Choosing a Prop
 

Not to hijack my own thread, but since you're all here...

I have choice of 3 props. All are the same pitch and diameter. Beat up aluminum, brand new aluminum, and nice-shape stainless. I'm reading up on the graveyard and some other local landmarks, all seemingly made of granite and just below the water. No real reason for stainless in fresh water, so should I use my banged up Aluminum or my brand new (arrives tomorrow) aluminum?

The old one performs okay, and I'm not out breaking speed records. But I worry about it being out of balance - one fin is pretty mangled in a spot the size of a man's big toe. I don't want to put extra wear on the seals of a 25+ year old motor.
Mount new and carry old as a spare?

Engine makes a huge difference in the prop selection process. Anything over 4.3 liters should really have a stainless steel prop, IMO. The torque that bigger engines make will flex the blades badly on an aluminum prop and make the boat feel mushy. Below 4.3 liters, there's not a big advantage to stainless steel. I suggest not hitting rocks no matter what you choose. I would get the damaged prop repaired by a local welder (cheaper than a prop shop) and use it as a spare.

Local Welder
 

Dave-
I've got an older damaged aluminum prop (1.5" chunk out of one of the blades) I'd like to have repaired to keep as a backup. We have a 3.0L I/O. A new prop is $125 so sending it for repair @ $80 seems a bit high. I'd be interested in any local welder suggestions you have, I called a few but none I called do this (East Coast Welding for example doesn't).

Thanks.
-Wiezy

A guy named Brian Henderson in Belmot says he does them on a facebook post. He posted his number: 603-249-6002

I do not know Brian and have never seen his work in person, but prop repair ain't exactly rocket surgery, so I imagine he can easily fix it.

I would like to preemptively point out that despite a popular rumor, propellers do not need to be perfectly balanced. The bearings in the lower unit are easily able to handle unbalanced loads. I built a balance rig when I repaired a prop many years ago and got mine perfect. I then put a brand new prop on it and discovered it was way out of balance from the factory. Both props worked fine...