1st accident, a fright

Cumbria · 29 April 2019, 19:37

Big fright engine hit rock bottom and broken the propeller.

Do i just replace the Suzuki 15ob prop with same..it's new ish efi

Lesson learned need a depth finder, recommends please

spartacus · 29 April 2019, 20:38

Don't worry about it, happens to the best if us.

If the blades are bent it can be repaired at Steel Developments, but given these propellers are relatively inexpensive, is put on what came off. Stick with aluminium.

Garmin fish finders with low depth alarms are great addition to any boat.

lakelandterrier · 29 April 2019, 20:57

Is it just the prop? Is the skeg and engine incc mounting OK if you hit with any force?

The Black Pig · 29 April 2019, 21:45

It happened to me I hit a rock or a swinging mooring foot on approach to a regular beach landing at a spring low and lost a third of one blade of an Ali prop and chewed the other two Slightly, treat it as experience you take a smallish hit in the pocket and get a new sacrificial Ali prop and get the old one repaired and keep as a spare even if a lump has come off steel developments will weld on a new piece

Cumbria · 30 April 2019, 12:02

Skeg looks a bit shaved at front engine seems ok as restart and got back to jetty

Poly · 30 April 2019, 18:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumbria

Skeg looks a bit shaved at front engine seems ok as restart and got back to jetty

How mangled is the prop? If it’s really bad - causing difficult handling/vibration on the way back I’d check the gear box oil.

Highland Haggis · 30 April 2019, 18:55

Welcome to the world of boating [emoji23][emoji23] be careful next time could have been worse I take it that this happened at salt water [emoji41][emoji41][emoji41]

Cumbria · 30 April 2019, 19:49

Nope on ulswater, typical thought I knew place.

Will check oil .

Will try to take pics . Will check out the repair company.

Can't seem to find a local dealer to do it.

Do i have a go myself , anything I need to watch out for

spartacus · 30 April 2019, 21:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumbria

Do I have a go myself, anything I need to watch out for

Gear oil change is straight forward. Don't know about Honda, but I assume it's crosshead drain and fill screws? Use a decent sized screwdriver that the flathead fits properly on the screw head. If it's on tight, you may need to use the addition of vice-grips on the flathead screwdriver shaft to help, by leaning into the screwdriver as you turn anti-clockwise.

Make sure you have new drain and fill screw fibre washers. Remove the fill screw first, then the drain screw. Have a measuring jug to catch the gear oil. Should be the colour of honey if it's Yamlube SAE90 as it drains. Some high performance gear oils such as Quicksilver are a blue grey colour.

If there's any emulsification (oil goes like mayonnaise as it mixes with water) then you'll need to investigate further.

EBay or your local dealer will sell you a pump to refill fresh gear oil. I've done it old school and squeezed oil in, but these little hand pumps are great.

Fill with fresh oil at the gear drain screw (at skeg) until oil exits at the fill screw. Use a new washer and screw in fill screw. With finger on the drain hole, seal off and quickly tighten screw, again with new washer. Job done.

Cumbria · 30 April 2019, 22:41

Hi

Thx , it's a Suzuki, anyway of checking with out draining. If not will order the kit , trying to find a replacement propeller at moment on net

spartacus · 30 April 2019, 23:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumbria

Hi

Thx , it's a Suzuki, anyway of checking with out draining. If not will order the kit , trying to find a replacement propeller at moment on net

No. You need to drop the oil to check for emulsification and check for any swarf in the gear oil. I'm sure it will be fine, but it's a good analytic preventative approach. Leave it unchecked and you risk further damage.

Poly · 30 April 2019, 23:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumbria

Hi

Thx , it's a Suzuki, anyway of checking with out draining. If not will order the kit , trying to find a replacement propeller at moment on net

I'd have thought if you ran it for a minute or two even at tick over that any water would be mixed through the oil and so just removing the drain plug would be enough to see the colour (you'd get a dribble - but with the top/fill screw still in could just refit the plug - with a NEW washer). BUT I've never actually had a gear box seal fail. If you change oil you'd also see if there are any chunks of metal broken off.

It might be an over reaction though. One man's mangled prop is another's slightly scuffed!

beamishken · 30 April 2019, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumbria

Hi

Thx , it's a Suzuki, anyway of checking with out draining. If not will order the kit , trying to find a replacement propeller at moment on net

Probably unlikely to have water in it but if it has it will be in the bottom or will be mixed with the oil (emulsified white).
Either way to avoid dropping all the oil out, with the engine vertical just unscrew the drain plug to the last couple of threads and let out the smallest drop of oil, if its clean oil then your all good just screw the plug back in. If its white emulsified oil or pure water then you need to look further.
Pointless changing the oil on an engine that is only hours old unless you have to

GuyC · 01 May 2019, 07:19

Wot he said ^^^

Don't remove the filler plug prior to undoing the drain plug as when you accidentally remove the drain plug completely, the outflow of oil won't be quite as fast.

jeffstevens763@g · 01 May 2019, 09:31

i got props from pacer marine £95,90 delivered and SSI marine £62 delivered for my 25

https://ssimarine.co.uk/collections/s-propellers

pagick · 01 May 2019, 18:15

Have we all learned something about carrying a spare prop. Even in my sib I have one in the catch all tub. The cheap plastic ones are great for this. I've hit a couple rocks over the last 40+ years, once had a rock hit me, and once had a short bit of rope attached to a short bit of chain wrap around the drive and prop. The real trouble was at the end of the chain was a Danforth anchor that also bent all the way around the prop shaft. Ins payed out over $6,000. 12 years ago money! Weird shit happens below the surface.

Highland Haggis · 01 May 2019, 18:40

Hi Cumbria your due a 20 hour service take it to Ur dealer and let them check it over I don't know if tampering with this would void your warranty if it all goes wrong ie screw difficult to cum out and you damage it that's my advice but you do what you think is best if it where me I would let dealer have a look

jeffstevens763@g · 01 May 2019, 18:52

Personally i would leave it to the service before opening the gearbox stick a new prop on, spin it to see its not bent the shaft and take it from there. You will know instantly if it done the shaft, gearbox it I'll shake like a shitting dog.

Phil and Jane · 02 May 2019, 08:49

As far as I know, there are two places that can repair or replace props in the UK.

1) Castle Marine Ltd.
Castle Boatyard
The Harbour
Caernarfon
Gwynedd
LL54 5RS
Tel: 01286 674 322
Email: castlemarine@gmail.com

2) Steel Developments Propeller Repairs & Sales
240 Merton Road,
London,
SW18 5JQ
England
TEL: 020 8874 7059
https://www.steeldevelopments.net

We smacked our prop on a rock a few years ago, (everyone does it now and then) and bent the blade on a steel prop. The guy who launches us checked the engine out which was fine and the prop was sent to Castle Marine. It came back like a brand new prop for not a lot of money.
We got a spare Alloy prop after that and it was posted to us from the same company. Just in case we did this again and if we were on holiday, we enquired about how fast this repair could be done. If you post your damaged prop to them and it is urgent, they can have it back to you very quickly by post within days. I am sure that Steel Developments are just as good, but we have no personal experience of them.

Also, if you want to protect your skeg, you can fit a skeg guard. They are around the £100 mark. They can protect your skeg or be added to a damaged skeg.

Good luck, Phil.

beamishken · 02 May 2019, 08:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil and Jane

As far as I know, there are two places that can repair or replace props in the UK.

1) Castle Marine Ltd.
Castle Boatyard
The Harbour
Caernarfon
Gwynedd
LL54 5RS
Tel: 01286 674 322
Email: castlemarine@gmail.com

2) Steel Developments Propeller Repairs & Sales
240 Merton Road,
London,
SW18 5JQ
England
TEL: 020 8874 7059
https://www.steeldevelopments.net

We smacked our prop on a rock a few years ago, (everyone does it now and then) and bent the blade on a steel prop. The guy who launches us checked the engine out which was fine and the prop was sent to Castle Marine. It came back like a brand new prop for not a lot of money.
We got a spare Alloy prop after that and it was posted to us from the same company. Just in case we did this again and if we were on holiday, we enquired about how fast this repair could be done. If you post your damaged prop to them and it is urgent, they can have it back to you very quickly by post within days. I am sure that Steel Developments are just as good, but we have no personal experience of them.

Also, if you want to protect your skeg, you can fit a skeg guard. They are around the £100 mark. They can protect your skeg or be added to a damaged skeg.

Good luck, Phil.

Theres also streamline propellers in aldershot had many repairs done by him over the years
https://www.streamlinedpropellers.co.uk/