What do you think of my idea?

airdvr1227

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Messages
1,666
I keep reading about people having trouble determining what pitch of prop they should be using. I know from personal experience it gets expensive hanging props and trying them out. What about a disposable hard plastic temporary prop that would be cheap enough to try out?...or as a temporary spare? How much do you think you'd spend on a prop that could be thrown away if it wasn't correct?
 

Philster

Captain
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
3,344
Re: What do you think of my idea?

Plastic doesn't perform like alum or stainless, or even a good composite, so the results would be very, very off. Pitch matters, but the material is very important, too. To compare which SS prop to use, you need a selection of SS props.
 

wgl333

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
140
Re: What do you think of my idea?

It would make more sense for a prop shop to have a cross section of props and "rent" them out for trials. Yes, that increases their overhead, but, at $10 or $15 a day for tests (credit card only, of course), they could recoup their investments in short order and probably bring in some new customers as well.
 

Rocky_Road

Lieutenant Commander
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Oct 8, 2008
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Re: What do you think of my idea?

I keep reading about people having trouble determining what pitch of prop they should be using. I know from personal experience it gets expensive hanging props and trying them out. What about a disposable hard plastic temporary prop that would be cheap enough to try out?...or as a temporary spare? How much do you think you'd spend on a prop that could be thrown away if it wasn't correct?

There are composite props out there that allow you to exchange your pitch until your are happy.

http://www.piranha.com/

I personally wouldn't use one for my main prop, but I can see how it would make a good backup.

Happy boating!

P.S. I remember a prop that you could actually dial in the pitch you wanted, but my quick search didn't find it. Maybe someone can link this...?
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
Re: What do you think of my idea?

Yep plastic spare props to use in a pinch have been around for a while. The issue isn't just pitch since every different prop of the same pitch or material may respond differently and every hull will respond differently also. There's lots of permutations There't a lot more to consider than just pitch within a certain range. Many of the questions I have seen lately aren't necessarily only pitch related but related to switching to more blades. As for a spare, I keep a full sized spare in the box on the boat with tools to change it. A standard prop for my Alpha 1 in the box is huge and hogs one entire section of valuable storage. If there were a prop that folded in on itself and took up very little storage space expecially on our sub 20 foot boats. I'd listen but I think the Pirana already saves storage space.
 

CaryW

Cadet
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Messages
29
Re: What do you think of my idea?

There are composite props out there that allow you to exchange your pitch until your are happy.

http://www.piranha.com/

I personally wouldn't use one for my main prop, but I can see how it would make a good backup.

Happy boating!

P.S. I remember a prop that you could actually dial in the pitch you wanted, but my quick search didn't find it. Maybe someone can link this...?

They were talking about it on S&F a week or two ago. Seems that they worked well for the bass boat guys but would come apart if run too close to the surface.
 

Rocky_Road

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
1,798
Re: What do you think of my idea?

They were talking about it on S&F a week or two ago. Seems that they worked well for the bass boat guys but would come apart if run too close to the surface.

Cool!

That seemed to be my gut feeling when I saw them...looks great on paper, but...!

But I still wouldn't mind a composite single pitched prop as my spare. It could sit in the bottom of my boat without much worry about it being in a damp environment, and the light weight would be a plus.

Happy boating!
 

solar7647

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,218
Re: What do you think of my idea?

I use an adjusable pro pulse prop that is composition. I love it! I have a spare set of blades on the boat incase I break one on the water but have not used them yet. I have had it for two years now with no issue. Originally had it on 180hp but now have it on a 205hp. It has great grab and little slip compared to an aluminum. I am convinced and won't be changing to metal any time soon. It great wake boarding, tubing and fishing out on lake Erie. Just my 2 cents
 
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