But if a relatively newbie outboard owner were to say, run at wide open throttle through a shallow area (2.5 feet deep) in the St. John's River and the motor starts thrusting up and down, and in the process end up with lots of knicks and dings in the prop.
What would be the best way to repair those dings...with a metal file and just file them down smooth?
What about the black paint covering the prop...how bad is it if the between the dings and the filing some of that paint is removed on the edge of the prop blades?
Small bends can (should) be straightened with pliers and/or an artfully applied adjustable wrench.
Even small dings and bends can have a surprisingly adverse affect on top speed and gas mileage, and can cause vibrations that will damage your prop seal.
I wouldn't worry too much about missing paint; you can touch it up with a spray can if it bothers you.
If it's dinged badly, take the "opportunity" to purchase a spare (you need one anyway), then have the original rebuilt; usually about 1/3 the cost of new, and even badly damaged props can be fixed good as new.
If you send your hypothetically needy prop to a PropScan dealer, they can theoretically repair its shape to better than new. Some larger boats buy their props and have the new props sent to a PropScan shop so they get a best matched pair for their twin engine setup and lowest vibration.
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I never used PropScan, so if you apply their theory, please post back with your empirical data.
Thank You
Robert
Up here we have mainly aluminum fishing boats and lots of rocks in our lakes. So, to "ding" up a prop is very common. With that in mind there is a place in Duluth, MN called the "Prop Shop" and that is their main business. Fixing props. They even have remote drop-off places for you to get your prop to them. Many guys up here always have a spare prop with them just in case they need it. Hypothetically, of course.
It's been a few years since I have required their service and I'm sure it depends upon the size of the prop and the damage, but I think it cost somewhere around the $50 range. They do good work.
At least you theorecically damaged yours in the water. I actually dinged mine on land backing into one of those water/air dispensers at the gas station getting air for my trailer tires. It sounds hilarious now not so much then. Hypothetically speaking! Go with a prop shop. It is what they do. Mine was seriously bent and the guy got it back to better than new. Some people actually bring props to these guys to have them tuned and balanced. Cost was only about $20 to $40 bucks, theoretically. He even applied the black paint.
