Whatbs your thoughts on Composition props

"I was out smallmouth bass fis

"I was out smallmouth bass fishing last week and I stupidly got in shallow water and hit a rock with my prop. It looked like it didn't do anything to it but upon further inspection, it bent one of the flukes. I'm going to get it repaired but I'm also thinking about getting a comp prop. I'd rather just buy a new aluminum prop but they are getting prohibitively expensive for Force engines. Mine is a 1984 Force. 85 horsepower.
Do any of you run comp props and if so, what do you think of them? Do I get the same size and pitch??? Do they perform as well as aluminum???"

"Hello Bret, I'll give you

"Hello Bret, I'll give you my two cents on it.

I run or rigged just about every prop out on the market and to be really honest, on a given motor I don't really notice much difference between one or the other if all else is equal.

A 3 blade composite, aluminum and stainless run all about the same on the "average" motor. Now guys that run hi-performance stuff will argue that stainless makes the world of difference and I guess if one extra mile per hour is important when you are already doing over 50, then yes, they are "better".

Stainless is more durable and flexs less, but cost 2-3 times as much as other materials and is super expensive to repair if you do ding it up.

On my own motors I run a mix of 3 blade (OEM) Quicksilver Aluminum or 4 blade Solas Aluminum (my all round favourites for my type of boating) and I even run a comp - a 4 blade, adjustable pitch ProPulse on my 140 OMC.

You can adjust the pitch from about 13 to 18 (when its NOT in motion) which allows me to run it all year by adjusting the pitch up or down 1 or 2 as the weather dictates and all the components, including the blades are replacable.

It's not any cheaper than a Solas prop from my buddies at a Solas dealer, but otherwise, I can't complain about how it functions - I'm well pleased with it - but despite the hype (good or bad) I did not notice any difference in performance compared to a quality aluminum prop.

Since I run exclusively in fresh water I have zero need to run stainless, which in my opinion, is not worth the money unless you are running "offshore in salt".

Would I buy another comp prop - sure, if the price was right, but at present I still get aluminum props super cheap..."

"Thanks for the info Graham.

"Thanks for the info Graham.
My boat is an old Bayliner bass boat with an 85 hp engine so parts and props are getting harder and harder to find and prohibitively expensive. Also, I've never seen a SS prop for an 85 hp Force engine. On top of that, I top out at around 40 mph so a couple of extra mph don't mean much to me.
I'm just a casual fisherman. I go fishing all the time but I don't need to do 80 mph on the water. I get there eventually, I fish, I go home and I'm happy with that.
I don't go in salt water. Mainly lakes and rivers.
Anyway, I bent my prop a little bit so a comp prop seems to be a good answer.
I just ordered on from Bass Pro Shops this morning and I should have it later next week. I'll post a report on how I like it.
It's a 4 blade prop so I'm wondering how much different it will be then my 3 blade aluminum."

If it makes you feel any bette

If it makes you feel any better the little Chrysler's 15 and under came with them.

"I like the 4 blades for a few

"I like the 4 blades for a few reasons. The get you out of the hole a little quicker, get you up on plane sooner and will keep you on plane at lower rpms than will a 3 blade. Additionally the run better balanced than a 3 - so slightly less "shakey".

The trade-off is that they trim maybe a mph or two off your top end.

The 4th blade will also reduce your rpms by an extra 100 (additional drag from the extra blade)or so if it is the same pitch as the 3 blade you were running (so if you normally saw say 5300 at wot with a 3, you may be at 5150-5200 with the 4).

I run in alot of canals between lakes that have low speed limits. The 4 blade allows me to "keep the nose down" running slower - and I don't miss the tiny bit of speed loss at the top end...

In general 4 blades are preferred for cruising (at no more than 2/3's throttle) or pulling skiers, tubes etc.

I really like them because they save gas. Anytime you are on plane at a lower speed you are putting less money in the tank (or spending more time on the water with the same tank of gas)..."