Propeller Recondition worthwhile?

[flightlead404]

I have an '07 Hunter 38 with the 40hp Yanmar 3JH4E. I believe I have the stock fixed blade bronze prop.

Its 11x16? or 16x11? (sorry, used to airplane props not these dinky little things lol)

Anyway, has a "nick" about 1/2 the size of my thumbnail out of one blade, leading to vibration and I think the degradation of my cutlass bearing.

I'm considering having it reconditioned, rather than replacing it. Is reconditioning worthwhile? Is this sort of thing typically repairable? (See lousy picture).

What else should I have done? Balance? Polish? Coated with something?

[jkishel]

Prop shop will be able to verify, but looks like it can be reconditioned. They will straighten and balance it as well. Suggest you consider coating with Prop Speed, expensive but really makes a difference when properly applied.

[AA3JY]

Been using this business for decades..

https://www.kastelbros.com/

..highly recommended

[wingssail]

It is amazing and very cost effective to have a bronze propeller reconditioned.

When we left to cross the Pacific Ocean we put on a new folding propeller and kept the old wobbly one as a spare.

When we got to New Zealand the new one was also wobbly. I took it to a propeller shop in Takapuna and they rebuilt it for $80. It was perfect. So I took in the old one as well and for another $80 they rebuilt that one too. That was 1998. I've had to refurbish the best one once sine then but both were good until 2018 when I lost a blade off of one and finally had to buy a new propeller.

I'm sure prices have gone up dramatically, but to me it will be well worth it.

[rslifkin]

Check with a good prop shop. It's likely fixable, and unless the prop is totally shot or you want to change it for something different, it's probably worth repairing it vs replacing.

[BillKny]

If the bronze of the prop is in good shape, YES! A good prop shop can work wonders.

If the prop has suffered from electrolysis and is showing "pink copper" it might be too brittle to repair. A good prop shop will tell you up front.

I have yet to find a "bad" prop shop. Guys who are successful in this business are (in my experience) very skilled technicians and very proud of the work they do. Nobody opens a prop repair business to get rich quick.

[flightlead404]

Thanks for the feedback. I put my scuba gear in the car so I'll get under the boat and possibly yank it this weekend. There was no pinking on survey in April and I'm being told 2-3 day turnaround, so it seems worthwhile.

It looks like a cotter pin, a nut, and a Woodruff key. Hopefully I won't drop any of that stuff into the mud. Any tips?

[AA3JY]

Yep..a prop or gear puller..and when it (prop)let’s go don’t be in the way of the prop when it does. Maybe being under water it won’t be as dramatic a release as being on the hard. Advise: keep the nut on loosely to prevent the prop from falling into the abyss..

[tkeithlu]

Tie the prop to the boat before you loosen the nut...

Work in shallow water...

You can use an ordinary air impact wrench under water. Just store it in a plastic bag with vegetable oil.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by AA3JY

Yep..a prop or gear puller..and when it (prop)let’s go don’t be in the way of the prop when it does. Maybe being under water it won’t be as dramatic a release as being on the hard. Advise: keep the nut on loosely to prevent the prop from falling into the abyss..

I have a collection of gear pullers in the car, hopefully one will fit.

Being under water makes tapping it with a rubber mallet less than fruitful I expect

I plan on tying a line on the prop first, and keeping it fairly taught.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Tie the prop to the boat before you loosen the nut...

Work in shallow water...

You can use an ordinary air impact wrench under water. Just store it in a plastic bag with vegetable oil.

Water is 8' deep tops at low tide. Unfortunately probably a couple feet of fluffy mud at the bottom.

I hadn't even considered attempting to use an air tool under water. I won't have a compressor handy anyway, but that's an interesting tip to bear in mind for the future. Thanks