bronze prop

[edwardo]

does anyone know why there is a bronze prop on these boats why not a stainless

[RTS]

Your prop is likely Nibral (a composite of Nickel, Bronze and Aluminum). It is stronger than pure bronze, but not as strong as stainless steel.

The theory behind the Nibral props on an inboard boat is that in the event you strike something with the prop, the prop will give, lessening the damage up the drivetrain. A stainless prop would transfer more of the energy of a strike up the drivetrain, damaging parts (transmission, etc) that are far more expensive than a new prop.

If you notice on an outboard or an I/O, the prop has a rubber bushing that absorbs energy of an impact, whereas our props do not have this, so you'll see more stainless props on those setups than on ours.

Edited August 16, 2008 by rts

[MalibuNation]

Your prop is likely Nibral (a composite of Nickel, Bronze and Aluminum). It is stronger than pure bronze, but not as strong as stainless steel.

The theory behind the Nibral props on an inboard boat is that in the event you strike something with the prop, the prop will give, lessening the damage up the drivetrain. A stainless prop would transfer more of the energy of a strike up the drivetrain, damaging parts (transmission, etc) that are far more expensive than a new prop.

If you notice on an outboard or an I/O, the prop has a rubber bushing that absorbs energy of an impact, whereas our props do not have this, so it's better to sacrifice the prop than the other components.

Couldn't have said it better!

[stonelx]

Is it possible too, that the bronzy prop can affect the wake. Perhaps make it softer, or shaped different?

Or does it not matter at all?

[Lakenut]

Is it possible too, that the bronzy prop can affect the wake. Perhaps make it softer, or shaped different?

Or does it not matter at all?

The fact that most nibral props are CNC machined makes them much more uniform in shape and balance. Does this effect the wake? Should. When I went from a SS to an OJ XMP my slalom wake got A LOT better. However, I think blade shape and size had more to do with that than the material the prop was made out of.