Offshoreonly.com - Prop finish

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ok .. how about a consensus.. whats the best finish for a prop... polished or satin??? inquiring minds need to know!!!! thanks... DAVE

does satin finish reduce "slip???????

I recently had my labbed 28's tuned up and they came back with a highly polished finish. The boat runs just as fast as before when they were satin finished.

What does satin finish look like? Can someone post a pic?

Quote:

Originally posted by Pointerman
What does satin finish look like? Can someone post a pic?

See my above posts.

Scarab3DMC,

You just had to bring this topic up.

In theory a satin finish should be faster. But, the increase in speed is so slight you won't see any difference between a satin finish and a polish finish with two identical props.

A satin finish should be faster because the "scratches" in the prop which create the satin finish hold water. Therefore you end up with water on water instead of a polish prop which is smoother where you would have water on metal. In reality the surface area of the prop is small enough that any speed increase would hardly be noticeable due to the finish of the prop. A few degree temperature change would cause more of a speed gain or loss than the finish on the prop.

When you look at some of the fastest props on the market they are polished. I don't think it has to do with the finish but the design and quality of work that went into working the prop.

Most people think the polished prop looks better than a stain finished prop. The polished prop does not tend to rust as quickly as a satin finished prop. When working a prop it takes a lot more skill and time to make a high performance prop polished than it does satin.

It comes down to personal preference more than it does, with speed.

Matt

I have heard satin is faster, and the lower on my cat had a satin finish for the same reason.

My experience with my props was that there was not enough difference to tell. I did not do a controlled test, but the boat ran 81.3 before, and 81 after. Different days, Different temps, Different conditions, Different weights ect...but not much difference in speed.

:confused:

I've tried it both ways and saw no difference.

Lots of guys who lab props will tell you satin is faster. Sure - it's faster for them because they don't have to spend an extra hour polishing it.