Catto or Sensenich FP?

[Reilly]

Sensenich from vans is $3300
Catto is $2950 plus $750 for the steel edges = $3700

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by Reilly

Sensenich from vans is $3300
Catto is $2950 plus $750 for the steel edges = $3700

And that Catto is without a spacer, right?

[designerX]

I haven't had the opportunity to fly behind one yet but composite smoothness and ground adjustable goodness sounds like a big plus. Also, shipping a single blade or part should be cheaper in theory (if something were to happen.)

Stan

[Mel]

Originally Posted by Paul Walter

We replaced our sensenich with catto three blade on our 180hp RV 6. In under 100 hours the nickel edge cracked up in a number of places and the guys at Catto sent us a new one. However we put the Sensenich back on. in my opinion they are much more durable.
Paul

Were the leading edge cracks on a fiberglas prop or carbon fiber?
My original fiberglas prop had the metal leading edges added and cracked.
Craig sent me a more modern carbon fiber with metal leading edge and there have been absolutely no problems with it.

[Christopher Murphy]

Ive flown all three of the above mentioned props...if it werent for the 2600 rpm restriction on the metal prop i would still have it on my airplane.

Very good propellor...
Infact I wish I had it back..the WB with that prop was perfect and it was better at cruise at 2600 than both the other props.
Cm

[Paul Walter]

It was a fiber glass prop. We think it had a flex problem , unsure. We have a new Catto in the box so we may try again some day, for now its sensenich

[Mel]

Originally Posted by Paul Walter

It was a fiber glass prop. We think it had a flex problem , unsure. We have a new Catto in the box so we may try again some day, for now its sensenich

Yep, It appears that the fiberglas props flex too much for the metal leading edge. I have one hanging on my office wall.
Haven't seen the problem on the newer carbon fiber props.

[Greg Arehart]

I've flown both on my 9a/9. Advantages of the sensenich FP: more robust with rocks/gravel etc.; probably easier to find someone to work on it; gave me better CG (but that may not apply to your situation); easier to ship or handle than a 3-blade. Advantages of the Catto: shorter blades (less chance to pick up gravel); lighter weight (may affect your CG); easy to fix minor dings yourself; runs smoother. I've seen very little difference in climb or cruise performance between the two, though the Catto will static run a bit higher RPM.

I personally like the Catto a bit better because of the shorter blades and smoother running.

Probably ok with either choice (or the ground-adjustable, with which I have no experience).

Note that I'm running these on an IO360, not a 320. There was no rpm limitation on the Sensenich on my Superior 360.

Greg

[rightrudder]

There are a couple more advantages to composite props that haven't been mentioned.

1) less engine "waggle" on startup/shutdown, so a little easier on mounts, wiring, plumbing...and baffling for those who hang the oil cooler off the No. 4 cylinder's sheet metal.

2) if you are unlucky enough to have a prop strike, the composites are far kinder to the crankshaft. Of course, an engine tear-down is still required.

I went composite partly because I was so impressed with how smooth the engine felt on a friend's so-equipped RV.