Rebuild stainless prop

[ralph]

I just bought a used motor with a dinged-up stainless steel prop. Is it cost effective to have the dings removed? Have the pitch changed? Any advice is needed.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

Repairing the dings is easy, but I've never heard of the pitch being changed. I guess anything is possible for a price. That would take some radical "cut and pasting"!!!!<br />

Happy boating!!

 

[kenthrussell]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

hi I repaired props of all kinds for quite a while and would not change the pitch of a prop as you will never get it right plus it changes the cup surface on the blades, fix the dings okay but better off to go and buy another prop the pitch you desire...just my opinion

 

[fone_man]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

Yes your prop can be repaired but as kentrussell said changing pitch is not recomended...<br /><br />Why change pitch???<br /><br />What are you running??? What is WOT RPMS??? Need info to direct you in right direction???<br /><br />Alot of ????!!!

 

[suzukidave]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

kentrussel - does your view on not repitching props apply to aluminum as well as s/s? I was just about to get an 11" aluminum repithed to a 13. I know you never quite know what pitch you will end up with, but is there any reason other than that uncertainty not to do it (the 11" pitch over-revs my motor something fierce)?

 

[Dunk]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

I've been having SS props repitched for 20 years. The deal is you can go up in pitch, but not down. 2" is the max. SS outboard prop blades are molded or welded in place along the hub so to can't twist the whole blade like you can on clover leaf type inboard blade. Any decent prop shop can add some pitch by bending the blade tips and cup to the blades.. The problem with trying to lower the pitch is when the bend the blade tips back they loose their effectiveness. Yes you will get more rpm, but the blade tips are where the bow lift and it's ability to hang on and not blow out(ventilate)in rough water at higher trim angles. <br /><br /> Depending on how dinged up that SS wheel is I'd be watching my gearcase lube for water the first few times you use the boat. You have to wack a SS wheel pretty good to bend/ding it up. You can bend prop shafts and crush seals.

 

[kenthrussell]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

Hi again I have lots of pitch blocks but the only time i use them is when a blade is damaged too far or close to the hub after it has been built back up,I know usually people think that when you break a blade off or really bang it up usually the thought is to weld a whole new piece in but that is not the case the damaged part is built back up using filler rod and tig, same goes for ss, I have had many people ask me to change the pitch on a prop and I will decline as what another post has said you don't know what you will end up with and that goes for aluminum and ss,and the result may be garbage after , cheaper really to buy a new or used the proper pitch,and then you know it's right.The method of using pitch blocks is to clamp the pitch block on a table in a press and then press the blade or sandwich the blade between the blocks and press away......now the problem is when you release the ram (hyd cyl)from the pitch blocks there is still alot of memory left in the blades from the previous pitch so you do not end up with a definate pitch.....there is no guarentee that it is right.just an honest opinion.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

I have followed this discussion with a great deal of intrest. All of this has a lot of truth in it. I can't begin to tell you how many boats we have propped out that have repitched props to start with and the people are lost. I did one a couple of months ago that the guy had a prop he swore was repitched to a 26". Even without running the numbers we knew his slip % was to the moon. He ended up with a 22" and gained about 8 MPH. At the same RPM.<br /><br />The post about the pitch blocks is good. I have seen lots of people send in a Raker or Stiletto and had it reworked where the prop company used something like an SST pitch block. Needless to say the prop was worse than ever. <br /><br />I am working with a guy right now who has spent a ton of money on an inexpensive (no, cheap) prop trying to get the same result as a Stiletto. The prop is so messed up now I have no idea what he will do with it. For all the money he spent he lost holeshot and top end. The new Stiletto had a better holeshot than ever and more top end. Mission accomplished in 20 minutes. He's been fooling with this other thing for over 2 months. <br /><br />Keep up the good work. Good luck!

 

[kenthrussell]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

just thought send it back to the top a lot of good info here

 

[ralph]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

I tried the prop out and it seems alright. I've decided to just have the dings removed. What should this cost? Any recommedations on reliable shops? The deepest ding is 1/8 inch.

 

[petryshyn]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

where are you located?

 

[Dunk]

Re: Rebuild stainless prop

http://www.sandersonpropeller.com/ <br /><br /> Reread my post about props. These guys can work your wheel. Get some good readings..RPM at different speeds and most of all top end trimed out rpm. Of course they will want to know what boat it's on an the horsepower. Their also going to ask you how high the engine is mounted on the transom. That means putting a straight edge on the bottom of the boat, letting it run back past the engine. Tell them how much higher/lower the cavitation(antivent)plate is above the bottom of the boat.. To get this reading trim the engine so the antivent plate is paraelell(sp) with the bottom of the boat.<br /><br /> Any prop rebuilder will charge you a flat rate for certain dia prop. These guy's are good. I have them tweek prop for my antique outboards and they haven't missed yet.