I have been using these props for about a year now and they have been working fine. I used to have a Yamaha 2hp so I had a couple of them already to try. My theory is that Honda under-propped this outboard (less prop pitch) for two reasons: 4-strokes don't have the same powerband as 2-strokes and larger boats using this engine might have problems getting up to the proper operating RPMs with this steeper prop and lug a little which could burn valves and cause reduced lifespan. Also, the fuel efficiency has gone down slightly using this prop which makes sense because the engine is working harder and producing more thrust once it gets up to its power band. Honda probably needed to reach some standard of fuel efficiency to earn those EPA stars on the back of the cowl. I think on a rigid hull boat such as yours that has low drag through the water this prop is just fine but an inflatable boat with a soft bottom might be too much for this 2.3hp 4-stroke with this replacement prop with more pitch. One drawback is that if you touch the bottom or even hit some weeds the painted coating over the aluminum will get chipped and once the water touches the aluminum it will begin to corrode and the paint will bubble and peel as the corrosion creeps under the paint. I tried repainting using proper zinc aluminum primer and it just failed again. These props are super cheap so no big deal. I did try removimf all the paint as an experiment and sanded the aluminum smooth before applying "Aluminum black" coating. It seems to be working Okay so far after a couple of months but the prop isn't super smooth and is slowly pitting in salt water. The engine zinc seems to be dissolving at a faster rate than before as well but those are not very expensive. This is on saltwater and the outboard lives on the water nearly 24/7 and spends a couple of hours each day with the prop down in the water, and when it is tipped up is only a foot or so over the water resulting in it getting splashed a bit by salt spray when it is windy & wavy.
Jerry I just put one of the props on my NEW motor, I had difficulty getting the shear pin to fit into the replacement prop, had to file it some, then when I put the prop on and inserted the cotter pin I could rather easily pull the prop off the motor. I experimented using drill bits and found that if the cotter pin was 1/8" it may hold the prop on better so I plan to see if I can obtain a new cotter pin in SS and will report back what I find!
Rally, I first wunder where you got your propeller. The propeller I used went on without an issue and works well. If you got it form the same source I did I have nothing to say other than what I said in the video and here, mine works great. Since I made this video my prop has not been off the motor. Sorry to hear you are having problems. Don't forget you have an extra factory cotter pin mounted under the face of the motor you can try to use also. Gerry
@@LunkerFishing Hey Jerry thanks for the quick reply, I got mine from your sourse actually ordered 1 and after receiving it was so impressed by the quality of the prop I ordered 2 more just to have on hand. When I tried to install one today I noticed that the hole that the cotter pin goes through was much larger than the original cotter pin, I opened another box and the hole was the same size. The cotter pin that I removed from the original prop is very sloppy in the hole of the replacement prop but pretty tight in the original plastic one. Since all that appears to hold the prop on is the grove in the shaft of the motor and the fact that the replacement prop hole is slightly farther out than the original my thought is a larger diameter pin will help, did not have chance to get to store today but will try tomorrow. Perhaps my Honda being brand new has a slightly different pin? Bob
@@LunkerFishing Touching base one last time on this, I used the 1/8" x 1.5" and the prop does feel more secure on the shaft. I know that you pull your prop during maintenance and put it back on I don't suppose you replace the Cotter Key unless you feel it necessary so maybe your key had a little bend in it or something else that made it fit better in the slot on the shaft but my motor has probably less than 10 hours and first time I pulled the prop. Honestly when I put the new one on, put in the cotter pin and bent back the ends I could rather easily pull the prop off the shaft. I don't have calipers so I can't say how much bigger the 1/8" is but not much tried a 5/32" and that would not fit the hole in the replacement prop. I am a strong follower of your video and I just wanted your viewers to make sure that they check by pulling hard on the prop after installing to make sure it will not fall off when they start the motor. Thanks For All you do to help us improve our TT's. Lakeland Bob
These props are rather cheap ($20 on Amazon) so I bet there can be a little variation between how the cotter pin holes were drilled through them. I had no trouble with mine using the supplied cotter pin and even tried fitting the spare cotter pin that came with the engine that was unused and it held fast as well.
Also the "sheer" pins that Honda uses are not very sheer. I have hit things hard enough to kill the engine and the pin has never sheered. However the last time I pulled the prop I noticed that the sheer pin was very bent on both sides so much that I had a great amount of difficulty getting it out again. Even after straightening it the pin did not want to slide out. Repeatedly bending the pin would not cause it to break. FAIL I make my own sheer pins out of bronze welding/brazing rod which is the exact same diameter as these Honda pins and only cost pennies per pin. A 3-foot rod is a couple of dollars from a welding shop and will make about 30 sheer pins. I've yet to have one sheer in this Honda but I am certain they will break well before the Honda ones do and actually protect the prop. You can test the pin length in this new prop and make it exactly as long as needed to custom fit and not have any slop. I just thought of something. I should test the stock cotter pin on the prop WITHOUT a sheer pin installed and see if the stock pin still holds after a pin sheers. It wouldn't do to lose the prop anyhow after the pin sheered. Next time I service the motor I'll check this.
Update: found a B100 10 hp. 4-stroke and getting rid of my 2.3. it was a great motor and runs great, but I would just love to get to my fishing spots faster.. I may do my own set if vids on all the maintenance and repair work I do to get it running. Thanks for your video series.
So I watched your attempt to get some more gas into the carb and the problem that stopped you. I tried a solution that seems to work. It definitely revs higher. I took a small round file and took out about an 1/8 inch on the stop on the carb giving the arm for the cable more travel. Have had the same aluminum prop on since last season and noticed a 2mph difference just from that. Now with the carburetor modification, hoping to reach 15mph. Doing 12 - 13 now.
Update: had favorable weather last Thursday and took my 2.3 out after removing about 1/8 inch of the throttle stop with a round file. Was getting 12 - 13 mph out of the 2.3 with just the aftermarket prop. The carb modification added another 1.5 mph. Not fantastic but with a 2.3, any additional speed is a good thing. Found a 1997 9.9hp mercury 2-stroke last week also. Working on that to make my 1971 Grumman 12 foot V bow fly!
Dan, In the summer is blistering hot here and too hot to be out in the boat. This time of the year it is so cold the water temperature is such that the fish do not want to bite and it is too windy to fish in the TT most of the time. When I can I get out and fish. You have no idea how much work it is to do these videos and edit them and frankly I am getting tired of doing them. People just watch them and ask for more but they rarely give the thumbs up or post comments, or subscribe that are needed to keep the channel going. Gerry
Jerry I ordered the prop. This may seem like a stupid question but after I pulled the cotter pin I couldn’t get the prop off. I’m changed props on other motors many times and after you pull the cotter pin all you need to do is remove the shaft nut. This one doesn’t have that of course. Do what do you fo after you’ve removed the pin? Thanks in advance fir any help.
Pull! I never heard of that problem. There is nothing holding the prop to the motor other than the cotter pin. You may have some fishing line stuck under the prop wedging against the shaft. You can lightly pry the prop off with a screwdriver between the prop and the motor or try lightly tapping on the shaft with a hammer while wedging a screwdriver behind the prop. Gerry
@@LunkerFishing That’s what I was planning next but I wanted to make sure there wasn’t something else holding it on. I even looked in the owners manual and it’s exactly what you said. Thanks again. Rubber mallet and screwdriver time. Likes your video too!
@@LunkerFishing I finally got it off and the new one put back. The issue was that the shear pin was actually bent which made it hard to remove. Thanks for the advice and quick response.
Thanks for this video I just picked up a used Honda and am having difficulty removing the prop after the cotter pin has been removed...Any idea as to why the difficulty is there a certain way the prop has to se to remove it? Please Advise. Thanks
Dean, There are two things that come to mind. The shear pin is broken or bent and binding on the prop causing it to be difficult to remove. Or, there is a wad of fishing line under the shaft of the prop binding the prop. Either way, the prop comes straight off with no twisting or unscrewing. You can take a rubber hammer or use block of wood with a hammer to tap against the back of the prop as close to the shaft as you can to get the prop to pop off. Gerry
Thanks Gerry, this is exactly what the issue was. So, I soaked the prop (in the correct position) over night then taped the prop of the metal splined housing(yes the metal and plastic are just snuggly fitted on. I used the insulated handle of a set of needle nosed plyers to tap it off , once that came off I could man handle the metal housing off exposing the shear pin that was in the shape of a Z which obviously is not right. Then cut the pin off and reassembled the prop and meatal housing and reinstalled. Apparently to me the previous owner got stuck on an oyster bar as evidenced by a chewed up prop and did the damage. thankfully the shear pin took the beating. Thanks again Dean@@LunkerFishing
Good info Gerry but would really like to inquire about the oil slick behind the motor each time you stopped the motor. Do all outboards leak like that or was it something other than oil.
Steve, that is my fault. I added oil to the crankcase and spilled some into the engine casing. I saw that too and did a good job cleaning the motor and casing when I got home. Gerry
@@LunkerFishing I thought it was something else but couldn't put my finger on it. I don't believe that you would cause any pollution intentionally .because to love the water to much.
Just one drop of oil will make a huge rainbow slick on the water that lasts for a few minutes. Washing everything with Blue Dawn dish detergent gets all the oil off.
Directly under the video is says SHOW MORE. Click on that and it will expand to links for most of the items I use in my videos. The fourth item down says PROPELLER and there is a link to the item so you can buy one if you want to. Gerry
I've been searching for an aluminum prop for my Honda. Thanks for doing the testing for me. There are three props listed in your description. Which one did you try?
Garth, as far as I can tell all three are the same prop sold by different suppliers at different prices. I listed all three so a buyer could select the supplier the are the most comfortable with. All things being equal price may make your decision for you. Gerry
I am happy with mine. It starts and runs well, easy to maintain, only weighs 30 lbs when empty, and has held up well for six years with easy maintenance. You cannot water ski behind it. It is slightly noisier than a water cooled motor, but those have their own issues of maintenance and breakdowns and more weight. I am sure you can find others with different opinions but I have owned and commercially operated many outboards in my life and this one gets the job done. Gerry
I don't understand why you only are getting 4.5 mph with that motor, I have the 2003 2hp Honda motor on a 17' Alumicraft square back canoe with an outrigger and get 7.4 mph at full throttle. At the lowest idle (I have direct drive, no clutch) it runs about 2.2 mph which is a good trolling speed for me and the speed I use 90% of the time.
Sam, there are trade offs to different hull configurations. Your canoe is a pointy nosed V hull that more easily cuts through the water but much less stable than the TT. The TT has more of a catamaran style hull and a more blunt shaped nose area. I prefer the benefits of the TT hull and can live with the speed I get. If I wanted to do 70 MPH I would have kept my full sized Ranger bass boat. Gerry
@@savagemyth I rarely go full speed, 90% of the time I am idling at the lowest speed, but I can understand your speeds as mostly I am alone in the canoe and need to put a 5 gallon bucket of water in the bow to try to keep it down and be able to steer. I could see good timing would increase the speed. Also, the angle of the motor adjustment to the level of the hull can be a big factor.
You are very brave doing that in the water
Ha Ha Patty, brave is not accurate! 😄 Gerry
I have been using these props for about a year now and they have been working fine. I used to have a Yamaha 2hp so I had a couple of them already to try. My theory is that Honda under-propped this outboard (less prop pitch) for two reasons: 4-strokes don't have the same powerband as 2-strokes and larger boats using this engine might have problems getting up to the proper operating RPMs with this steeper prop and lug a little which could burn valves and cause reduced lifespan. Also, the fuel efficiency has gone down slightly using this prop which makes sense because the engine is working harder and producing more thrust once it gets up to its power band. Honda probably needed to reach some standard of fuel efficiency to earn those EPA stars on the back of the cowl.
I think on a rigid hull boat such as yours that has low drag through the water this prop is just fine but an inflatable boat with a soft bottom might be too much for this 2.3hp 4-stroke with this replacement prop with more pitch.
One drawback is that if you touch the bottom or even hit some weeds the painted coating over the aluminum will get chipped and once the water touches the aluminum it will begin to corrode and the paint will bubble and peel as the corrosion creeps under the paint. I tried repainting using proper zinc aluminum primer and it just failed again. These props are super cheap so no big deal.
I did try removimf all the paint as an experiment and sanded the aluminum smooth before applying "Aluminum black" coating. It seems to be working Okay so far after a couple of months but the prop isn't super smooth and is slowly pitting in salt water. The engine zinc seems to be dissolving at a faster rate than before as well but those are not very expensive. This is on saltwater and the outboard lives on the water nearly 24/7 and spends a couple of hours each day with the prop down in the water, and when it is tipped up is only a foot or so over the water resulting in it getting splashed a bit by salt spray when it is windy & wavy.
I guess I am lucky because my motor has never been used in salt water thus all the paint on the prop is still there.
Thanks, Gerry! Always good and helpful information. I appreciate your videos.
Larry, I am glad I could help! Gerry
Thanks for the tip, just put it on. Used same size cotter pin as the plastic with no issues.
👍🏻
Jerry I just put one of the props on my NEW motor, I had difficulty getting the shear pin to fit into the replacement prop, had to file it some, then when I put the prop on and inserted the cotter pin I could rather easily pull the prop off the motor. I experimented using drill bits and found that if the cotter pin was 1/8" it may hold the prop on better so I plan to see if I can obtain a new cotter pin in SS and will report back what I find!
Rally, I first wunder where you got your propeller. The propeller I used went on without an issue and works well. If you got it form the same source I did I have nothing to say other than what I said in the video and here, mine works great. Since I made this video my prop has not been off the motor. Sorry to hear you are having problems. Don't forget you have an extra factory cotter pin mounted under the face of the motor you can try to use also. Gerry
@@LunkerFishing Hey Jerry thanks for the quick reply, I got mine from your sourse actually ordered 1 and after receiving it was so impressed by the quality of the prop I ordered 2 more just to have on hand. When I tried to install one today I noticed that the hole that the cotter pin goes through was much larger than the original cotter pin, I opened another box and the hole was the same size. The cotter pin that I removed from the original prop is very sloppy in the hole of the replacement prop but pretty tight in the original plastic one. Since all that appears to hold the prop on is the grove in the shaft of the motor and the fact that the replacement prop hole is slightly farther out than the original my thought is a larger diameter pin will help, did not have chance to get to store today but will try tomorrow. Perhaps my Honda being brand new has a slightly different pin?
Bob
@@LunkerFishing Touching base one last time on this, I used the 1/8" x 1.5" and the prop does feel more secure on the shaft. I know that you pull your prop during maintenance and put it back on I don't suppose you replace the Cotter Key unless you feel it necessary so maybe your key had a little bend in it or something else that made it fit better in the slot on the shaft but my motor has probably less than 10 hours and first time I pulled the prop. Honestly when I put the new one on, put in the cotter pin and bent back the ends I could rather easily pull the prop off the shaft. I don't have calipers so I can't say how much bigger the 1/8" is but not much tried a 5/32" and that would not fit the hole in the replacement prop. I am a strong follower of your video and I just wanted your viewers to make sure that they check by pulling hard on the prop after installing to make sure it will not fall off when they start the motor. Thanks For All you do to help us improve our TT's. Lakeland Bob
These props are rather cheap ($20 on Amazon) so I bet there can be a little variation between how the cotter pin holes were drilled through them. I had no trouble with mine using the supplied cotter pin and even tried fitting the spare cotter pin that came with the engine that was unused and it held fast as well.
Also the "sheer" pins that Honda uses are not very sheer. I have hit things hard enough to kill the engine and the pin has never sheered. However the last time I pulled the prop I noticed that the sheer pin was very bent on both sides so much that I had a great amount of difficulty getting it out again. Even after straightening it the pin did not want to slide out. Repeatedly bending the pin would not cause it to break. FAIL
I make my own sheer pins out of bronze welding/brazing rod which is the exact same diameter as these Honda pins and only cost pennies per pin. A 3-foot rod is a couple of dollars from a welding shop and will make about 30 sheer pins. I've yet to have one sheer in this Honda but I am certain they will break well before the Honda ones do and actually protect the prop.
You can test the pin length in this new prop and make it exactly as long as needed to custom fit and not have any slop.
I just thought of something. I should test the stock cotter pin on the prop WITHOUT a sheer pin installed and see if the stock pin still holds after a pin sheers. It wouldn't do to lose the prop anyhow after the pin sheered. Next time I service the motor I'll check this.
Update: found a B100 10 hp. 4-stroke and getting rid of my 2.3. it was a great motor and runs great, but I would just love to get to my fishing spots faster.. I may do my own set if vids on all the maintenance and repair work I do to get it running. Thanks for your video series.
Donald, I sure do hope you do not intend to put that on a Twin Troller X10. It cannot handle a motor that size. Gerry
So I watched your attempt to get some more gas into the carb and the problem that stopped you. I tried a solution that seems to work. It definitely revs higher. I took a small round file and took out about an 1/8 inch on the stop on the carb giving the arm for the cable more travel. Have had the same aluminum prop on since last season and noticed a 2mph difference just from that. Now with the carburetor modification, hoping to reach 15mph. Doing 12 - 13 now.
Let us know how the carb modification goes for you. Gerry
Update: had favorable weather last Thursday and took my 2.3 out after removing about 1/8 inch of the throttle stop with a round file. Was getting 12 - 13 mph out of the 2.3 with just the aftermarket prop. The carb modification added another 1.5 mph. Not fantastic but with a 2.3, any additional speed is a good thing. Found a 1997 9.9hp mercury 2-stroke last week also. Working on that to make my 1971 Grumman 12 foot V bow fly!
you will only open the butterfly valve over the opening point = it will go over and start closing again.
As usual, perfect ... but like below, I KNOW I'd drop something in the lake. Oh, I bought the floating net from your other video. Thanks, K
K, I am glad I did not drop anything into the lake. Not everything floats like that landing net! Gerry
Nice videos!!! Do more fishing!!!
Dan, In the summer is blistering hot here and too hot to be out in the boat. This time of the year it is so cold the water temperature is such that the fish do not want to bite and it is too windy to fish in the TT most of the time. When I can I get out and fish. You have no idea how much work it is to do these videos and edit them and frankly I am getting tired of doing them. People just watch them and ask for more but they rarely give the thumbs up or post comments, or subscribe that are needed to keep the channel going. Gerry
Jerry I ordered the prop. This may seem like a stupid question but after I pulled the cotter pin I couldn’t get the prop off. I’m changed props on other motors many times and after you pull the cotter pin all you need to do is remove the shaft nut. This one doesn’t have that of course. Do what do you fo after you’ve removed the pin? Thanks in advance fir any help.
Pull! I never heard of that problem. There is nothing holding the prop to the motor other than the cotter pin. You may have some fishing line stuck under the prop wedging against the shaft. You can lightly pry the prop off with a screwdriver between the prop and the motor or try lightly tapping on the shaft with a hammer while wedging a screwdriver behind the prop. Gerry
@@LunkerFishing That’s what I was planning next but I wanted to make sure there wasn’t something else holding it on. I even looked in the owners manual and it’s exactly what you said. Thanks again. Rubber mallet and screwdriver time. Likes your video too!
@@LunkerFishing I finally got it off and the new one put back. The issue was that the shear pin was actually bent which made it hard to remove. Thanks for the advice and quick response.
Jacques, I just noticed your reply. That is great you got the prop off. A bent shear pin makes sense. Gerry
Thanks for this video I just picked up a used Honda and am having difficulty removing the prop after the cotter pin has been removed...Any idea as to why the difficulty is there a certain way the prop has to se to remove it? Please Advise. Thanks
Dean, There are two things that come to mind. The shear pin is broken or bent and binding on the prop causing it to be difficult to remove. Or, there is a wad of fishing line under the shaft of the prop binding the prop. Either way, the prop comes straight off with no twisting or unscrewing. You can take a rubber hammer or use block of wood with a hammer to tap against the back of the prop as close to the shaft as you can to get the prop to pop off. Gerry
Thanks Gerry, this is exactly what the issue was. So, I soaked the prop (in the correct position) over night then taped the prop of the metal splined housing(yes the metal and plastic are just snuggly fitted on. I used the insulated handle of a set of needle nosed plyers to tap it off , once that came off I could man handle the metal housing off exposing the shear pin that was in the shape of a Z which obviously is not right. Then cut the pin off and reassembled the prop and meatal housing and reinstalled. Apparently to me the previous owner got stuck on an oyster bar as evidenced by a chewed up prop and did the damage. thankfully the shear pin took the beating. Thanks again Dean@@LunkerFishing
Wow Dean, I am glad I could help! Gerry
Good info Gerry but would really like to inquire about the oil slick behind the motor each time you stopped the motor. Do all outboards leak like that or was it something other than oil.
Steve, that is my fault. I added oil to the crankcase and spilled some into the engine casing. I saw that too and did a good job cleaning the motor and casing when I got home. Gerry
@@LunkerFishing I thought it was something else but couldn't put my finger on it. I don't believe that you would cause any pollution intentionally .because to love the water to much.
Steve, not on purpose anyway. Gerry
Just one drop of oil will make a huge rainbow slick on the water that lasts for a few minutes. Washing everything with Blue Dawn dish detergent gets all the oil off.
Can you tell me the part number and where you bought it.
Directly under the video is says SHOW MORE. Click on that and it will expand to links for most of the items I use in my videos.
The fourth item down says PROPELLER and there is a link to the item so you can buy one if you want to. Gerry
What did we learn? The prop change seems to have done - nothing?
We learned there is a metal prop that performs as the original that does not break when striking items like a plastic prop does.
I've been searching for an aluminum prop for my Honda. Thanks for doing the testing for me. There are three props listed in your description. Which one did you try?
Garth, as far as I can tell all three are the same prop sold by different suppliers at different prices. I listed all three so a buyer could select the supplier the are the most comfortable with. All things being equal price may make your decision for you.
Gerry
@@LunkerFishingThanks, Gerry. When the waters warm up in the Great White North, I'll give one a try.
does the Honda have good build quality? Or cheap feel to it?
I am happy with mine. It starts and runs well, easy to maintain, only weighs 30 lbs when empty, and has held up well for six years with easy maintenance.
You cannot water ski behind it. It is slightly noisier than a water cooled motor, but those have their own issues of maintenance and breakdowns and more weight.
I am sure you can find others with different opinions but I have owned and commercially operated many outboards in my life and this one gets the job done. Gerry
@@LunkerFishing thank you for your reply!
👍🏻
I don't understand why you only are getting 4.5 mph with that motor, I have the 2003 2hp Honda motor on a 17' Alumicraft square back canoe with an outrigger and get 7.4 mph at full throttle. At the lowest idle (I have direct drive, no clutch) it runs about 2.2 mph which is a good trolling speed for me and the speed I use 90% of the time.
Sam, there are trade offs to different hull configurations. Your canoe is a pointy nosed V hull that more easily cuts through the water but much less stable than the TT. The TT has more of a catamaran style hull and a more blunt shaped nose area.
I prefer the benefits of the TT hull and can live with the speed I get.
If I wanted to do 70 MPH I would have kept my full sized Ranger bass boat. Gerry
I've got a 1965 Grumman 17s. I average 8mph with the 2hp Honda and stock prop. I've gotten it up to 11 mph if it's trimmed well!
@@savagemyth I rarely go full speed, 90% of the time I am idling at the lowest speed, but I can understand your speeds as mostly I am alone in the canoe and need to put a 5 gallon bucket of water in the bow to try to keep it down and be able to steer. I could see good timing would increase the speed. Also, the angle of the motor adjustment to the level of the hull can be a big factor.
I use the 2hp on a 3000 pound sailboat and get 7mph… something seems weird…
@@dumbremindr The thrust of the motor remains the same, the added weight just takes more time to get there.