Prop repair
 

A friend bumped a rock and dinged up his stainless prop. It's an $800 Merc Inertia prop so it's worth reconditioning. I remember being told about a machine shop in Laconia or in the area that reconditions and balances damaged boat props. Thank you in advance if you can pass along the name of the shop or any contact info so we can get my buddy back out on the water.

H & h
 

H&H repairs and recondition props. I believe they are in Salem MA but have a truck the picks up props all around the lake at marinas. Google them for more info.

A few years ago I did a nice Ding job on my stainless steel Merc "Cleaver". I took it to H&H in Essex CT. They quoted me $145 to fix it. When I picked it up they charged me $114.. I had to wait 20 minutes for the prop to cool off because they had just finished polishing it. Very satisfied. :)

In the meantime, you might be able to find a used "spare" at Fay's while you wait for the repairs at H&H.. Fay's has a attic full of used props. NB

I understand stainless steel props are superior to aluminum but given all of the rocks in Winnipesaukee shouldn't the average boater be using an aluminum prop?

H & H is Verrrry SLOOOOW
 

A family member hit a rock last August. I will grant that there were unique circumstances, needing metric parts (rudder port). Nevertheless, H & H dropped the ball over the winter and the boat is still not useable, despite many calls from my marina. Some parts can be shipped quite easily (props) but shafts, for example, are not easily shipped by UPS or FEDEX. Thus, the Lakes Region marinas rely on the H & H truck to make its rounds. Reminds me of the old westerns where the sheriff locked somebody up until the Judge came around (Circuit court). Over this weekend, a friend said he had just gotten a shaft back from H & H, that was out of true. No way to know when the warp occurred, but he believes the shafts are just put on the bottom of the truck. This one was from a 1950's boat, so it was only 7/8"' and perhaps more delicate than most.

Anyway, you can't be 100%, but with our short season, be aware. I agree with the suggestion for spare props, especially for outdrives and outboards where the boat doesn't have to come out of the water for a prop change.

H&H has been in business for many years and is the leader in the industry in New England. Never heard one bad report until the one mentioned here.
http://www.hhprop.com

BT

I think it depends on the boat and engine. Any planing-hull boat with more than 200 HP will really flex the snot out of an aluminum prop and will perform much better with SS. Under 200 HP and aluminum is typically fine.

GPS and good electronic charts are vastly less expensive than a new high-end SS prop. Seems like it would be worth having a chart plotter if you want to run expensive props. Mine helps me avoid hitting the bottom very well.

Prop Repair
 

Well, Dave said it all! But do not write off H&h as they are the leader in the prop repair business here in the NE. You will need to take the prop to your closets marina and expect a 14 day turnaround.

Actually the prop was damaged entering the channel of Green Harbor in Marshfeild Mass. My buddy is a salty and has never had his boat in Winni. He was approaching the channel in very heavy fog. His travel line brought him to the Nav buoy which is about 100 yrds outside the the channel entrance. Normally from that point you have a clear view. Maybe if he had zoomed in his plotter he would have realized that he was going to end up 50 yrds south of the jetty when he got a visual of the channel through the fog, He was moving very slowly so thought he could turn hard and make it in. The tide was as low as it gets there, 6 hrs earlier he would have cleared the rock by about 10'. He has a small gouge in the skeg and minor damage to the prop, he is as careful as anyone I know and has been boating for at least 20 yrs. The harbor Master told told him the channel very very tricky at low tide because the Army Corp did not dredge in May as they normally do annually, because they are working on another project. Some times stuff just happens. Thank you for the info, I will pass it on to him.
No doubt he is all the wiser from the experience. Oh and the boat has a 250 hp Merc Verado and the prop is what the marina recommended. I run aluminum on my 150 Merc. It works for me.

If the damage is minor and performance is not affected, there's no need to get it fixed. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no need to fix every little nick in a prop and as long as there's no annoying vibration, props do not need to be perfectly balanced. The bearings in the lower gearcase are exactly the same type used as car wheel bearings and have no trouble whatsover dealing with unbalanced loads. Think about how unbalanced the load is on a wheel bearing on a car, the weight of the car pushes on one side and there is no load 180 degrees from that point. A few grams of prop blade is nothing in comparison.

H&H does a bit too much polishing. They polished off the model and serial identification of my prop as well as the pitch. The result made it difficult to sell or swap the prop.

I have not seen the prop. Knowing him, and how anal he is about his equipment, he will most likely buy a spare and send this one out to be reconditioned. I understand what your saying and don't doubt you a bit. I guess everyone has a comfort zone. All his time is offshore. I go out 35 miles at times, it's common for him to be out 50 or more. there is no room for question marks in your head. If he's in doubt he won't go out. I just hope he gets back out soon. Thank eveyone for the help.