeller buyer is basically between steel or aluminum.

Stainless Steel Boat Propellers

Stainless steel is a favorite due to its high tensile strength. They’re durable and don’t flex under load. This assures your boat has a constant pitch, no matter how hard you’re gunning the motor.

If the propeller were to strike a rock or buoy, chances are it will continue on as if nothing happened. They’re astonishingly resilient.

Boats equipped with a stainless steel propeller are also slightly faster. Under test conditions, speed increases of up to 3 to 4mph have been observed, which isn’t bad for a price tag of somewhere between $250 – $1,000.

If you’re in the market for propellers, check out Solas propellers. They’ve got a great stock and tons of information!

Aluminum Propellers

Aluminum propellers are significantly cheaper than their steel counterparts and are more commonly used in freshwater. They’re commonly stocked and will most likely be what you find in your local repair shop.

Aluminum propellers have a distinct advantage over steel in the way they perform if they strike something. Where a steel propeller will weather the damage before passing the shock onto the motor, the aluminum will deform immediately. This goes some way towards ensuring the safety of more expensive motor internals.

Don’t worry though! Aluminum propellers generally sell for much less than steel, commonly retailing at around $100 to $300.

Keeping Afloat

So the choice is yours, whichever you decide upon will get the job done. It’s always worth reading up before taking the plunge! Though of course, in this case, not literally.

Now you’ve got a general idea of the type of propellers you’re looking for, why not have a look at our other articles? We’ve got lots of information, including an article you might find interesting about choosing the right anchor!