Prop finish
 

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

Satin is faster.

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.

Satin is Faster:

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...threadid=48726

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...threadid=49214

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...threadid=49210

:cool:

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.

Thank You!!!:D

Matt

They look like you ran aground with a polished prop!!:D :D

I like the polished freshly labbed look.

However...
My prop prefers the "beaten' the $hit out of by the Potomac River look", especially on the first outing right after getting it labbed.

I had 4 props done buy the local Potomac river prop guy and they all sucked. I had to take them back to have him try to fix them witch he said he did, he got two of them back to where they feel like they need to be done and the other two still need to be fixed. He told me that he could not do anymore free work on them after the one time, he still hasn't done the work he was paid to do the first time. I am glad I went with a satin finish to save some money. So if you live near me you might want to pm about who not to take your prop too.

Re: Prop finish
 

I had a metallurgists engineer in the shop the other day and was having a blast or he was ,He came by to have his prop fixed and we started talking,he says the polished finish IS STRONGER.It's more ductile,less likely to break,as you know we did the satin finish vs.polish Baja Daze and Craig223 both did the testing on there boats and reported the satin a tad faster.

I like the polish , it sure looks nicer,but just depends if your boat stays in the water or not.and it sure takes alot more time to polish them as many of you know, and it cost more but I think it's worth it.as the speed difference was very minimal.

Good points Darin. :cool:

I'm glad you brought up the strength implications. Polished is better in this department for two reasons. Number one, the satin finish is basically just a thatchwork of microscratches. These may lead to stress-risers near the root of the blade, which can be exacerbated by thinning the blades during lab finishing. Second, the scratches dramatically increase the chances of corrosion which will further weaken the blade.

All in all, if the 1/2 mph is worth it to you and you don't leave the boat in the water for extended times, satin may be best.

But the appearance of polished is so much better.

:)

LOR,
I know the guy, but have not done business with him. I heard many of the same things, but have no experience. I sent mine to York Propeller to be labbed over the winter. First time in the muck, and dinged it up in Mattawoman.

I hadn't hit a prop for 6 years then hit 3 bravo 1's in a 4 day weekend!!! I geuss bad things do happen in 3's.