Bent Prop

[Larry Harp]

The lake was high and muddy and I was trying to make room for some guys in a little bass buggy and cut a little too close to some submerged trees. I was running close to full speed.....AAARRRRRRGGG that's a sickening sound. Two blades on the aluminum prop are folded over pretty good, no other damage seems apparent. I know that 40 bucks and a trip to the prop shop will fix the prop.



My question is; after I hit the tree on the way back to the ramp, the boat is pulling to the right pretty bad. The first thing I checked when I got the boat out of the water was the trim tab and skeg. Both are okay. Will the bent prop cause the boat to pull to the right like it is, or is there something else damaged that I didn't catch?



Harpo

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Harpo,



I wouldn't worry about this until you get the prop fixed and go out again. The way you describe the cupping of that prop, I'm sure it would make the boat pull one way or another. Now, go get that new SST.



Bill

 

[JAMES MOORE]

Make sure you pop your lower screw on your lower unit and check for water. One of my friends ruined his after hitting a stump. Broke the seal allowing water into the lower unit. Just check, better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Bryan McDonough]

Have your prop shaft checked to ensure what bassin fool said don't happen. If the prop shaft bends it will loosen the seal and eventually allow water in.

 

[Brian Bell2]

Soonerfan,

For about 40 - 50 bucks you can get a brand new aluminum prop. I think Michigan Wheel has them for about that much.

http://www.miwheel.com/

 

[Julio Santana]

LOL...



I know that sound very well. Living here in S. Florida the water can get very skinny. I have bent more props than I care to admit.



SS props will not give, but if you hit hard enough you will be looking at replacing the lower unit of your motor.



Take the trip and have the prop fixed. In the meantime, invest the $50 or so and get a spare. If this happens again, you can take a few minutes on the water and stick the new prop on your boat and be on your way like nothing happened. I now carry a spare Aluminum prop in the storage compartment of my boat.

 

[Pierre Voisine]

While your there get yourself a spare prop. Turning your engine with a damaged prop may hurt the gears that made it through the original "hit".



Pierre

 

[James D.]

harpo,



sorry to hear about the prop. have okc prop shop check everything out for you while you are there. they will look at the whole setup and get things checked out and also you may improve on the old prop. after fork, i'll probably be there myself if you know what i mean. take care.



jd

 

[Larry Harp]

Took the prop in and added it to the other victims of the weekend. Sitting on the counter I saw some pretty mangled up props, most worse than mine. It will cost $47 to get my prop straightened to factory spec's. A new one is $119 or $95 for a Mexician built or $65 for a rebuilt. She also said the pulling to the right could definatly be caused by the prop.

I will take the advice and double check the shaft and the lower unit oil. Thanks for the responses everybody.



Harpo

 

[BJ Laster]

What lake was it? Bell Cow?



I have never been there but Ron Shaw and Ken Cook have filmed a couple of shows out there for Outdoor Oklahoma and have done very well there. I need to go try it.



BJ

 

[Larry Harp]

Yeah it was Bell Cow. I'm about to sign off that lake. It's just too hard on the boat. I have scratched up the sides of the boat so bad the decals are tearing off and the bottom is so scuffed up it looks like I drug up there with out a trailer. The bass fishing is pretty good there but no better than Longmire or Dripping Springs. It's been fished pretty hard the last couple of years too. James D. has tattoed every fish on the lake. :>))

Come with me up there some time soon and I'll show you around.



Harpo