AutoProp - This is a Shame!

[markpj23]

Unfortunately the previous owners have obviously let these props fall into a state of serious neglect. My only hope is that (thanks to this forum) I've learned that the factory recall applies to my serial numbers. I may get lucky and have at least part of the repairs needed covered by the recall.

So - as the surveyor and I inspected these, we saw that on all 6 blades (both props) there were ball bearings missing. On 2 blades we could feel flat spots in the bearings as we rotated the blade. Little did I know at the time the the seals which hold the bearings in place were completely gone on all blades. We should NOT be able to see the ball bearings at all!!

And on the Port prop, we noticed this large gap between the hub and the sail drive:


We tried to tighten the nut but that had no effect. We never did understand what was causing this issue. With the prop nut on tight we could still slide the prop back and forth a good 1/2 to 1 inch! Also the locking allen head cap screw is long gone, so we put loctite on the nut to reduce the worry for the return trip.

Oh and forget the zincs on the end cones - both were long gone. The sail drive zincs are 70 - 80% wasted also.

In this picture you can see how pink the entire assembly is. Electrolysis has eaten the leading edge of 2 blades to were there's a 1 inch long by 1/4 inch deep chunk missing. Note the obvious gap between the blade and the hub - there should be a seal in there. What a mess!



There should be a penalty for letting things get this far out of hand. Unfortunately I'm the one paying the penalty in this case....

After doing some research I've just about decided to forget the AutoProps altogether and go a different route.

[Charlie]

Its a shame that the people let those expensive props go like that. Are/Were you able to negotiate a reduction in price?

[Badsanta]

Did the surveyor notice this, Before you bought it?

[markpj23]

Yes we noticed all of this during the survey haul-out. In fact that's the surveyor wearing the blue gloves with his finger between the prop hub and the sail drive zinc.

I've contacted the folks at AB Marine (so far good support via telephone) and have determined that the STBD pop can be fixed with an overhaul kit to replace inner & outer bearings. The port one I'm afraid will likely either need replacement or at least 2-blade replacement and subsequent re-balancing at the factory (yes in the UK).

So about $5K if I go that route. I'm also looking at other prop options.

[philip van praag]

Originally Posted by markpj23

Yes we noticed all of this during the survey haul-out. In fact that's the surveyor wearing the blue gloves with his finger between the prop hub and the sail drive zinc.

I've contacted the folks at AB Marine (so far good support via telephone) and have determined that the STBD pop can be fixed with an overhaul kit to replace inner & outer bearings. The port one I'm afraid will likely either need replacement or at least 2-blade replacement and subsequent re-balancing at the factory (yes in the UK).

So about $5K if I go that route. I'm also looking at other prop options.

your price is verry high i have these props and they cost £1.5k new in uk at curent rates you should be under $3k
if you have had no experance of these props they are worth the efort.
also be awear as a large bronze prop they go through anods verry quick
i use 2 sets a year!
also spoke to them at recent london boat show.
found out that if you paint the area were the anodes bolt on they last longer as this is normaly the area that erods first and they drop of befor half the anode is worn.
mentioned this seem a bit of that we should have to deal with a small design falt like this and that they should put a plate in the anode to help keep it in place longer tets see what hapens.
good luck with your repairs.

[markpj23]

Thanks Phillip. I'll look for other resellers than AB Marine, but I think they have an exclusive sales arrangement.

[markpj23]

Well now I know the rest of the story....

The STBD prop refused to come off the shaft. A few hours and 1/2 a tank of Acetylene later we had the hub rubber left on the shaft...



And the prop has seen better days. Very rough as I turn the blades.... So I'm pretty sure that what I found on the Port pop will be true here also.



Here's where things get pricey...

I had hoped to get by with rebuilding the props. Got the rebuild kits and started at the Port prop tonight. What I found leaves no hope... check out the bearing race here and imagine what it must sound like as the blade rotates... On the bright side - I wouldn't have to worry about a submarine surfacing underneath me since they'd hear me coming a week in advance .



I have 2 of 3 blades in this condition - meaning that for the cost of refurbishing 2 blades I can replace the whole unit. If of course I want to spend that kind of $$ just to have this problem again in the future.

To be fair, the 2 blades with the ruined bearing race have a nick on the end of the blade as if they were run aground. The blades are not bent - just nicked, however, and I would hope that a 'soft' grounding would not cause this sort of damage. I do not know the whole history of course so this is just speculation on my part.

What is fact, of course, is that for the price of replacing a single Autoprop I can buy a pair of Flex-O-Fold units. Wanna guess which path I choose?