Regarding propellers, the Yamaha OEM propellers are very good propellers. In general OEM-branded propellers tend to cost more, and many times propellers from aftermarket propeller companies will be significantly less expensive than OEM-branded propellers.
In the case of Yamaha propellers, Yamaha ended up buying the independent American company that was making propellers for them. For many years Yamaha was a customer of PRECISION PROPELLERS in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in 2008 they bought the propeller company, which is now known as Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers, Inc. There are several other companies in the business of making boat and airplane propellers that use the name "Precision Propellers" but they are not located in Indianapolis, Indiana. At one time Precision Propellers of Indianapolis was the maker of a line of propellers branded as "TURBO" propellers. Here is a excerpt from their old website that gives some history:
About Us
History:
Turbo® is a brand name for propellers, manufactured by Precision Propeller Industries, Inc. in Indianapolis, IN. Since 1969, Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers has been a manufacturer of high quality performance driven stainless steel propellers.
Jim Booe started Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers, Inc. as a prop repair service in 1969. Racing and race prop development occupied a good deal of Jim's time in those days and this background gave him the experience to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding high performance bass boat market. The bass boaters wanted to go fast and Jim's props made it happen.
Early in 1981, Jim produced the first of our investment cast one-piece stainless steel propellers and the development of the Turbo propeller had begun. It was not long before it became clear that sheer top speed was only a part of the need. Quick hole shot, load-handling ability, and stabilizing the boats handling led to the production of The Performance Prop. This approach appealed to stern drive runabout boaters and again the market expanded.
In July of 2008, the assets of Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers, Inc. were purchased by Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., and a new company was formed, Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers Industries, Inc. Together with our history of manufacturing quality boat propellers and Yamaha's resources, Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers Industries, Inc. is well positioned to lead in the world marine propeller markets.
Source:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190904033 ... /about.phpRegarding any difference in performance from a propeller made of steel and painted and a propeller made of steel and polished, I doubt there is any effect of the propeller surface finish on performance. The polished steel propellers generally require more labor to manufacture and usually cost more than painted steel propellers.