Impeller Recommendations / Solas Custom Pitch Warranty Voided

[chesbay007]

I am looking for recommendations to replace the stock impellers. The edges are worn on the impellers from the housing that was swollen and since replaced. I called Impros and they want $100 per impeller to fix and looking at a 3 week turn around time. I was looking at the SOLAS CONCORD IMPELLER YF-CD-12/18 http://www.impellers.com/yamaha-boat-impeller.html for $176 each. I was told that I would need to have these impellers custom pitched because the OEM impellers have different pitches. Do they both have to be repitched or just one? Was also told that the Solas warranty would be voided if the impellers were altered.

Looking for an all around impeller. Top speed is nice, but I pull the kids on the tube and most cruising around 7-8,500k rpm.

2005 AR230 (non-ho) MR-1

Steven
Annapolis, MD

 

[Marvin willis]

I've heard that solas impellers will cause cavitation issues. My impellers don't look the best on my 05 but it performs like new so I'm happy. My new jet pump comes in today(suppose to anyway)

 

[Chillypilot]

I just installed Solas Dynaflys on my SX230. They work as great. I replaced my originals because one was pretty banged up. I have great hole shot and top out at 49mph. There is nothing wrong with stock Yamaha impellers either.

 

[chesbay007]

I just installed Solas Dynaflys on my SX230. They work as great. I replaced my originals because one was pretty banged up. I have great hole shot and top out at 49mph. There is nothing wrong with stock Yamaha impellers either.

Chillypilot- Did you have them custom pitched or use them straight out of the box? Any lose of RPM's on either engine? Cavitation on new impellers? Thanks!

 

[Chillypilot]

@chesbay007 They are custom pitched. (Impros) No loss of rpm, and no cavitation. RPM's are synched through the full range of throttle. If you speak with David a Impros and tell him what your after, top speed or hole shot he can help you out.

 

[swatski]

@chesbay007 They are custom pitched. (Impros) No loss of rpm, and no cavitation. RPM's are synched through the full range of throttle. If you speak with David a Impros and tell him what your after, top speed or hole shot he can help you out.

@swatski Interesting thing on the clearance, my starboard solace impeller has a significant amount of clearance. More than Yamaha states. I called David at Impros to make sure it was right and he said that was normal because of the the amount of re-pitch. The more you bend it the smaller it gets. Makes sense I guess. He said the performance gains with this impeller will far outweigh the loss caused by the increase clearance.

[/QUOTE]

@Chillypilot didn't they leave you with out of spec OD? I used to have high opinion of Impros, but my own recent experience and your report makes me concerned. That is just not right.




I find changing banged up impellers is much like changing a flat tire. It feels good. No matter what brand.


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[Chillypilot]

@swatski the starboard impeller is a little small thus gap between the impeller and the wear ring is out of spec. I spoke with David at Impros and this was his reply.

Hi Peter,
Yes anytime you repitch impellers, it affect the diameter- either makes them larger in areas, or smaller. When it grows, we machine the O/D so that it fits into the pump, and when they get a little smaller, we can't do anything about it, however the benefits to the repitched impeller far outweigh the loss of clearance at parts of the blade.

Thank you

David
Impros

When I made that comment I had not yet tested my new impellers. I have now had the boat out a few times and I'm happy with the new impellers. There is no cavitation and I would say my hole shot is a little better. Then it was with the stock impellers, not night and day difference but better.

 

[swatski]

@swatski the starboard impeller is a little small thus gap between the impeller and the wear ring is out of spec. I spoke with David at Impros and this was his reply.

Hi Peter,
Yes anytime you repitch impellers, it affect the diameter- either makes them larger in areas, or smaller. When it grows, we machine the O/D so that it fits into the pump, and when they get a little smaller, we can't do anything about it, however the benefits to the repitched impeller far outweigh the loss of clearance at parts of the blade.

Thank you

David
Impros

When I made that comment I had not yet tested my new impellers. I have now had the boat out a few times and I'm happy with the new impellers. There is no cavitation and I would say my hole shot is a little better. Then it was with the stock impellers, not night and day difference but better.

@Chillypilot Thank you, again, for sharing!
His explanation is plain BS, which is too bad. When they get a little smaller, you weld, then file. He OBVIOUSLY knows. They may be a victim of their own success, I guess.
At this point I would go with Skat for any serious repair. They charge a bit more, but Glen there I doubt would send anything out out of specs.

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[Zonie]

I just replaced mine with SBT impellers. One was a straight exchange, the other was a core-first exchange meaning they didn't have one in stock and had to refurbish mine. Turn-around time was excellent and a lot less than the $100 Solas is asking for. Also, their communication was fantastic throughout the entire process. They look and work like new!

 

[Olin]

@Chillypilot Thank you, again, for sharing!
His explanation is plain BS, which is too bad. When they get a little smaller, you weld, then file. He OBVIOUSLY knows. They may be a victim of their own success, I guess.
At this point I would go with Skat for any serious repair. They charge a bit more, but Glen there I doubt would send anything out out of specs.

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Wonder what changes other than pitch they are making? Rake, cup? If so you could lose some diameter, measured in micro thousandths not macro thousandths, and still have good performance.

 

[swatski]

Wonder what changes other than pitch they are making? Rake, cup? If so you could lose some diameter, measured in micro thousandths not macro thousandths, and still have good performance.

It is just pitch with impellers, but it is progressive -- different leading and trailing angles of the two ends of the blades. A good shop will re-pitch both leading and trailing edges, each at different angle.

 

[Olin]

Well, I've been around props professionally since I was 17 and I'm 58 now and I can tell you this, you won't find much in the aftermarket that'll improve hull performance over an oem prop or impeller. Especially if the oem uses a stainless steel prop or impeller. Which seems to be standard with these pumps. You can always get an improvement over aluminum or plastic but swapping out a sst for another sst is usually fruitless. If you're looking for real speed you have to improve your existing hull(blue printing, decreasing drag,decrease weight, etc), change to another hull design, change to a propulsion system designed for high speeds, improve engine output quite a bit, or some combination of the previous. And in the end you'd be better off spending those dollars on fuel and oil etc. and doing more boating with the family and friends unless, you really are one of those special breed of people with the need for speed and money to burn. And when the word "warranty" is used then you're probably not that crazed and should concentrate on dependability. Stick with stock. Performance costs and there are no guarantees.

 

[Orang Ezazi]

Hi
one of my impellers start making more noise than the other one .. when I desalt the engine back at home.. was told need to change it...
using this opportunity to change themboth
as anyone have any idea on what pitch to use.. as I see a lot of different pitch in market that all claim the same
Solas YG-DF-14/20 or 14/20R or the new 14/21 ???
I have no idea what the first (14) might be... or what the 2nd number (20.. 20R or the new 21) might be..
all tell me top speed improve by +2 MPH, good for skiers, out of plane faster... but not sure what really should consider?? benefits pro/con of each ...
I know a lot a bout regular outboard props.. but when it comes to impellers I am totally rookie
Please advise so I can make smart decision on what to buy...
thanks

 

[Ronnie]

From one layman to the next. These impellers are progressive pitch so the pitch of the blades(looking from the side of the impeller) varies from the top of the impeller to bottom, that is why you see two numbers they are the extremes of the pitch range for that impeller. I can’t remember now but one of the impellers is either half or one degree different than the other, the difference is in the shop manual but not the pitch range of the stock Impellers. For this either learn how to measure the pitch or take it to a shop.

The theory I follow as to why an impeller is pitched differently than the other is that Yamaha varied the pitch so that at cruising / wot the boat would track straight. If the impellers have the same pitch and spin in the same direction the torque they produce is the same, they don’t counter each other. Moreover as the hull is V’d so are the intakes and one side of the hull is more efficient at taking in-water than the other. Varying the pitch between impellers is a way to counter theses forces so that at diffferemt points In the throttles’ throw the engine rpms will be the same and the pumps will be pushing the same number of gallons per minute thereby making the boat track more efficiently. The newer Yamaha jet Boats with keels track better than previous models without keels so they come with impellers that having matching pitches (at least that is what I’ve read).

When I got my impellers from impros it looked like only one had tooling on it so I think they only repitched one. I boat at sea level mostly and told I,pros that as well as I was after acceleration off the line. Now my boat does not cavitate at all when I go from idle to wot quickly and tops out at 52 mph so I think acceleration improved but not top speed. The general rule is if you are improving top speed it will cost you in acceleration and vise versa. It was worth it too me but if you want to go the less expensive route just have impros refurbish and possibly repitch your stock impellers. I have heard the sbt (small block tech) has a core trade in offer where you send in your old Impeller with a small fee and and they send you a refurbished stock Impellers. Impros would not tell me what they repitched my Solas to but it is how they make their money so I understand why they may treat such information as a trade secret.

 

[Jgorm]

Well, I've been around props professionally since I was 17 and I'm 58 now and I can tell you this, you won't find much in the aftermarket that'll improve hull performance over an oem prop or impeller. Especially if the oem uses a stainless steel prop or impeller. Which seems to be standard with these pumps. You can always get an improvement over aluminum or plastic but swapping out a sst for another sst is usually fruitless. If you're looking for real speed you have to improve your existing hull(blue printing, decreasing drag,decrease weight, etc), change to another hull design, change to a propulsion system designed for high speeds, improve engine output quite a bit, or some combination of the previous. And in the end you'd be better off spending those dollars on fuel and oil etc. and doing more boating with the family and friends unless, you really are one of those special breed of people with the need for speed and money to burn. And when the word "warranty" is used then you're probably not that crazed and should concentrate on dependability. Stick with stock. Performance costs and there are no guarantees.

I mostly agree with this. Once we tried a 4 blade race prop (with the flat edges on the back of each blade). It had better hole shot And gained 4mph. We just borrowed it and they were stupid expensive. But yeah, you will not usually improve over stock. You either loose hole shot or top end.

 

[Orang Ezazi]

Gents, thanks for the info... which made me more confuse now...
should I go after 13/23 or 15/23 ??
also any clue on the up front Alpha letters? YF_CD vs. YG-DF ?? or should I consider IJS-Pro 6.0 ??
I see some say go after DynaFly or should I buy ConCord ??
also do I need buy and add J-max and nose cone? what I am guessing they are sold separately (cheaply compare to Impeller price) around $15 each...

I changed prop before (on my past Bayliner, Maxum and SeaRay).. and it was easy to make decision on what to get... but impeller is like you need a PhD to know on what to buy....

also
I launch my boat from San Diego bay, which is full of sea weeds at boat ramp
is there an intake fixture that will cut these weeds before they get wrapped around your impeller to install?
every time i launch the boat or bring it back on trailer we have dig in and get them out before moving on....
I was hoping there is a very sharp housing blade or fixture that could be attached to intake and chopped them as the intake rush of water pushed them against it before they could get inside and wrap themselves around your shaft...
thanks

 

[Orang Ezazi]

on regular outboard, you can reverse the engine and unwind the seaweed, but Yamaha jet does not reverse direction the shaft rotate to unwind Seaweed... and only option I have now is to open the hatch and try to cut them off with a sharp knife... before I take the boat for ride in the bay/Pacific Ocean...