Looking For A High Performance Prop?

The most important link between your engines horsepower and the water is your PROP.

The selection of the correct propeller will allow the engine to obtain it's full RPM. Engine horsepower is very closely related to the RPM that the outboard can obtain. In other words, if the outboard can not reach its specified RPM, it probably has the wrong prop on it!.

Propellers have two basic dimensions; diameter & pitch. Diameter is the distance measured across the propeller hub line from the outer edge of the circle that is made by the propeller's blades during rotation. Pitch is the distance that a boat will travel if rotated one revolution without any slippage. When describing a propeller both the diameter and pitch are given. The diameter is referenced first and the pitch is second. Therefore, a 12" x 9" propeller would have a 12-inch diameter and a 9-inch blade pitch.

Theoretically, a propeller with a 14 pitch, when rotated one full turn, would advance a boat 14 inches through the water. In reality, no 14-inch pitch blade will advance a boat 14 inches with one full turn. This variance is referred to as slippage. In general, changing to a higher pitch prop will increase your top-end speed but reduce your acceleration.

Force, Honda, Mercury, Tohatsu-Nissan, &Yamaha

	Model:	SWA 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"A" Motor with 2.75 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 9.25 inches Pitch: 9, 10, 11 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: All purpose, semi-weedless, easy to turn.
	Price:	$266.00 plus S&H

	Model:	SRA 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"B" Motor with 3.00 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 10.00 inches Pitch: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: All around excellent performer, cupped with 20 degrees of aft rake.
	Price:	$266.00 plus S&H

	Model:	REB 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"C" Motor with 3.50 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 10.25 inches Pitch: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Factory equivalent to Mercury Black Max, 15 degrees of rake, cupped, excellent all purpose propeller.
	Price:	$297.00 plus S&H

	Model:	ELD 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"D" Motor 4.25 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 13.25 inches Pitch: 15, 17, 19, 21 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Excellent performance propeller with lift, cupped. Only available with square hub cavity to use the flo-torq drop-in hub kit.
	Price:	$293.00 plus S&H

	Model:	ELE 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"E" Motor with 4.75 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 14.25 inches Pitch: 15, 17, 19, 21 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Excellent all around propeller with lift, cupped. Only available with square hub cavity to use the flo-torq drop-in hub kit.
	Price:	$303.00 plus S&H

	Model:	WBA 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"C" motor with 3.50 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 12.00 inches Pitch: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Thruster series, load pushing, wide blade great for work boats and pontoon boats.
	Price:	$349.00 plus S&H

	Model:	WBH 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"D" Motor with 4.25 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 14.00 inches Pitch: 11, 12, 13 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Thruster series, load pushing, wide blade great for work boats and pontoon boats.
	Price:	$436.00 plus S&H

	Model:	SCB 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"C" Motor with 3.50 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 10.37 inches Pitch: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Speed propeller, excellent stern lift, great performance, good on inflatables & flat bottom hulls.
	Price:	$349.00 plus S&H

	Model:	SCD 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"D" Motor with 4.25 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 13.00 inches Pitch: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Sternlifting semicleaver, easy to run, similar to factory Yamaha semicleaver.
	Price:	$384.00 plus S&H

	Model:	RXB 4-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"D" Motor with 4.25 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 13.25 inches Pitch: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Accelerator series, hole shot handling propeller, best all around 4-blade, moderate rake, handles great.
	Price:	$471.00 plus S&H

	Model:	TRO 4-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"E" Motor with 4.75 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 13.75 inches Pitch: 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: High rake, sharp radius cup, excellent lift, an excellent bass boat propeller for many applications, small hub, can be run over & thru the hub exhaust or sealed exhaust.
	Price:	$523.00 plus S&H

	Model:	PTC 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"E" Motor with 4.75 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 14.25 inches Pitch: 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Right & left hand rotation, high rake with hardwall "L" cup, excellent at maintaining grip on water, excellent for single & twin engine applications.
	Price:	$366.00 plus S&H

	Model:	OFS 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"E" Motor with 4.75 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 15.25 inches Pitch: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Moderate high rake, with full tip cup, excellent lift, similar to Mercury Mirage, great fro single, twin, tripple engine applications, used for V-Bottom off-shore boats.
	Price:	$523.00 plus S&H

	Model:	MQS 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"E" Motor with 4.75 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 14.00-14.50 inches Pitch: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Excellent sternlift, great for ski boats, heavy cruisers, inboard/outboard applications.
	Price:	$366.00 plus S&H

	Model:	Bravo-2, 3-Blade Style Propeller
	Type:	"F" Motor with 5.75 inch gearcase
	About:	Diameter: 17.25-18.50 inches Pitch: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Finish: Stainless Steel Description: Hardwall "L" cup, very efficient, high traction, 4-blades best on heavy craft, superior acceleration/midrange.
	Price:	$648.00 plus S&H

Propeller Quick Facts

What is Pitch? Pitch is the distance that a propeller would move in one revolution if it were moving through a soft solid, like a screw in wood. When a propeller is identified as 13 3/4 x 21, it has a 13 3/4" (35 cm) diameter with 21" (53 cm) of pitch. Theoretically, this propeller would move forward 21" in one revolution.

What is Rake? Rake is the angle of the blade to the center of the shaft and is measured in degrees. Most performance propellers are angled aft to give boats more lift without ventilating the propeller. The two common types of rake used in performance boating are parabolic and straight rake. Parabolic rake is an off-center rake line that gives the blade an appearance of a spoon-like effect. Straight rake is basically flat across the blade.

What is cupping? When the trailing edge of the blade is formed or cast with an edge curl it is said to have a cup. Cupped props will usually allow a faster top speed and more midrange efficiency by allowing more positive trim with less prop slip. Cupping benefits are so desirable that nearly all modern recreational, high-performance or racing propellers contain some degree of cup. Cupping will usually reduce full-throttle engine speed about 100 to 200 RPM below the same pitch propeller with no cup. A propeller repair shop can increase or decrease cup to alter engine rpm to meet specific operating requirements on most propellers.

What is propeller diameter? Diameter is the distance across the circle made by the blade tips as the propeller rotates.

What is propeller cavitation? As a shape passes through water at an increasing speed, the pressure that holds the water to the sides and back of the shape is lowered. Depending upon the water temperature, when the pressure reaches a sufficiently low level, boiling (i.e., the formation of water vapor) will begin. The collapsing action, or implosion, of the bubbles releases energy that chips away at the blades, causing a "cavitation burn" or erosion of the metal.

The initial cause of the low pressure may be nicks in the leading edge, too much cup, sharp leading edge corners, improper polishing, or, sometimes, poor blade design. Massive cavitation by itself is rare, and it usually is caused by a propeller that is severely bent or has had its blade tips broken off resulting in a propeller that is far too small in diameter for the engine. (See Ventilation for another common cause.)

What is ventilation? Air from the water surface or exhaust gasses being drawn into the propeller blades. This causes the propeller to over rev and loose its "bite" in the water. Ventilation can be caused by mounting the engine too high (outboard motor applications) or by over-trimming.