Hi, I have a F115 and interested in the performance gains from fitting a stainless prop and am interested in the black stainless steel on from Yamaha, anylone know much about this, is it worth getting or saving a little more for the shiney one!! Thanks, Andrew
The black stainless props are regular stainless, unpolished, and painted to hide the unpolishedness, if you will. (At least, that's the most prevalent rumor.)
I do not believe they are better or worse than any other stainless prop on the market, but are most likely a tad pricier as they're coming from Yamaha rather than a third-party.
As I am about to take delivery of a new Yammie, I was just reading about these in some of Yamaha's literature. The black props (which is what I have now) are a slightly "lesser" grade of stainless and thus, a little thicker. My assumption is that one might gain .0003 knots by getting the shiny jobby for $500 more...
According to a dealer I spoke with, the black ones have a much lower theft rate!
The difference has nothing to do with wether or not it's black or polished stainless. Blade design, pitch, diameter, cupping or not and many other aspects of a prop plus what you require a prop to do for you plays a major factor. I have the Black 19" pitch prop on my 115 Yamy as well which I use for heavy loads with the family or patrolling the waterways. Another prop I use is a polished stainless cleaver 23" pitch by 13-1/4" dia. which I run with the engine jacked up.
