A tale of three prop repairs

[Nautiquehunter]

A few years back I dinged my 1579 prop by drifting over a launch ramp curb . Zero MPH idle speed just put it in gear and bang. Bent one blade no other damage . I took it to the local prop shop [Pure Performance Marine & Propeller] for repair . After 165.00 prop looked like new again so I thought? First time out a distinct vibration . I called the prop shop and was told there was no way it was the prop it was probably the cutlass bearing ? I took the prop off and made a cast of one of the none repaired blades. Then applied the cast to the other blades it fit perfect on all three but the one that was repaired it didn't fit at all. Called the shop again and told him what I did after some strong words and the threat of buying a new prop to see if it would fix it he agreed to look at it again. When returned it worked pretty well but still had a tiny shudder when coming out of the hole.

A few years later it hit the trailer loading again 0 MPH and idle speed .No way was I going back to the local shop so I sent it to Acme for repair. Upon return it worked pretty well but still had that slight shudder in the steering wheel out of the hole especially when loaded . It always bothered me but over all it ran smooth.

I met a guy at the Atlanta boat show last year from [ Lake Lanier Propeller LLC ] He told me that he would check it using a computer measuring system that would find any flaws over the entire prop not just the blades. I brought him a three blade off of my Supra no damage just a very slight vibration. He checked it out and found some slight issues and tweaked it back to spec . It worked perfect no more vibration best 165.00 I ever spent. So I then brought him the 1579 again no damage to be seen it was the same as when Acme repaired it. He checked it out and said it was off a little and he could get it back the spec. My first mistake was never asking how much it would be I assumed it would be around 165.00 like all the other prop repairs. When they called for pick up the price was 295.00 seemed high for a prop with no visible signs of damage but I agreed. When I picked it up I told them I could buy a new prop for 390.00 and if I had known the price I wouldn't have fixed it but that is my bad. After installing it I went out only to find the same shutter in the wheel out of the hole 295.00 for nothing. Now I was concerned it was the cutlass bearing or rudder but couldn't find and movement to back up the suspicion . Ran that way for years very small problem not worth trying to find. I recently did a side job for cash and ordered a new 1579 from Delta tried it this weekend NO more vibration runs smoother than it has in years. I guess if you want to take a chance on a repair go ahead but if its not perfect when you get it back just buy a new prop you will be money ahead.

[MTRBTR]

I agree. I don’t like rebuilt props. I have had a couple done and they worked pretty well for backups but there is nothing like a new one.

[Shawn Henderson]

Maybe the vibrations your getting could be resolved from lapping the prop/shaft? Ive never done it but if I was experiencing the issues your having i'd give it a try and see if it makes a difference. Unfortunately due to the conditions of my local lake its not uncommon to ding a prop at least once a summer but luckily I've never had a bad experience after a having a prop repaired at the local shop. With that said I have a friend that recently sent a prop off in the mail to another shop and it still had a noticeable vibration after being straightened.

https://www.wakemakers.com/attwood-s...00-3899-1.html

[MTRBTR]

I always lap the prop. I have done it several times this year. Bought a 644 prop rebuilt from NP and they claim it is as good as new but I can still feel a slight vibration coming out of the hole. I had some minor edge damage to an 856 prop repaired by a reputable local prop shop and it was pretty good but the 644 that I got from NP must have had a lot more damage. you can tell by how much grinding was done. It might be just me but a new acme prop just feels so smooth.

[wawasee]

I have learned the same lesson too. Just buy a new one

[charlesml3]

I really don't understand why all of you are having so much trouble getting props repaired. I've had several repaired by Bobby Soles down in Coral Gables Florida and they come back good as new. I can't tell a new prop from one they've rebuilt. Sounds to me like the shops doing your rebuilds aren't doing a very good job of it.

-Charles

[bturner]

Or they could be very critical of performance, which is fine if you're willing to pay for that level of accuracy. A repair is just that, a repair unless you're willing to pay for some insane machining and labor costs which will most likely exceed the value of the prop. Same as if you take your car in to the body shop to have a fender painted. Even the best shops will never get that fender to be as good as the one that was on the car day one. It can be extremely good but it won't be the same as new in a production environment.

In the end if you demand "like new performance" you're always going to be further ahead biting the bullet and buying new.

[Nautiquehunter]

I sent it back to ACME and still had problems?

[charlesml3]

Or they could be very critical of performance, which is fine if you're willing to pay for that level of accuracy. A repair is just that, a repair unless you're willing to pay for some insane machining and labor costs which will most likely exceed the value of the prop. Same as if you take your car in to the body shop to have a fender painted. Even the best shops will never get that fender to be as good as the one that was on the car day one. It can be extremely good but it won't be the same as new in a production environment.

In the end if you demand "like new performance" you're always going to be further ahead biting the bullet and buying new.

No, I'm sorry but that analogy doesn't work here. There are loads of VERY good prop shops around and they rebuild props of all sizes. A good shop can straighten, weld (if necessary) and computer spin-balance a prop to the point it's indistinguishable from a new one. They do this all the time. There is absolutely no reason a properly rebuilt prop would deliver anything other than "like new performance."

Every inboard owner I know keeps a spare. Whenever we hit something, we put the spare on and send the bent one off for repair. A quality repair will run $150-$200 which is FAR less than the cost of a new prop.

If you're getting poor repairs, switch shops. Find one that does QUALITY work. I've always used Bobby Soles because someone here recommended them years ago and I know their work is top-notch.

-Charles

[bturner]

Respectfully, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. So by your logic you would be willing to pay the same price for a repaired prop done by Bobby Soles or "loads of other shops" as a brand new one since they'll both perform the same? Sorry, not buying it. If there are loads of other shops doing such great work why is the OP and other posters (myself included) having the same experience? I'm also willing to bet that even Bobby Soles doesn't turn out a perfect prop every time unless of course he's reached another level of enlightenment others have not obtained. Heck even the OEMs don't make perfect props every time.

Everything is new only once. Once you grind, weld or beat on something you change the original spec of the prop. Even if you are able to get it back into shape and balanced, metallurgically it is not the same. I don't doubt for a minute your guy Bobby does some great work and I also agree that there are some great shops out there doing magic to props. That said my experience has pretty much been the same as the OP and others. I'll stick with my original statement.

"In the end if you demand "like new performance" you're always going to be further ahead biting the bullet and buying new."

[charlesml3]

Respectfully, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. So by your logic you would be willing to pay the same price for a repaired prop done by Bobby Soles or "loads of other shops" as a brand new one since they'll both perform the same? Sorry, not buying it. If there are loads of other shops doing such great work why is the OP and other posters (myself included) having the same experience? I'm also willing to bet that even Bobby Soles doesn't turn out a perfect prop every time unless of course he's reached another level of enlightenment others have not obtained. Heck even the OEMs don't make perfect props every time.

Everything is new only once. Once you grind, weld or beat on something you change the original spec of the prop. Even if you are able to get it back into shape and balanced, metallurgically it is not the same. I don't doubt for a minute your guy Bobby does some great work and I also agree that there are some great shops out there doing magic to props. That said my experience has pretty much been the same as the OP and others. I'll stick with my original statement.

"In the end if you demand "like new performance" you're always going to be further ahead biting the bullet and buying new."

No. A new Acme 1235 is $520. I can get mine rebuilt for $150-$200 (and I know because I've had it repaired a couple of times.)

And if the OEM prop isn't "perfect every time" then what difference does it make if the rebuilt one isn't either? By your logic, they're the same.

I don't understand how you're "getting further ahead" by buying new. You're throwing out a perfect repairable prop and spending $500 or more on a new one. If we're measuring this by your bank account, you're getting further behind.

One of my friends lives in the "perfect storm" for banging up her prop. She wakeboards several days a week and the lake she's on is LOADED with stumps. She has five props. When she gets three of them bent up, she sends them off for repair. At this point, she's always on a rebuilt prop. I've been on her boat. Driven it. No difference than a new one. My brother just received a rebuilt prop and two straightened rudders from a shop up in Norfolk. We put the rebuilt one on his SV-211 and it's perfect. No vibration.

You had a bad experience and a few others chimed in. Fine. You all got unlucky and the tech working on your prop did a sorry job. Don't condemn the entire practice. The rest of us are using reputable prop shops to rebuild and balance ours with great success. If they weren't able to bring a bent prop back to spec, they wouldn't still be in business.

[Nautiquehunter]

I did exactly what you said took it to shop per dealer recommendation came back with vibration . Sent it to manufacturer second time came back with vibration. Talked into the third shop with the promise of computer controlled accuracy came back with vibration. I spent 625.00 on repairs then spent 392.00 for a new 1579 finally no vibration. I am not saying all shops are bad but if the first repair doesn't go well just buy a new prop you will be money ahead.

[SkiTower]

I’ve had several props repaired, and only had an issue with one that was an emergency repair on a weekend getaway. I greatly appreciate his prompt repair but there was still a vibration. Thought the vibration was something else until Whitelake sent it off to their shop and it came back without the vibration. Find that good shop and it will save considerable money. In fact my back up prop is a repaired one I Whitelake had in hand.

[bturner]

I did exactly what you said took it to shop per dealer recommendation came back with vibration . Sent it to manufacturer second time came back with vibration. Talked into the third shop with the promise of computer controlled accuracy came back with vibration. I spent 625.00 on repairs then spent 392.00 for a new 1579 finally no vibration. I am not saying all shops are bad but if the first repair doesn't go well just buy a new prop you will be money ahead.

Now you've gone and done it. You've disagreed with Charles and to make things worse you (like me, I guess) have somehow disparaged an entire industry for stating your experience. Prepare for a flaming response for your insolence...... :-)

By the responses it would appear several of us have shared your experienced. I (along with several of my friends) have had both good and bad repairs with the my best and most consistent being from OJ which was the manufacture of the prop in question. That said I also don't go through multiple props a season which would allow me to experiment with multiple prop shops for quality of repair and in truth have probably only had something like 3 repaired in the last 7 or 8 years, maybe even longer (and I'm good with that). While others may disagree with your logic on buying new (and that's OK too) I can see how that could work for you. Personally when I get a new boat I'll run the original prop until something happens to it or I need/want a new one or a vacation trip makes having a spare a requirement. At that point the repaired/old prop typically becomes the spare as my thought process would dictate that the new one is the better prop. But that's just me. If that doesn't work for you you're welcome to do as you see fit.

[Nautiquehunter]

I live across the street from Lake Lanier GA. We average 250 plus hours a year on 5 different boats . Over the last 10 years I have had 5 prop repairs done 3 of them on the 1579. The others were a aluminum IO for the pontoon and the 3 blade supra prop that was not damaged but had a vibration. I think I would quit boating if I had to go to a lake that damaged my prop multiple times a year . If you hit something at speed you are very likely to bend the strut or shaft or something else?