We have found that composite wheels meet ûor beat the performance levels of aluminum ûand stainless steel props.

When it comes to performance, composite propellers can certainly hold their own when pitted against their stainless-steel and aluminum counterparts—we learned this lesson well in our last propeller comparison (July 2000). For example, the two plastic props tested (a three- and a four-blade from Piranha) actually pushed our 22' Grady-White test boat to a higher cruising speed—and subsequently better mileage—than two of the stainless steel wheels and one of the aluminum props tested.

The performance numbers led us to conclude that the plastic wheels from Piranha could indeed serve the Grady well as a primary propeller—better, perhaps, than metal ones in our shallow, rocky waters: Composites protect the lower unit by…