I have a mercury 50 horse 4 stroke on bass tracker I was thinking bout switching to a stainless steel but now I think I’ll stick with the factory black max love your videos you’re a no nonsense guy very cool and thanks again
My take? A stainless potentially will not provide you with the speed gains you hear about on other boats, but it is a contribution to a larger whole. There is nothing to lose by going stainless especially if you stick with a Mercury or Quicksilver brand prop as they use and provide you with the Flo Torq hub kit which is a two piece design, allowing it to either slip or break the moment you strike something underwater, saving A. Your prop, and B. Your hub itself and ultimately your lower end unit. Top logged speed efforts so far have netted me 43.5 mph with my 15 pitch Vengeance 3 blade Merc prop @ 5900-6000 RPM by myself and loaded down with full gear, but it's not fair to compare at this point because additional to the stainless prop I am also rocking a 60HP conversion and am using a 6" jack plate on my Classic XL.
I have a 1994 Bass Tracker Pro 18 with a 40hp Merc (2 stroke) and I ran a factory prop (13" pitch) until last year. I decided to try a stainless prop (same 13" pitch) since I was able to finally get one at a reasonable price. (Solas prop) What I found was a noticeably better hole shot and I picked up 2 mph. Top speed according to my gps graph is 34 mph.
My classic XL 50 hp came with an 11" pitch prop, possibly due to our almost 5,000' altitude. It revved a bit high. I just got a Michigan Wheel Apollo SS prop for $200 in 13" pitch and it performs better. It has a hub kit that is designed to protect the lower unit if I hit something. Just replace the hub kit for $35. I keep the factory aluminum prop as a spare.
Put a pitch or 2 higher prop that what I did with my boat huge performance boost in every way Also the higher pitch prop the lower rpms so you could probably get about 40 mph out of it 16 pitch SS
I run a 14p Turning Point Mach 3 SS with a fair amount of cup and gained 3.5 MPH. My top speed solo with several poles and too much tackle has been 40.8 GPS so far. I have not had much time to test it and my RPM is topping out at 5950 with moderate trim on mobile vessel view. Stainless is stiffer but check the leading edges for cup, Mercury Vengeance has almost no cup. I also ran the Mercury aluminum Spitfire in both 14P & 15P Both were very good in the holeshot and handling dept with no loss in speed from the original Black Max aluminum. I also moved the engine 1 hole up ( 3/4 in ) on the transom. Blow out is only achieved with full throttle/moderate trim and hard turn, otherwise it performs great. Holeshot is a little slower than with the Spitfire but not much.
Props are designed for that not to happen. Both stainless and aluminum have a rubber bushing in them that will break away before it will do damage to the engine.
I’m staying with the factory prop. You can possibly get more performance from a stainless with a different pitch and size but my Classic runs about 37mph with me, my gear and full fuel. I really don’t see any reason to change.
If you want hole shot and still 30-32 top speed check out a merc spitfire 4blade. I have a Crestliner Vision 1600 with a 60hp. Completely changed the performance of the boat with hole shot speed.
I have the same prop on my 60 & the hoke shot definitely got significantly better but I lost 2-5mph... I'm thinking of going to a 14 pitch stainless..Stainless doesn't flex,that's why the 4 blade is better on the hole shot..
I'm thinking of putting a stainless prop on my 40 Merc ,iv got a Boston Whaler so the boat weights quite a bit,,from what I've heard is you go down a pitch because the prop weighs a little more
That's nonsense. If you go from a Black Max to a Vengeance, go up 1" or 2". The thinner blades will be what's important. There's not a significant enough amount of blade flex with alu props on the small engines to account for staying at the same pitch or go down. Rarely is this the case anyway. Find a prop shop that will let you test before you buy.
Stock prop is 10.25x 14p… when upgrading to stainless 3 blade or aluminum 4 blade you need to go up a pitch 10.1x 15p. With 4 blade 15p you maintain stock top speeds and quicker hole shot. With stainless 15p you gain 2-3mph top end but low torque. Top speed with me 10x15p SS was 34mph. Add another person or any weight and it takes forever to plane. Top speed with 4 blade 15p was 29/30mph. Stock was 31/32mph
Aluminum prop will flex stainless prop not as much. The same pitch in both props will give different performance. If you want the stainless prop to match the aluminum stock prop you’ll need to go up 2 pitch or either down 2 I can’t remember.
@@williamsills5102 Not always, especially with these small engines. Yes with I/O and large outboards there's a lot of blade flex, but not here. The thick alu blades create a ton of drag by comparison. However, looking at that prop used here, it had very little rake, and thus low drag but also creates a fairly high slip, which is also what the numbers show. What he needs to do is to get a prop with the same rake as the black max he took off, and pitch that will account for the thinner blades. When you have situations where you drop pitch, it is usually because you have a lot more prop designs to choose from which is the case with larger engines. There's a lot more in going from a Black Max to a Tempest+ or Mirage than going from a Black Max to a Vengeance for example. Only one rule applies. TEST IT! Boats like different props, and depending on your setup, what works for one person, might not work at all for the other. There's a reason why prop testing programs exist.
Mark you need to one check the fuel consumption then check the pitch of the prop, in that I am saying that every boat is different . If you check the mechanics of steel verses aluminum, aluminum will have more flex than steel . I always run a Stainless Steel prop on my boat .Stainless steel pushes more water than aluminum will. Now is it worth the 200+ dollars to go 3 to 5 miles faster?? my 115 came with a stock aluminum prop and a SS 4 blade I only got like 4 miles faster but I saved a lot more in gas. Then if one wants to go faster then one needs to go get them a bigger and faster boat and motor .Just my opinion. (NO BA from PA it doesn't Void any warranties )
@@cutmangolf3667 Get a four blade stainless. If you can get a four blade along with the lower pitch, your mid range efficiency will not suffer as much, and the time to plane will be even better than with a 10" three blade.
I waste the $$$ on a stainless prop so y'all don't have to. I do believe it'd get better performance with a 15 or 16 pitch prop to help lower the rpms & possibly gain a little speed. It definitely cuts up small sticks & floating debris without worrying about breaking a prop & in that aspect would be great for flooded waters or heavy vegetation.
No you don’t. It spins the rubber hub just like aluminum. Stop spreading misinformation, that’s the reason why you think that in the first place. Someone lied to you
Have you tried any other pitch yet? I also have a 40hp on a 2012 pro 165 which is pretty close to the same size boat as yours I think. I’d like to get a little more performance out of mine. I can’t trim mine up at all or it starts porpoising.
Does your prop move in and out just a little? I just bout a used boat and with the same motor as yours and the original owner said he had never done anything to the prop but it moves forward and back just a little. Lots of people told me this was normal play and some say it’s not.
@@MarkBlackstock yeah mine is about 1/4” movement I would say. I’ve been scared to run it but it seems that most everyone says it’s normal. I knew you had experimented with yours and you would probably know. Thanks man. Love you channel by the way.
What do you mean move? Are you talking about the gear mesh that allows you to move the prop from side to side? Or are you actually talking about the prop sliding on the shaft? If it does, that is NOT normal. If you have a removable hub, there might be an issue, or your thrust washer might need replacing or be too thin. Or your prop is not the right fit for the engine. A prop should NOT move on the shaft EVER!
@@AB-80X it slides on the shaft. There’s no wobble or anything but just slides. Is there different thicknesses of thrust washer? I could definitely see where that would take up some slack.
Go up in pitch 1" and get a Merc prop. You may have to fork out more, but they make better props than just about anybody.
I have a mercury 50 horse 4 stroke on bass tracker I was thinking bout switching to a stainless steel but now I think I’ll stick with the factory black max love your videos you’re a no nonsense guy very cool and thanks again
Thanks for doing the experiment so that I don’t have to :)
My take? A stainless potentially will not provide you with the speed gains you hear about on other boats, but it is a contribution to a larger whole. There is nothing to lose by going stainless especially if you stick with a Mercury or Quicksilver brand prop as they use and provide you with the Flo Torq hub kit which is a two piece design, allowing it to either slip or break the moment you strike something underwater, saving A. Your prop, and B. Your hub itself and ultimately your lower end unit.
Top logged speed efforts so far have netted me 43.5 mph with my 15 pitch Vengeance 3 blade Merc prop @ 5900-6000 RPM by myself and loaded down with full gear, but it's not fair to compare at this point because additional to the stainless prop I am also rocking a 60HP conversion and am using a 6" jack plate on my Classic XL.
I have a 1994 Bass Tracker Pro 18 with a 40hp Merc (2 stroke) and I ran a factory prop (13" pitch) until last year. I decided to try a stainless prop (same 13" pitch) since I was able to finally get one at a reasonable price. (Solas prop) What I found was a noticeably better hole shot and I picked up 2 mph. Top speed according to my gps graph is 34 mph.
My classic XL 50 hp came with an 11" pitch prop, possibly due to our almost 5,000' altitude. It revved a bit high. I just got a Michigan Wheel Apollo SS prop for $200 in 13" pitch and it performs better. It has a hub kit that is designed to protect the lower unit if I hit something. Just replace the hub kit for $35. I keep the factory aluminum prop as a spare.
Put a pitch or 2 higher prop that what I did with my boat huge performance boost in every way
Also the higher pitch prop the lower rpms so you could probably get about 40 mph out of it 16 pitch SS
A 40hp will never turn a 16 pitch prop, especially SS, I HAVE A 50 THAT RUNS 5950 RPMS WITH A 14 PITCH MERCURY VENGEANCE
I put a 11-15 pitch prop on my 50hp. Still hit 6200 rpm’s. It had a 9.3/4” by 13 pitch on it. I lost some hole shot speed.
I run a 14p Turning Point Mach 3 SS with a fair amount of cup and gained 3.5 MPH. My top speed solo with several poles and too much tackle has been 40.8 GPS so far. I have not had much time to test it and my RPM is topping out at 5950 with moderate trim on mobile vessel view. Stainless is stiffer but check the leading edges for cup, Mercury Vengeance has almost no cup. I also ran the Mercury aluminum Spitfire in both 14P & 15P Both were very good in the holeshot and handling dept with no loss in speed from the original Black Max aluminum. I also moved the engine 1 hole up ( 3/4 in ) on the transom. Blow out is only achieved with full throttle/moderate trim and hard turn, otherwise it performs great. Holeshot is a little slower than with the Spitfire but not much.
Thanks for the info Mark. I just got my 2021 Tracker Classic XL and I haven’t gotten it on the water yet.
We have embedded boulders in my lake and I’ve stayed with the original prob. If I hit one I’d rather the prob crack than my lower unit take the blow
Props are designed for that not to happen. Both stainless and aluminum have a rubber bushing in them that will break away before it will do damage to the engine.
Thanks Mark. Good info
I was thinking about doing the same thing but have to spitfire 4 blade for mine and guess I’ll just keep them... thanks for the info
I’m staying with the factory prop. You can possibly get more performance from a stainless with a different pitch and size but my Classic runs about 37mph with me, my gear and full fuel. I really don’t see any reason to change.
Thanks for the video i just ordered a classic xl
Great information thanks!! I need a spare prop
If you want hole shot and still 30-32 top speed check out a merc spitfire 4blade. I have a Crestliner Vision 1600 with a 60hp. Completely changed the performance of the boat with hole shot speed.
I have the same prop on my 60 & the hoke shot definitely got significantly better but I lost 2-5mph...
I'm thinking of going to a 14 pitch stainless..Stainless doesn't flex,that's why the 4 blade is better on the hole shot..
Great info to know. Thanks Mark
If you ever try another prop pls let us know.
I put the cheapest prop from Amazon on my Mercury 40hp outboard. How did it perform?
th-cam.com/video/3pwwRA6dzlo/w-d-xo.html
Good to know. Thanks
I'm thinking of putting a stainless prop on my 40 Merc ,iv got a Boston Whaler so the boat weights quite a bit,,from what I've heard is you go down a pitch because the prop weighs a little more
Perhaps, I’m a big fan of the whalers
@@MarkBlackstock I work for Boston Whaler...lol..the new 40hpr Mercury's come with stainless 4 blade propellers
@@lesfaust9634 motors dont come with any prop
That's nonsense. If you go from a Black Max to a Vengeance, go up 1" or 2". The thinner blades will be what's important. There's not a significant enough amount of blade flex with alu props on the small engines to account for staying at the same pitch or go down. Rarely is this the case anyway. Find a prop shop that will let you test before you buy.
Stock prop is 10.25x 14p… when upgrading to stainless 3 blade or aluminum 4 blade you need to go up a pitch 10.1x 15p. With 4 blade 15p you maintain stock top speeds and quicker hole shot. With stainless 15p you gain 2-3mph top end but low torque. Top speed with me 10x15p SS was 34mph. Add another person or any weight and it takes forever to plane. Top speed with 4 blade 15p was 29/30mph. Stock was 31/32mph
If you go from a three blade to a four blade, you drop pitch.
Aluminum prop will flex stainless prop not as much. The same pitch in both props will give different performance. If you want the stainless prop to match the aluminum stock prop you’ll need to go up 2 pitch or either down 2 I can’t remember.
You go down 1 for SS, OR YOU GO UP 1 FOR ALUMINUM AS LONG AS YOU STAY WITH A 3 BLADE PROP
@@williamsills5102 Not always, especially with these small engines. Yes with I/O and large outboards there's a lot of blade flex, but not here. The thick alu blades create a ton of drag by comparison. However, looking at that prop used here, it had very little rake, and thus low drag but also creates a fairly high slip, which is also what the numbers show. What he needs to do is to get a prop with the same rake as the black max he took off, and pitch that will account for the thinner blades. When you have situations where you drop pitch, it is usually because you have a lot more prop designs to choose from which is the case with larger engines. There's a lot more in going from a Black Max to a Tempest+ or Mirage than going from a Black Max to a Vengeance for example.
Only one rule applies. TEST IT! Boats like different props, and depending on your setup, what works for one person, might not work at all for the other.
There's a reason why prop testing programs exist.
Good info. Thanks
Mark you need to one check the fuel consumption then check the pitch of the prop, in that I am saying that every boat is different . If you check the mechanics of steel verses aluminum, aluminum will have more flex than steel . I always run a Stainless Steel prop on my boat .Stainless steel pushes more water than aluminum will. Now is it worth the 200+ dollars to go 3 to 5 miles faster?? my 115 came with a stock aluminum prop and a SS 4 blade I only got like 4 miles faster but I saved a lot more in gas. Then if one wants to go faster then one needs to go get them a bigger and faster boat and motor .Just my opinion. (NO BA from PA it doesn't Void any warranties )
I lost mph with the same spec prop as the factory aluminum. I was surprised by that.
@@MarkBlackstock Ill let it rest
I have a Suzuki 30 on order. I bought an aluminum 10 pitch for $65 on Amazon.
Do yourself a favour. Get a good prop. It's what makes the boating experience fun.
I have a 30hp suzuki too. My current prop is a aluminum 12p. I’m considering going down to 10p but stainless steel. I looking to get on plane faster
@@cutmangolf3667 Get a four blade stainless. If you can get a four blade along with the lower pitch, your mid range efficiency will not suffer as much, and the time to plane will be even better than with a 10" three blade.
I waste the $$$ on a stainless prop so y'all don't have to. I do believe it'd get better performance with a 15 or 16 pitch prop to help lower the rpms & possibly gain a little speed. It definitely cuts up small sticks & floating debris without worrying about breaking a prop & in that aspect would be great for flooded waters or heavy vegetation.
Good to know
So changing the prop doesn’t void the warranty on the motor?
Changing anything won't void the warranty unless it causes a failure and the manufacturer can prove the part caused the failure. It's U.S Law.
If you severely under-prop or over-prop it, they will ask you to pound sand, and rightfully so. If you get a good prop there's zero issues.
if you do hit something with ss prop you do more damage to gears and prop shaft
No you don’t. It spins the rubber hub just like aluminum. Stop spreading misinformation, that’s the reason why you think that in the first place. Someone lied to you
How is does this difference in metal get different performance with the exact same size and shape?
Props bend under load there is a difference, not as much on smaller hp.
Have you tried any other pitch yet? I also have a 40hp on a 2012 pro 165 which is pretty close to the same size boat as yours I think. I’d like to get a little more performance out of mine. I can’t trim mine up at all or it starts porpoising.
Nah, the speed for the boat is where it should be imo.
@@MarkBlackstock
Ok. Others have said the same. I did get 30mph with two people so I guess that is fair.
Move some weight from the back of the boat forward
Does your prop move in and out just a little? I just bout a used boat and with the same motor as yours and the original owner said he had never done anything to the prop but it moves forward and back just a little. Lots of people told me this was normal play and some say it’s not.
It is 100% normal about 1/8” to 1/4”
@@MarkBlackstock yeah mine is about 1/4” movement I would say. I’ve been scared to run it but it seems that most everyone says it’s normal. I knew you had experimented with yours and you would probably know. Thanks man. Love you channel by the way.
What do you mean move? Are you talking about the gear mesh that allows you to move the prop from side to side? Or are you actually talking about the prop sliding on the shaft? If it does, that is NOT normal. If you have a removable hub, there might be an issue, or your thrust washer might need replacing or be too thin. Or your prop is not the right fit for the engine. A prop should NOT move on the shaft EVER!
@@AB-80X it slides on the shaft. There’s no wobble or anything but just slides. Is there different thicknesses of thrust washer? I could definitely see where that would take up some slack.
Go up 2” in pitch on the stainless and I bet you’d hit 34-35 mph.
If he's at 31.8 mph at 6200 with a 14 and go up 2", he will either over-prop it or it will be much faster. 2" is a lot in this case.
Can you convert the 40hp 3cyl. To 60hp?
I don’t think so
Sure. By the time you're done, you are into it for more that it would be to sell what you have and buy a 60 hp.
With more pitch say a 13 you wont rev. So high & will increase your speed..
He had a 14 on it...
……if you run stuff over and the prop doesn’t five any……your shaft, seals, and gear box get the brunt of it……..
This is true. This why I don’t recommend stainless on anything below a 75 hp
It’s going to slip on the rubber hub just like aluminum. Why to people think stainless props are solid metal!?!?
Ignorance is bliss.
True