Advice on damaged prop please.

[Tailortaker]

Hi All, On monday I was investigating some shallow water at idle and just as I was trimming the motor up I clipped the one and only rock in my path :'( It didnt touch anything else but the prop. it took some nasty chips out of two of the blades, the third escaped with only a graze. Now the question is will i do damage by operating the motor with this prop ? should I have the motor checked out and prop replaced straight away or will it be ok to use until i do get a new prop ? I was so pissed at myself for this as the boat and motor is only a week old !!!:-[ Now the more I look at it the more stupid i feel and think i should get a new prop asap.
Thanks for any advice you guys can give me.

[honda900]

Performance propellers or solas should be able to help. I scratched up one not quite as bad as yours but performance props repaired it like new.. dont know if they are still around.

Regards
Honda.

[tunaticer]

Personally I would take to it with a file and remove the rags on the damaged blades, it probably will not be long before another gnarly event happens. Alloy props are good for the rou8gh stuff as they absorb much of the damaging thumps rather than passing it completely to your gearbox.

[shy guys]

Mate grab a slapper disk on your grinder get all the rough edges out of it, a prop is made balenced and dings will cause a vibration and could lead to prop shaft seal failure causeing water to get into your gear case not good.

[fishinwahbee]

Depending on your motor whether it is a big motor or more of a portable type of thing, i just used a hand file on mine and it came up tops. Mine is a 6hp merc and is aluminum, if you are worried about the appearance go to your local mercury dealer and buy some mercury black touch up paint or whatever make it is.

[googarra]

This is what you do:

Its an alloy prop, not an $800 job that should go to the experts. Get a 5" angle gringer with a 'flap' type grinding disk, or file, if you want to do it the hard way.

Attack the worst damaged blade until it looks sort of OK, no need to go too much, just get it sort or the right shape.

Get your empty XXXX carton and cut out the cardboard to the shape of the blade you just cleaned up and mark this onto the other blades with a nikko pen.

Attack the other blades so that they are similiar in size all round.

What you are trying to achieve is 'balance' not restore the shape to the prop.

Do this and it will look great, and high revs balance will be good, and you will never know the difference, other than maybe a km or two off your top end speed.

Dont waste money on repairs for this one, if you bang it up bad maybe, but need just need to clean it up and get the balance close.

[Tailortaker]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I should have mentioned that it's 2011 50hp merc.
Cheers, TT

[chris69]

take it to solas the last porp cast me $80 and a lot worse then that looks,then i will be balanced.

[cormorant]

Very hard to tell from a photo just how bad it is and if the pitch of teh blades has been changed. All teh above info is valid if you now props and how they should look.'

I would be checking the lowerr gearbox bung and just confirm no water is in it and no excess metal bits. Oil will be creamy and emulsifiesd if it is and check no oil is leaking from the gearbox . Years ago I cracked a case in a low speed log strike - must have been a bad casting
Check the prop shaft is not bent - not likely at that speed but if it is it would be a insurance job to have pulled down and repaired.

Pull it off and drop at the repairers and get them to assess it on the spot. Good guys will have assertain quickly if it is a case of bend grind, tip weld for a near perfect job pretty cheap. Your dealer should know of someone to help you out locally.

What we do when the motor is worn in a bit make a record of top speeds, WOT run, revs etc with a full load of fuel . We texta it on inside of a hatch. Every day in the boat check you are approx getting the same and you will know in future if you have prop damage , prop wear or a engine or fuel issue. Over time people don't notice the decline in performance.

[Stik-ugly]

I would get it repaired or replaced because it might void any future warranty claims on the motor, a lot of companies look at any excuse to knock back a claim

[Tailortaker]

I just got home from the boat shop where i bought it, They have ordered a new prop for me and will check everything for me while putting the new prop on. They said that they will clean up the damaged one and make sure it's balanced so I will have a spare. They said that they were glad i come in to tell them and to fix it as so many people dont and than wonder why they have dramas down the track.
Thanks for all the advice, this is why I love Ausfish !!!
Cheers, TT

[bigjimg]

If your sounder allows offset the depth so it reads water depth from under your skeg.Then all you have to do is add on the offset to obtain the actual depth,will save you money in the skinny water.Jim

[mal555]

It's very easy and quite common to damage props.
Driving onto the trailer can be a potential source of damage, as the vortex created by the prop will draw loose stones into it.
Always check around the ramp surface and edges, and be suspicious if the trailer wheels "bump" over anything in deeper water that can't be seen from shore.
The damage to your prop appeared quite superficial and easily repaired.
I've broken off chucks up to one third of the blade surface area and had successful repairs, as long as one blade remains in tact for measurement.
Locally the cost of repairs is generally around $30.00 per blade, we have a number of clever Ali fabricators, as no doubt you would also.
Find your own local repairer and cut out the middle man.

[nautimax]

Balance is the key...it's amazing how much vibration and damage an off-centre spinning weight can do! All the above solutions are valid - you're lucky to have professionals close by, including the members on here with their wealth of experience.