Hey everyone- I hit a rock this past weekend fishing and scuffed up the very outer edges of my stainless prop (thank goodness I didn't damage the hull, transducer, etc.) The scuffs on the edges of my prop are easily buffed out. However, it got me to thinking....I hit the rock while backing up and the F150 stopped immediately after I hit the rock. It started right back up and seemed to not have any problems. I ran it back into home...40 min at 4100rpms...no problems. Are there any problems I should look out for? Anything else I should check on the motor, etc? I have inspected everything closely and the only physical damage I can find is on the prop. Also got me to thinking...how much damage can a stainless prop take before I should repair/replace the thing? Thanks...it was a scary moment and one no boater likes to have to deal with but as my fishing buddy put it...just part of the "deal" with boating...
Prop damage
- Thread starter HuskerBoater
- Start date
Were you going slow? (Motor idling in reverse gear?) (good)
Did the boat abruptly stop moving ? (not good)
Or did the prop just nick the rock and boat motion didn't change? (good)
Look under the bottom of the gear case cone, is it cut ? (depends)
Is the skeg bent or cracked (off)? (happens easily - can be repaired)
Any new or stange vibration (not good- don't ignore if so).
Did the boat abruptly stop moving ? (not good)
Or did the prop just nick the rock and boat motion didn't change? (good)
Look under the bottom of the gear case cone, is it cut ? (depends)
Is the skeg bent or cracked (off)? (happens easily - can be repaired)
Any new or stange vibration (not good- don't ignore if so).
Since it ran OK, the lower unit is probably good but if there was damage, it may not show up for a while. Just keep an eye on it and pay special attention to unusual noises or vibrations.HuskerBoater said:
Using a ruler or a stick, check it for roundness ( measure the distance from the bottom of the cavitation plate to each blade tip and measure the distance from the tail shaft to the back edge of each blade. If you bent the shaft, the first measurement will tell you so and if you bent the prop blades, the second measurement will show it.
If all is well file off any burrs on the blade edges.
Fishtales
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Check for vibrations throughout the rpm band.
Likely no damage to the lower unit, but as stated pay attention to the operation and maybe check the lower unit fluid in a few weeks.
Probably worth pulling the prop off and bring it to a prop shop. They can verify it and easily fix it, should it be necessary.
Good luck...
Likely no damage to the lower unit, but as stated pay attention to the operation and maybe check the lower unit fluid in a few weeks.
Probably worth pulling the prop off and bring it to a prop shop. They can verify it and easily fix it, should it be necessary.
Good luck...
BobP said:
Boat did abruptly stop moving, but it was barely moving. Skeg, gear cone, every other outward part of the lower unit are untouched...just prop blades scuffed. Do I need to check lower end seals? There doesn't seem to be any new or strange vibrations. It did seem to be a violent stop, but anything seems violent when you are totally caught off guard by a rock. Maybe I should just take it in to get the whole lower end unit checked out....great lesson learned, I guess.
It probably fine. Just keep an eye on it. There isn't much the shop can do that you haven't already done, visually inspec for damage. I doubt the seals were affected. Unless the shaft bent, there would have been little stress on the seals.
If you need to woory, worry about swine flu or the economy and go boating.
If you need to woory, worry about swine flu or the economy and go boating.