Prop Tune Up yes/no?

wish2fish

wish2fish

Active Member
Dec 19, 2006
4,278
Locust Creek, Ohio River mm 433
Boat Info
2003 220BR
Engines
5.0 MPI
My boat is a 2003, I've had it since 2006 and the Bravo III props have never been tuned up.

I don't believe that I've ever touched bottom and there are no nicks on the props that would show that I did. I have hit floating debris in the water, some of it possibly 1-2" diameter branches, but not sure if they hit the props.

I would say the hole shot is not as good as it used to be. Unlike many, I might keep less stuff on the boat now than I did earlier so weight is likely not the issue there.

So, should I remove and tune up the props? Local prop shop wants $90 per prop for scan and tune up.
 
10yrs, you have bound to have hit something, if you suspect any hint of vibration or not reaching WOT I would get them done. It's kinda like driving around on expensive tires but one is slightly out of balance - they just don't perform like they are capable. I think $180 in 10yrs is worth the piece of mind to know they are right.
 
sfergson727 said:
I didn't think you could prop scan stainless steel props...They can be repaired, of course. At any rate, it's probably worth having them checked out if they don't perform as well as they used to.
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I agree...if you don't have any visible nicks, dings or damage then I would think your props are fine. It would take a pretty bug strike on underwater debris to change the pitch on stainless props. Not saying it's impossible but SS is pretty hard material.

Maybe a tuneup on the engine is in order if your hole shot isn't what it used to be.
 
sfergson727 said:
I didn't think you could prop scan stainless steel props...They can be repaired, of course. At any rate, it's probably worth having them checked out if they don't perform as well as they used to.
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I talked with them at the Cincy Boat Show. I thought he said scan and tune up.

Tonka Boater said:
I agree...if you don't have any visible nicks, dings or damage then I would think your props are fine. It would take a pretty bug strike on underwater debris to change the pitch on stainless props. Not saying it's impossible but SS is pretty hard material.

Maybe a tuneup on the engine is in order if your hole shot isn't what it used to be.
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I guess that could do it but it seems to run great.
 
On my 260DA with B3 SS, my hole shot had gotten considerably worse from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Turns out I had blistering in the gel coat collecting water while my boat sat in the slip. The extra weight really does make a difference.
 
KnotEasy said:
Of course you can scan SS props. Material they are made of is not an issue.
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True -- you can scan any prop. What I was trying to say was that SS props are pretty tough and it takes big hit to cause damage that would change performance. If hitting an underwater object caused damage, it would most likely cause vibration vs. affecting the hole shot and the damage would be noticeable.

I have a 15 yr old, 4 blade SS prop that I had scanned and reconditioned last season. It had dings and pits from the previous owner but the scan came up just fine. No change in pitch on any of the blades, none of the blades bent or cupped -- just chips and dings. The shop reconditioned the blades and re-checked the pitch/balance and the prop is good as new. The damage was cosmetic. I never noticed any performance issues when I ran the prop before the reconditioning.

Also, when I ran aground last summer -- I shaved 1/2" off the blades of my SS prop trying to get off the sandbar but the blades themselves never bent or cupped (the sandbar issue is something I chronicled here and that I am not very proud of, gulp). Heck, I ran the boat the rest of that weekend with those shaved blades and the boat ran decent because they were shaved proportionately. I had the drive thoroughly inspected following the incident and there was zero damage from running aground or from running the damaged prop. Point is that SS is very tough.
 
As stated above here is what a prop shop will do to your props when you take them in. I run an aluminum prop 3 came with the boat I'm down to 1 good one. I've had these guys do a couple props, next prop I buy will be SS. Here's what they do to repair & tune any smaller prop they only scan larger props unless you want to pay for a scan.

http://www.tacomapropeller.com/faq/

When we receive your propeller it is tagged with your name and any special instructions for the technicians. Your propeller is assigned a control number to assure that we repair and return the propeller you gave us. Next your propeller is straightened and pitched using a pitch block. A pitch block is a precision machined dye of your propeller, which allows us to correct the pitch, rake and track of prop. Next the prop is glass beaded to remove all paint, corrosion and residue. After your prop is clean it is off to the welding station to weld back any missing blade area. Once welded, the prop is reshaped and excess weld is removed. It is at this point that your propeller is balanced so that it operates smoothly and quietly. As a final step your propeller is primed and painted to protect the metal. Stainless Steel propellers are repaired much the same way except it is polished back to a high mirror finish.
 
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Bob & Sue said:
As stated above here is what a prop shop will do to your props when you take them in. I run an aluminum prop 3 came with the boat I'm down to 1 good one. I've had these guys do a couple props, next prop I buy will be SS. Here's what they do to repair & tune any smaller prop they only scan larger props unless you want to pay for a scan.

http://www.tacomapropeller.com/faq/

When we receive your propeller it is tagged with your name and any special instructions for the technicians. Your propeller is assigned a control number to assure that we repair and return the propeller you gave us. Next your propeller is straightened and pitched using a pitch block. A pitch block is a precision machined dye of your propeller, which allows us to correct the pitch, rake and track of prop. Next the prop is glass beaded to remove all paint, corrosion and residue. After your prop is clean it is off to the welding station to weld back any missing blade area. Once welded, the prop is reshaped and excess weld is removed. It is at this point that your propeller is balanced so that it operates smoothly and quietly. As a final step your propeller is primed and painted to protect the metal. Stainless Steel propellers are repaired much the same way except it is polished back to a high mirror finish.
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for $90ish per propeller would I expect the cleaning and polishing?
 
90/prop is a pretty good price where I am from... heck I paid close to 200/prop last year after 4 seasons, I almost died when I got the bill.
 
wish2fish said:
He had 2 prices. one with repair and one just scan and tune up.
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I would call a local prop shop to get a quote, usually they can't quote a firm price without seeing the prop to many variables but you can get a ball park idea. The link below is to their Seattle shop where they do all props 36" and larger there is a calculator at the bottom of the page.
If you watch Deadliest Catch most the crab & fishing fleet get their props done there. I went down there for a tour a couple years ago really impressive to see a how they manufacture a large prop.

repair
http://krugerpropeller.com/propeller-repair/

manufacture
http://krugerpropeller.com/propeller-manufacturing/
 
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