|
|
Posts: 255
| Heading up to LOTW end of the month for my first time would you recommend putting an aluminium prop on vs stainless
Thanks |
|
| |
|
Posts: 134
| Best recommendation I can give is run what your boat runs well with just take a spare! Hopefully don't hit anything but may as well be prepared for if you do. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | Have a spare and a prop wrench. Aluminum for me, prefer to keep any damage to the prop. I know someone who ran a stanless up there, was wreckless, hit a rock and his motor looked like it was a jet. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1716
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | If you’re that concerned, buy a composite prop and bring spare blades. Cheap and no damage to the prop shaft if you hit a rock. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | A few years back up on LOTW my buddy was on plane with his 135hp and had an aluminum prop on when he hit a rock. He trashed the prop so we put on a spare, but guess what, the shaft was bent so bad we could not even put the boat in gear as it would shake so bad. Glad we had a kicker but it was still a slow ride back.
Moral of the story, is aluminum props can bend shafts too.
|
|
| |
|
| A number of years ago, maybe 4 or 5, Al Lindner had a Mercury engineering rep in his boat for fishing but also talking motors. The guy said people think aluminum props are better for hitting objects in the water because they are softer. He acknowledged they were softer but said in tests they (Mercury) ran, the aluminum props tended to "wrap" around the object, actually increasing the impact as opposed to a SS prop that was more likely to bounce off the object. Obviously, neither scenario occurs every time but it gave me a different perspective on the aluminum vs. SS prop debate. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | No...get a good gps chip, pay attention, and use common sense
100+ days on the water out there and hit one rock when I was being a dumbo and not paying attention |
|
| |
|
Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | know your main trail, know your access trails, putt in, fish, putt out and run the clean trails ... over time you will learn them. that, and what Brian said. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
Bottom Line...
If you hit a rock at anything over idle speed, you can pretty much call your lower unit toast. Hit one above idle, it very well could twist your prop shaft (brother in law just did this on their trip)
Hit granite while working toward getting on plane and up to full speed with aluminum or steel, there won't be much left of your prop, and most likely you will have bent your prop shaft at a minimum.
In a nutshell, I'd say run whatever prop suits your rig best. But...have a second way off the water (a kicker) in case you do. At least hitting something with a kicker in an unlocked down position, you will not be out a motor...it'll most likely bounce up over it....
A spare is always good to have with in the case you do touch one at idle or just above...
Steve
Edited by VMS 8/3/2018 5:15 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 256
Location: plant earth | For sure have extra. Learned my lesson at horseshoe island on the first time on LOTW. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 253
Location: Birchwood, WI. | Musky Brian - 8/3/2018 4:18 PM
No...get a good gps chip, pay attention, and use common sense
100+ days on the water out there and hit one rock when I was being a dumbo and not paying attention
Paying attention......take it easy till you know the water...look at a good map till you
know what's up.... lots of sh^^ out there.....COMMON SENSE...PAY ATTENTION... |
|
| |
|
Location: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin | In addition to your GPS with high quality chip...you should also consider high quality conventional maps. It's old school, but between your chip for designated GPS paths and your conventional map it will provide good guidance. Those conventional charts are very detailed. Also, I use my trolling motor to back away from any islands or reefs I'm fishing until I'm in good deep water.
Edited by Badgerpat1 8/5/2018 11:16 AM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 134
| It amazes me how people assume stainless are still going to ruin your motor and lower unit. They are not directly attached, there is either a rubber hub or plastic one(depending on prop) designed to give out before anything else does. Like most said if you hit something on LOTW it's solid and going to trash whatever your running. Be prepared with a spare and be careful! One of our group been going for 15+ years tried to take off 20yds to far to the left and ended up with the motor in the boat after hitting the face of a reef. (prop was fine btw :)) |
|
| |
|
Location: Contrarian Island | well even the best chip and maps don't have all the "oh #*#*" rocks on them... found one well off structure where I was suppose to be in 20 feet.. yah it came up to 3.1 from 20 feet, while I was up on plane going "F*K, F*K, F*K" quite loudly.... best bet is to never trust any chip 100% and look at the paper map when traveling to new areas. Haven't hit anything. yet.
Edited by BNelson 8/6/2018 10:53 AM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 2327
Location: Chisholm, MN | I haven't hit anything yet but I would bring a spare. There are a few that aren't marked but still, be smart and idle in and out of spots. Going through channels is the scariest thing. You can watch someone blast through a channel just fine, and the next person will clip a rock. Slow and steady wins the race. |
|
| |
