Prop is hard to turn

[jedgell]

I've noticed that my prop is hard to turn by hand. It can be done, but it requires a bit of force. The boat runs fine, the RPMs don't drop much when I put it into gear. Is this something to worry about? Also, when I give the boat a lot of gas, pulling a skier up, there's a rattle or sqeak that seems to come from the back of the boat, maybe the transmission? It only happens for a second, and goes away after the boat gets going. I thought it was normal until a friend of mine with the same year boat noticed it and thought there might be something wrong. Could this be a transmission or alignment issue? Maybe its related to the stiff prop? Thanks for your help.

[DavidF]

RE: Prop is hard to turn

When the cutlass bearing is dry, the prop can be hard to turn. Try lubricating the bearing with water from a hose and try again. Not sure about the noise, could be something in the tranny or maybe a overtight packing gland on the shaft log. Does it drip? Does it get hot? Do have any unusual vibrations?

[jedgell]

RE: Prop is hard to turn

I'll have to check the packing gland. I tightened it last year, maybe I got it too tight. The boat doesn't seem to have any more vibrations than normal, except at slow speeds (10-20 mph) while turning sharp it seems to vibrate a little. At skiing speeds its smooth, especially after I adde the ACME prop.