Many Thanks:
 

I wanna thank the crew of the Freemont tugboat for a free tow back to the launch. I spun a prop while in the ship channel about 3 miles from Ellender's. They were nice enough to come along side when they saw me struggling to troll back! This happened a week last Sunday. [emoji41]Attachment 90367Attachment 90368Attachment 90369


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That's really cool

Good deed.....

Good to see! glad everything worked out.

You spun a prop just running down the ship channel?
I am always concerned that we spin a prop while offshore but I asked the people at the prop shop in lafayette and they said that you only spin props when you hit a reef or some other underwater obstruction.

Is it possible to spin a prop while running in open water? What else can spin a prop?

The prop bushing is damaged when the prop hits the bottom or some object. The bushing can "fail" if you get in too shallow of water and the prop is hitting the bottom for a long time.

Every time the prop hits something...... the closer the bushing gets to "spinning". Over time, the bushing weakens and could spin out the next time the prop hits something or maybe while you are just running in open water.

Usually you can tell when there is a bushing problem, because the engine will turn a little higher RPM for the speed you are running. It kind of feels like the engine has lost some power.

When this happens...... slow down. You can usually still run at a fast idle to get back to the boat launch.

Thanks for the detailed reply, Gerald.
is there a way to check to see how badly damaged the bushing is before it goes out or is it one of those things that you just have to wait for it to fail (most likely when you are 40 miles offshore with a storm approaching).

Keep a cheap spare prop on board even if wrong pitch or aluminum. It will get you home at least.

I edited my other post for ways to tell if the bushing is starting to fail.

There is no way to tell the condition of the bushing unless you take it apart....which usually requires special equipment.

Some of the larger outboard engines are made so that the bushing is very easy to change..... if you keep a spare bushing in the boat. You still have to take the prop off.... and on the water there is a high probability that it could be dropped while doing this.

The other alternative is to carry a spare prop and tools needed to change..... which I always keep in my boat. I have stopped several times along the bank where the water is very shallow to change a "spun" prop.

I always keep a spare prop bushing, washer, nut, and cotter key in the boat. Got left at raccoon point one day with busted bushing and learnt my lesson. I had to change it once since then on the water and it only took about 5 minutes.

I find the props bushings that slip in tend to wear down much faster that the ones that are pressed in. When mine is getting worn i notice the prop chatter in a lot louder than when I have a new bushing in.

What are you calling the prop chatter? Is that the sound I hear when I shift the boat into gear?

Olmstead told me the bushings have a lifetime. Mine was 10 y/o. Never hit anything with it! $70 to replace.


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No, the noise the prop makes when you are idling.