PROP

Surprisingly, our boat’s propeller made it in good shape for a couple of years. We are up in the shallows quite a bit, setting bait traps out, scouting for bait fish, and recovering fishing jugs.

On the left is our original prop after being rebuilt by the Perfect pitch prop shop. On the right is a stainless steel prop that will go back on the motor.

The rebuilt prop will be carried in the boat, along with a new prop nut and spider washer, as an emergency replacement, in the event of loosing the prop or some other damage type emergency that could put a end to our annual fishing trip.

Here is a look at the assembled emergency prop kit. It is all held together with ty wraps.

Here is the kit, bagged up and ready to stow in the boat until needed.

Now for a look at the end result.

The stainless steel prop is much tougher, but that can be a danger to the motor’s lower unit. A hard hit can twist a output shaft.

For us the stainless prop is a calculated risk that we take because we are nearly always at idle speed when in shallows.

Our stainless prop on our dive boat was there for 11 years and was in the prop shop once in that time.