Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

[derekb95svt]

Over the weekend I was haulin *** down the river (which by the way is lower than normal thanks to the drought) and hit a sandbar. No damage to anything other than it chewed the prop up real bad.

Anyways, I am looking for advice on getting a new prop. I have a 1989 ArrowGlass 23' cuddy with a Merc 5.7 Alpha1. Since it is used for cruising the river I need something that is durable and good on performance. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

PS I have no clue what the pitch means (I am a total newbie)

 

[derekb95svt]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

Alright I pulled off the Prop and the numbers I got off it were J 14 X 20F if that helps at all

 

[rndn]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

I'd go with an SS 4 blade, but realize nothing is going to take a direct hit like you did and not need some serious work although an SS is harder than aluminum.

 

[toghog]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

stuff happens! oh well prop ain;t the end of the world.
14" is the diameter 20" is the amount of pitch. Providing that the boat hit it;s wide open trottle with that prop put the same size back on. wot is a manufacturers specs for their boats.

If you boat in a place where this happens all the time I would buy props that are less expensive. If it is not too beat up they can be repaired.

welded and reshaped. good luck ps; check out e bay

 

[jpg1130]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

Nothing against SS, but for the price of one SS, you can destroy 3 aluminums.

Just my $.02

 

[jimmbo]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

For river running I would consider a prop made of composites

http://www.piranha.com/

 

[eriediver]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

The problem with Stainless props is if you have a very hard prop strike you are more likely to damage the outdrive.

 

[RobsTV]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

Nothing against SS, but for the price of one SS, you can destroy 3 aluminums.

Just my $.02

Going from SS to Alum was one of the biggest mistakes I made.

And, it actually cost me more to go with aluminum.
Reason it was more is because the aluminum was a budget $125 "brand new" Michigan Wheel.
After performance dropped a ton, bought a used "like new" $75 SST II prop on ebay, and huge improvement.

If original poster had not specifically mentioned "sand", perhaps aluminum would be a better choice, but if it is possible hitting sand bottom, then a SS might not even notice. The SS does have a rubber hub to help reduce or eliminate damage of lower unit, so it's not as risky as it might seem.

 

[jimmbo]

Re: Hit Sandbar, destroyed Prop... need advice

The very day I had put a SS on one of my boats was the day I found a ridge of rocks. The boat was only going 22-23 mph when it hit. The damage to the gearcase was minimal, a slight twist to the skeg, no chunks just a twist. The prop had bent and torn blades. The prop shaft was also bent and needed replacement