One thing thats been puzzling me:

[Reedy]

Why are schottky diodes always used for back emf protection and not just a regular power diode?

every article i have read has explicitly said to use a schottky diode, would any problems arise if one was to use a standard pn junction diode?

also, is a schottky diode required if the esc has a brake function on it? Something i didnt know about until i bought this esc was the brake function which is not needed for a boat but ive been running it for a few weeks now without a diode installed and nothing has gone up in smoke yet, hell i dont even have supression capacitors either, something which i will soon remedy however.

[AndyKunz]

They are very fast.

They have low forward drop (ie, they eat the spike very well).

It depends on how they implemented the brake. Usually we turn off the low side FETs and turn on both high sides, essentially shorting out the motor (in generator mode) for a brief time. The other option is to put the motor into reverse and regeneratively charge the battery pack.

Andy