A quality prop is hard to come by. Although Honda makes good propellers for their boats, the best ones are a bit far fetched. I mean, not everyone can afford to pay for the premium OEM parts, right?

If you fall in that particular category, then you’ve come to the right place. Let me tell you this. We certainly did not have a blast while trying to gather all the information here. But we had to do it for you guys.

We went through around twenty different props to help you find the best prop for Honda 90. The boat engine is a beauty. So it needs a prop that is just as good. And, we hope you’ll find one here.

That’s not all. We’ve even added some points you might need to consider before making your purchase. You’ll find them towards the end of the page. So, let’s head right into it, shall we?

Get the Most Out of Your Honda 90 with These Propeller Options

1. POLASTORM Aluminum Propeller

The first on the list is from POLASTORM. You might be surprised that the top choice isn’t from Honda itself. Well, there’s a reason for that. Honda parts are a bit far from the affordable range.

That’s why someone else had to take the throne. Well, things worked out well, didn’t they?

Well, Honda engines can take this bad boy quite well. We heard quite a lot about it beforehand. But we wanted to test this one out to see if it’s that good.

In terms of compatibility, they claim that it works with several engines. We didn’t have too many boats with different engines lying around. So, it was a bit difficult for us to test this claim. So, let’s stick to the Honda 90 for now.

But when we got the propeller installed, things worked out great. We’re not going to write songs about this one. But we got some decent performance out of it.

They boast a lot about their “high strength.” Maybe the prop does have a proper mix of strontium, titanium, and aluminum. But we really couldn’t test that out since we don’t have the expert on materials.

But the prop held up quite well in our eyes. We only got to test this out for a couple of months on our boat. But I guess that was enough to decide whether you should buy this or not.

Another thing we appreciate about this one is the corrosion-protection layer. I mean, props stay underwater forever unless you’re keeping your boat in your garage. So it must have an extra layer of protection against rust.

We didn’t see any spots develop on the body of the propeller during these two months. So that’s an obvious positive if you ask me.

When it comes to performance, well, this one performed decently. The design seemed to be a one-to-one copy of the OEM blades. This is a good thing, don’t get me wrong.

We tested this out in the waters, and the engine didn’t seem to struggle. The boat was running smoothly throughout the course of our testing phase. So, that’s good news.

2. Honda 59130-ZV5-014AH 11 1/8X14 Al Prop

Next up, we have one from Honda themselves. This is the budget version of the OEM parts that you can get for the Honda 90. And, even this affordable prop made it into the top five. So we consider this to be quite impressive. Let’s talk about it.

You get three blades just like the first one on this prop. But this one is seemingly built differently. I’m not too sure whether the difference is a good thing here or not.

But I can assure you that this is on the heavier side. Since you got a Honda engine and a corresponding motor, this prop should feel right at home, right? Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Honda releases these models as replacement props for stock propellers. And not all the replacement props get as much attention to detail as the real deals.

Our unit seemed decent, for the most part. We found out that this propeller was also a product made out of aluminum. The material keeps the weight low. But it’s safe to say that they have to make certain compromises.

Well, for starters, if your propeller hits a rock underwater, your propeller will get damaged. But the effect of the damage will be more if you’re using an aluminum propeller.

We’re not saying all-aluminum propellers are bad. If that was the case, the top two choices wouldn’t have been aluminum propellers at all.

Just like the first one on the list, we tested this out for two months. It did not disappoint. The acceleration of the propeller seemed to be on par with our number one choice.

But for some odd reason, this one showed a bit more vibration. While this isn’t the case with every single propeller on the market, we felt that this was weird.

If you’re curious about performance out in the ocean, well, we were able to bring the boat back in one piece. Jokes aside, the overall performance was decent.

We didn’t see any hiccups on the propeller during our time of testing. But I think more expensive OEM parts would’ve sorted out the vibration issue.

3. Young Marine OEM Grade Aluminum Outboard Propeller

Coming in at third place is this soldier from Young Marine. They say that it’s OEM grade. But we’ll be the judge of that. You might argue that this one deserved a higher place on the list, but hear us out. Let’s talk about it.

We hooked this one with our boat with the Honda 90 engine. Have we even talked about how good the engine is? The 90 HP seems low on paper, but you won’t be feeling that when your boat’s going full speed.

I digress. Just like the others on the list, they claim that it’s made out of high-quality materials. And just like the other two that we’ve just reviewed, it’s aluminum.

They also talk about how good this is when you compare it to the previous version. But unfortunately, we did not have the previous version at hand while testing this one out. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.

So, what’s so good about this one? Honestly? We thought that the build quality was decent. Even though the prop is made out of aluminum, we didn’t see any bending. Mind you, we were testing the boat out in pretty shallow water. So there was always a chance of the prop hitting an underwater rock.

Well, that didn’t happen, lucky us. If you’re curious, yes, the design is the same as the OEM part for the Honda 90 engine. So, the performance is supposed to be identical, right? Well, wrong.

We needed a bit of help while installing this one. But it was not complex if you have extra pairs of hands.

But the vibration was persistent with this one. I mean, even the second one on the list didn’t vibrate as much as this one. So we were obviously disappointed with the results.

However, the vibrations were kept under control when you’re riding on the lower RPMs. This can only mean that the prop isn’t the best choice for the higher RPMs.

4. Honda 58130-ZW1-017AH Prop Al

Here’s another one from Honda themselves. Well, this is their second OEM part on the list. It’s another one in the affordable segment when it comes to the OEM parts. Let’s see what this has to offer.

It has the same three-blade aluminum design like the others. We know how you might have to sacrifice efficiency if you want more blades. So three blades are the sweet spot in this day and age.

And even though aluminum might not be as durable in the long run as stainless steel, I thought this was decent. Yes, “decent” is the work we were looking for.

The quality? Decent. The performance? Decent. The price? Even that’s affordable. So you’re in a perfect position if you’re looking to buy this one. But it does not come without flaws.

We had to tinker with it a bit to make it fit the motor. This definitely came as a surprise as the prop was supposedly built for this exact motor to fit.

Regardless, we were able to get things running in under an hour. And the propeller spun like crazy at first. We needed to make a few pitch adjustments to get things right with our boat. But once all was in tune, we had a fun two months with this one.

Overall, we thought this was a decent prop to go for. I mean, it did require tinkering to get things working. But we were very surprised that the prop held up decently even in the higher RPMs.

But I guess we shouldn’t have doubted the OEM manufacturing process in the first place. You should be able to get decent performance out of this if you’re good at making the adjustments.

5. Aluminum Outboard Semi Cleaver Propeller

Finally, we have this one from RASON PROPELLER. It’s a semi-cleaver model here. Don’t count it out just because it came in last. I mean, it had to beat quite a few other propellers to make it into the list. So let’s talk about it.

When it comes to compatibility, the company claims that it can work with multiple engines. Lucky for us, the Honda 90 is one of them. Other famous engines include the BF75, the BF60, and the 130HP. But let’s stick to the topic.

The installation process for this one was not complicated at all. We were able to get this onto the boat ourselves. So, you could say that the team didn’t need any professional help in this regard. Since we’re novices, you might be able to do it yourself too. Just read the manual carefully, okay?

Just like the others on the list, it’s a three-blade aluminum build. You might think that the build quality isn’t top-notch. And, we agree. In fact, we had a small incident with this one. I mean, it wasn’t a Titanic-like incident, but the prop hit a rock.

And, unfortunately, there was a huge bend on one of the blades. I am not saying that you’ll be hitting rocks on a daily basis. But when you do, the outcome might not be pretty.

We were kind of surprised at how the prop handled the higher RPMs. I mean, it did a decent job in moderately difficult conditions. The blades were just good enough to last our torture for three weeks. Until we managed to break one of them, that is.

Lastly, I think you have cheaper options available to you. So the price really hit the nail on the coffin with this one.

Buying Guide

Now that we’re done with the reviews, it’s time to take a look at some of the things you must consider before buying a prop.

Don’t just go out and buy the prop because you like how it looks, okay? That’d be kind of embarrassing.

Steel Vs. Aluminum

There is a big debate in the community when it comes to the materials of the propellers. Well, truth be told, if they are high-quality materials, you can count on them to last longer.

There are pros and cons of both stainless steel and aluminum props. But the sheer brilliance of aluminum propellers makes them last longer compared to most aluminum ones.

But we have a huge fan base for the aluminum props. These propellers end up providing great balance with decent performance. The durability is also top-class if you’re comparing it to other materials.

And, as for the long-lasting part, you should leave this to the stainless steel ones. If your boat hits something underwater, the chances of the steel one surviving are higher than that of the aluminum one. So, keep this in mind when you’re deciding on either one.

Blades: Fewer is Better

Now we’ll be talking about the number of blades on the propeller. There are actually a few general rules when it comes to this. But just remember the heading, fewer is better, in this case.

That’s because the lesser number of propeller blades will make the prop efficient. But this comes with its problems too. The lesser the number of blades, the more the vibration of the prop.

Yes, that’s why it’s best to go for a prop that has three blades, not more, not less. If you go for a propeller that has four blades, you’ll get reduced efficiency. But getting a propeller with two blades might make the back of your boat feel like a machine gun. And, you don’t want that.

So to sum it up, three blades are the sweet spot in this case.

Where’s the Cup?

If you’re in the market for a replacement propeller, you might see that some are cupped. There’s this small lip around the edges of the blades, more commonly known as the cupping.

In most cases, the cup has two locations. For some propellers, the cup is on the tip. While, in other cases, you will observe the cups towards the trailing edges of the props.

The former helps with an increased bow lift. But the latter might help to increase the pitch size.

FAQs

Is my engine under revving?

Answer: if you have an improper prop attached to your Honda 90 engine, then there is a chance that the engine may be under revving. If you let this go on for an extended period, your engine will indeed be susceptible to damage.

Should I pitch down or pitch up?

The pitches are inversely related to the engine’s RPM. If you increase the pitch, your engine will face a drop in the RPM and vice versa. You can pitch down if you’re over-revving and pitch up if you’re under revving.

Should I get a five-blade propeller?

While we have talked about three-blade props being the meta, there are a couple of advantages of more blades too. You can get improved control for the more powerful engines with more blades.

Will a different prop make my boat faster?

Yes, switching to a propeller with a lower pitch can result in your boat going faster. A lower pitch prop will move the boat faster, as it pushes the boat through the water more quickly. Switching to a propeller made of stainless steel can also increase your boat’s speed, as stainless steel props are more efficient than their plastic counterparts.

Is a 19 or 21 pitch prop faster?

Conclusion

Time to part ways. That’s about it from us. We’ve tried to incorporate all the necessary info you might require for getting a new prop. Don’t worry, and the Honda engines can hold up really well. So, pairing them with a decent propeller is a good idea.

Among these five, you can choose the best prop for Honda 90 for you. But please read the tips that we’ve provided for a better understanding. We hope that you’ll compare all of the features and then come to a conclusion.

Even if you have a hard time, we hope you get the best out of your Honda 90 engine. Tell us how the search went. Good luck and stay safe.