Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
untrue....anytime you change to a steel prop, you have less blade flexing which adds to the amount of force it takes to turn the prop....which reduces your RPM's on the engine. An aluminum prop will flex more than you might expect, so for example if you are running a stock 19 pitch aluminum prop, it more than likely is acting like an 18 or 17 pitch prop in the water (depending on the blade design and thickness). A stock 19 pitch steel will act like a 19 pitch steel since it does not flex anywhere near as much as a stock aluminum.
So...anytime one changes directly from a stock aluminum to a stock steel, a drop in 2" of pitch is roughly the necessary route. All of that depends on a number of things most notably the style of prop and the combination of pitch and diameter. If those variables change when converting, many different things can happen...which results in doing a bunch of testing and recording of information, then deciding which prop is best for your particular rig. Even two rigs set up identically will have different running characteristics, potentially leading to running two totally different types of props.
Steve
Steve
Edited by VMS 4/12/2010 9:42 AM
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