BEST PROPELLER FOR YAMAHA 9,9 HP

[alex]

Hello Guys (and Ladies)

hope the new year started OK for all of you. our was great here down in Uruguay.

we are now planning a new cruising season and buying spares for the long journey...

A friend is coming down to Trinidad and will bring the propellers for me..

I have 2 x 9,9 long shaft Yamaha outboards working very well. we cruise year around and the main problem are the plastic and/or aluminum original propellers that we changed many times now, they wear easy and last not as long as expected.

now I am considering to look for stainless steel ones but at same time want to know if anyone here has experience with SS and what would be the best pitch election... so far we are ok with our configuration but want to see if we can gain some gas mileage...

our motor sailing cruising speeds are at 4 to 5,5 knots with 1 motor at 3/4 throttle and average conditions (always when into the wind of course). we burn 0,80 gallons regular gasoline per hour. as many of you know mine is a heavy loaded tiki 38. last time we weight it was 4,5 tonnes.

By "wear" I meant a rapid destruction, cracks , and bends, mainly because the debris that they catch.

We never touched ground with them. in 5000 nm cruising we changed 3 propellers sets by multiple reasons (nets, floating ropes and we almost damaged seriously the boat in a lock when we cached a rope), what I consider too often (maybe the solution to my problem would be to clean our oceans??? ).. so I want to try the SS ones... but they are not made by Yamaha, they are heavier and might destroy the transmission gear as well.

I fear that instead to break the propeller it might destroy something in the gear box... i just want to share what my experience is and see if someone else has a good experience with SS ones.

BTW, the actual propellers are double thrust ones with an unknown pitch (i dont have it here to look at it)

the only yamaha aluminum propeller listed in their part list is the 6G8-45947-00-EL PROPELLER (3X11-3/4"X9-1/4"-R) UR ALUMINUM

there are 3 plastic types:
1. 6G8-45945-00-00 PROPELLER(3X11-3/4"X12-1/4"-R)UR PLASTIC DUAL THRUST
2. 6G8-45941-00-00 PROPELLER (3X11" X 11-3/4"-R)UR PLASTIC DUAL THRUST
3.6G8-45943-00-00 PROPELLER (3X11-3/4"X9-1/4"-R)UR PLASTIC DUAL THRUST

since i am not a tech guy and i need to purchase spare parts (not having the propeller here to see the part number) i would appreciate all the help i can get to buy the new ones... and as I said before, i would like to know whats the experience that other cruisers have with Stainless Steel ones, if any. maybe they are too heavy or too 'solid' and will transmit the shocks to the transmission gear instead to break.

i don't know the real reason why Yamaha has designed the motor with plastic props: to go down with the price (most probable) or to use them as a sacrifice piece when hitting something.

we are looking forward to make a long journey where to South America I don't expect to get many Yamaha parts, so I want to put new propellers and use the actual ones as spares (i have 2 or 3  sets of old propellers on the boat).

thank you

[wakataitea]

don't worry about yamaha parts world wide... you will get them everywhere and the most time cheaper the in the USA or europe..

SS prop on a 9.9 out board???? SS prop are used on high power outboards because they don't bend so fast and keep the performance. no prop is made to be a sacrifice piece. the shear pin or the rubber clutch will do the job...

as fare as i know, yamaha is using white painted alu props. not out of plastic.... my 2 hp yamaha has a alu one and the 8 hp too...

....in 5000 nm cruising we changed 3 propellers sets by multiple reasons (nets, floating ropes and we almost damaged seriously the boat in a lock when we cached a rope), what I consider too often (maybe the solution to my problem would be to clean our oceans??? )..

it is everytime good to have a crew standing on the front of the boat and looking for drifting  stuff in the water. this saves money and trouble... ;)

 good luck

hans

 

[alex]

hello hans

thank you for the advice.. as i said , i had already alu props, and they wear fast too...  of course its all about WHERE you motor... we were motoring all the way from OSWEGO in NY state along the canals and then all the way along the ICW both areas more polluted than open oceans, where you almost never need to motor BTW, unless you do like us, going down the THORNY PATH from Miami to Virgin Gorda (BVI) along the chain of island and to windward almost all the time. I expect to have less hassle from now on...

you made me laugh with your comment to have a 'debris ward" on the bow. I will put an announcement in crewfinder.com to get someone ready to sit at the bow for 5000 NM, all expenses payed by me...since i never could persuade my wife to do it... even though i promised to bring her to shopping malls once we are on land. 

but after i read what I wrote here i think it would be cheaper to get some propeller spare parts, since the 'debris' crew will drink all my (free) beer... and i cannot handle  that in my mind without having nightmares at night, hahaha. 

Yamaha has 3 different pitch options for the propellers....9"1/4 -  11"3/4 and 12"1/4 ....what could be the best one for a 4,5 t displacement and better gas mileage? 

cheers 

[Olivier R.]

N'est ce pas vos cages autour de l'hélice qui pourrait la casser?