Propguard for outboard....good news or bad news?

[smsscuba]

I have an old 1980`s 20hp outboard and have on a few occations now pinged my prop on shale banks when negotiating the River Stour. I now have forked out ?38 each time to have the prop repaired. Can someone please advise me if its worth it to install a propguard? Will it help to reduce prop damage if I accidently run over a shallow bank.No rock hazards, only shale or sand.My prop size is 9 7/8 x 12. What will the prop diameter be? Many thanks in advance.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Propguard for outboard....good news or bad news?

Hi smsscuba. There are a couple of things you may want to try. One would be to check the motor height as is to see if it is correct. You generally want the anti-vent plate found just above the prop to be level, or slightly higher than the keel. You may need to use a jack plate of some sort to get the best results. An adjustable "kicker" motor bracket would work for motors your size and smaller and would actually give several different positions to work with. There are also products, such as "skeggards" and prop guards which may be of some use to you. Some pics and links. Herewith, hope they serve.

http://skeggard.com/about-skeggard/

http://propguard.net/

 

[steelespike]

Re: Propguard for outboard....good news or bad news?

Does this occur at speed or at a troll?
Stainless props hold up better in sand than aluminum.Don't know about shale?It certainly hold up better than al.
ss is about 3 times the cost of al to buy and twice as much to repair.
There are skeg guards and prop guards.Don't know how well either protect or hold up.
If your running slow in the shallows you could rig up a support so you can tip the motor up and hold it.
You could raise the motor on the transom and gain an inch or more.just put a stick on top of the transom
to hold it while you tighten the clamps.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Propguard for outboard....good news or bad news?

I have an old 1980`s 20hp outboard and have on a few occations now pinged my prop on shale banks when negotiating the River Stour. I now have forked out ?38 each time to have the prop repaired. Can someone please advise me if its worth it to install a propguard? Will it help to reduce prop damage if I accidently run over a shallow bank.No rock hazards, only shale or sand.My prop size is 9 7/8 x 12. What will the prop diameter be? Many thanks in advance.

Ayuh,.... A guard may, or may not help, but it'll clog like no tomorrow in weeds...

The Best way to deal with yer problem, is stay in Deeper water....