Had a bad Sunday

[Ron-O]

First was adding little Stabil to my gas, then dropped my gas cap wrench in the river..Ok, so I always carry extras, no bigger. Put the bimini top up and headed up river to the dam as always. Get close to the dam and see a barge headed through the locks, make a turn to head back since my son called and was going to meet me at the dock. 30 seconds later, sounded like my outdrive was coming off and the boat stopped dead. Ran into a sandbar. closer to a gravel and rock bar. Wife and daughter thought I detroyed the boat. After 10 minutes off trying to get the boat off the sandbar with a long pole. I jumped in the river and pushed the boat off. Jumped back in and started back to the dock.. 3000 rpms and the boat was only doing 2 mph. Made it to the dock, my son and I jumped in the river and removed the prop.. Nothing left of the fins. Ran home, picked up my other prop, back to the dock, then into the water and installed the spare. My son and I took a quick spin and everything seemed ok. Called the insurance company yesterday just to let them know and opened a claim, in case. They want me to pull the boat and have it checked as soon as possible..

I'm going to test it this weekend again.. temp seemed fine on the first test. Just wanna make sure nothing is bent. Anything else to look for?

Ron


ps.. Here's my "was brand new at the beginning of the season" prop..

 

[45Auto]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

Wow, you did a job on that sucker!

Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to check the runout on the propshaft and do a pressure check on the drive to make sure the shaft isn't bent.

 

[mxzeatr]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

WOW! Never saw that before!

Be thankful it wasn't stainless!

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

And I thought my brother could wreck props.

 

[Ron-O]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

My spare is a stainless.. Guess I'm not going up to the dam until the water level is higher..And to think, this propeller was supposed to spin the hub first..

 

[tcgobucks]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

My spare is a stainless.. Guess I'm not going up to the dam until the water level is higher..And to think, this propeller was supposed to spin the hub first..

wow, we've messed up some props, but that one is the champ. Make sure you don't hit that sandbar with the stainless prop....if that happens, the prop will be the least of your problems.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

ps.. Here's my "was brand new at the beginning of the season" prop..

Ahh, that nothing. Just drop it off at a prop shop and they should have it dressed up in no time.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

wow, what a bummer....

looks like a boating trophy to me. something ya hang on the wall and tell war stories about 'that' day...

let us know how the drive turns out. i'm curious. i run alum. just in case of just what happened to you. hopefully the prop to the heat and saved the drive.

 

[Purecarnagge]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

just remember it can always be worse...

 

[roncoop75]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

Heh, I'd like to thank the OP for this one!

I was debating over stainless or alum. for a spare prop on a boat I bought to run mainly on the river. This is exactly what I fear NOT happening with a stainless.

That picture and lack of 'immediate' lower unit damage seals it for me!


Hope nothing else is damaged.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

Crickey! What's your skeg look like?

TII

 

[Ron-O]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

Crickey! What's your skeg look like?

TII

Actually the skeg seemed fine. It did take a small chunk out of one of the fins on the lower unit (about the size of a quarter).

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

Ahh, that nothing. Just drop it off at a prop shop and they should have it dressed up in no time.

This would be worth doing just for the laughs

I've never seen a prop that destroyed. Excellent work!

 

[Thad]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

I actually have a shelf in my bar, dressed up with nautical items and years of destroyed props and impellers. And a prop shaft and...

I call it the shelf of shame.

Now you have a good start to your own Just try not to keep up, it gets expensive

 

[Ron-O]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

I actually have a shelf in my bar, dressed up with nautical items and years of destroyed props and impellers. And a prop shaft and...

I call it the shelf of shame.

Now you have a good start to your own Just try not to keep up, it gets expensive

Yea, I really would rather not break anything else.. Had the boat almost 4 years now and this is the first mishap...and boy was it a doosey.

 

[lkbum]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

My stainless props have a plastic insert in the hub that shears to protect the drives from impact damage. From first hand experience, they work... 2001 Mercuiser Alpha One with Mirage SS prop. The splined piece goes on the prop shaft, the larger polymer piece (the large "block") fits over the splined piece, the prop goes over the large polymer piece. If the prop hits something, the splined piece spins inside the polymer piece

.

 

[Thad]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

If the prop hits something, the splined piece spins inside the polymer piece

.

Not always.

I have one of those on my shelf as well. It had only been on the boat for two hours when I wrecked that one.

 

[Ron-O]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

My aluminum prop had that same setup with the hub.. Guess it didn't work as it was suppose too.. The hub is still in the prop. My stainless doesn't have the plastic hub.Since there's only about 2 months left in the season, guess I'll order a new prop over the winter..

 

[KC4YIN]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

Made it to the dock, my son and I jumped in the river and removed the prop.. Nothing left of the fins.


So how did you make it back to the dock?

 

[JimKW]

Re: Had a bad Sunday

I would not put a Stainless Steel prop on without that protection even for one time out. Years ago they did not have the rubber hub and I hit something submerged and took my drive out in two places. It's kind of like a chain, it breaks at the weakest link and you want that to be the easiest to get to and the cheapest to fix.