More on Props: Can Aluminum Props be rebuilt?

Carl

Carl

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I now that stainless mud motor props can be rebuilt but can aluminum outboard props be rebuilt?
Before now, I've only been able to find al props for my Nissan 18. I've got 3 of them that are pretty worn down from running & puttering around in the mud, sand, clams & oyster shells.
So, wondering if if the aluminum props can be rebuilt and if it would be cheaper to rebuild all three than buy a new prop. New al props are ~$90.00. Found a stainless one for $222.00.
Thanks!
 
Hi Carl. Not only can they be rebuilt, but they can be rebuilt many times. I used to have a 28hp Evindrude on my Snow Goose. Back then, I had one prop on the motor and another as a spare. Every year with out fail, I'd hit something while hunting, and have to put the spare on while the other one was being rebuilt. I'd leave the spare on till the following year, and then I'd swap it when I tore up that prop. Each prop was rebuilt 5 or 6 times. We had a machine shop not too far from me that would do the repairs, I think for around $50 bucks each time. A prop reapir was just part of my yearly hunting expenses.....

John
 
If at all possible try and go directly to the source as a opposed to taking a prop to a marine...unless you have one you really trust and like. I have found that only a handful of prop guys are found in any given area and they generally do all the work for everybody. Once I found the guy here I was able to go over and discuss several rebuild jobs with him and he put a little extra cup into the blade or adjusted pitch. And, it's usually cheaper to go direct as well.
 
I have had good luck with Midwest Propeller. They are big in the repair business and you talk to a human.
 
Lee,
Thanks for the lead on Midwest, they have stainless props for my Nissan for only $40.00 more than the Nissan aluminum ones!
 
Carl,

I've used Midwest prop a lot thought the years. Everything from adding material and re-finishing blades to replacing blades to re-hubbing. Cost is very reasonable too. They pick up props at my local shop every Thursday.

I thought I wanted a S.S. prop to cut down on fixing aluminum until I hit some riprap with the S.S. blade and shelled out my lower unit. For what it cost to fix my motor I could buy a lot of props. Now I use Aluminum and carry an extra prop just in case.

Ed L.
 
I'd third midwest. A lot of times when a prop is repaired the welded on material that forms the repair isn't attached very well and pops off when you have a strike with the repared prop. I have found the midwest work to hold up very well. The material that they add can usually be pounded back in place if you bend it to get a little more life from the prop.
 
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I'd be afraid of a stainless if I routinely smacked hard objects. They are nice for getting everything out of the motor because of no flex but I'd rather have a blade pop off than a shaft break or gear chip.
 
could someone clue me in about this. Why would a stainless prop potentially cause more damage to the motor if it hit an object vs an aluminum prop. Isn't the shear pin (or those new pinless hubs) the weak link in the chain? why wouldn't the pin break before a gear was busted?
 
could someone clue me in about this. Why would a stainless prop potentially cause more damage to the motor if it hit an object vs an aluminum prop. Isn't the shear pin (or those new pinless hubs) the weak link in the chain? why wouldn't the pin break before a gear was busted?
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Stainless is much harder than aluminum and the shock of the prop hitting something on an aluminum prop is absorbed by the prop (bending, chipping, chunking) whereas with a stainless prop, all the shock goes right to the lower unit as there is no give with stainless due to its hardness. Sort of like a race car. They are built to fly a part when they hit a wall as all the parts that fly off take some of the crash energy with them thus reducing the energy that a driver actually sees.

Mark W
 
Well, kinda....The weak link is the rubber hub, if it doesn't give then the blades have to....which won't happen on a stainless. Small motors have pretty weak gears in the lower. I think anything under a 35 shouldn't have a stainless prop and am not sure of any performance gain by using one. That's just my unedumacated guess anyway.
 
There was quite a discussion on this a while back and both sides were aired out. I run a stainless on my 75 Evinrude on my fishing boat but plain vanilla aluminum on the duck boats. Just part of my theory of not dropping anything of real value in the lake ;^)
 
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On intermediate-gearcase Yamahas (70 and 115 hp), I was always afraid of stainless but now that I've tried it I will not go back.

We routinely go thru 3-4 aluminum props per motor, per duck season (we often try to break rocks with our duck boats--sometimes on purpose sometimes not--and break lots of ice). This year we broke ice (and rocks) in conditions even more severe than usual and I was very happy with how the equipment held up.

To be honest I am shocked that the lower units did not shit the bed (especially on my 70-- I beat the hell out of that motor this winter) but they are still cooking along just fine and the fluid shows no signs of water entry, filings, high temps, etc.

For what it's worth the Yamaha outdrives have a reputation for above-average durability that's been borne out by my experience of the last 20+ years. Just never had the stones to try it with a steel prop until now. I also think this is a good place for a full synthetic lower unit lube, changed frequently. I also agree that little outdrives probably don't have enough mass to hold up to this kind of abuse. I'm still a little worried about the 115, that motor has a lot more drivetrain inertia and weight on top of it than my 70, but it will (hopefully) spin a hub before it hurts anything.

Performance wise stainless is nice. I can get out of the hole and run WOT with all 6" of lift on the jack -- I could never do this with aluminum. And though I'm not propped exactly right (a stainless prop "acts" like an aluminum prop of an inch or two more pitch, so I lost about 150 rpm on the top end) I am still getting a couple mph gain on the top end. & I am happy with the way stainless hooks up and stays hooked up in big heavy seas, driving the boat through confused waves without ever thinking about slipping or squatting the stern down off plane.
 
I will also say that the folks at Midwest have a very good reputation in the industry and can fix most prop damage. Past one lost blade the cost is a factor and a new one is freq. a better deal.
I will stand firmly in the rebuilders corner (We use CT Machine and Marine) and disagree with the idea that a proper job by a good repair shop is weaker in a dramatic way. ESP for the roto tilling most duck boats are used for. Carry a spare. But like many I use the AL for the reduction in loading to the gear box that is far more costly and harder to repair than bolting on another prop.
A stainless wheel is the cats A$$ for speed and some smaller ground strikes but is not where I want to spend the money on in the more common gravel dredging most duck hunters get into.
 
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