Question: I have a chip on 2 of the blades on my prop, do i get a new one?

(Posted by: onetwo on 2010-06-13 11:46:20)

I have a small chip , no more than a 1 cm or so... there is 1 chip on 2 blades.. it is on a new 3.5 mariner outboard, with the plastic prop.. is it worth having replacement? Im taking it for its 1st service soon, so they may pick up on it...? any idea of cost of prop? Thanks

Posted by: EYEANSWERYOU on 2010-06-13, 11:47:46

If it doesnt cause any problems when you drive it, you will be ok. but if you cant control it very well, you might drown

Posted by: 45 auto on 2010-06-13, 12:38:14

Either replace it or try epoxy and see if it will stick sand to smooth.Chips and bent cause out of balance vibration which in time will cause the lower unit to take in water.

Posted by: DininZolond on 2010-06-13, 13:29:56

If it's just little nicks in the plastic, check for cracks. If nothing is there, you're good to go. Any kind of cracks, holes, etc. can be filled in with epoxy yes, however, if you are not accustomed to making repairs with epoxy, the adhesion could fail (due to bad mixing on your part) and fail on you depending on the situation. So in other words, I would advise replacing it. Sounds like you run aground with the prop while it was running. If these chips are tiny little gouges off the leading edge of the prop, check for cracking along the blade. If you don't detect anything, you're ok. You'll lose a bit of thrust, but nothing you'd notice right away. Price wise, since you never gave your engine brand and size, it can be 80 to 250 dollars.

Posted by: JetDoc on 2010-06-13, 14:29:22

Either dress the chips properly or replace the blade. If you leave it as it is, the chips will turn into cracks, and the blade will fail.

Posted by: 80's kid on 2010-06-13, 15:16:00

Any chip or defect on a prop blade will cause cavitation, which is basically excess drag and turbulance through the water, and will effect the efficiency of the boat. In the end, you will lose some of the power or speed of the boat. Now, because this is only a 3.5 hp engine, i wouldn't lose much sleep over it (no offense). If this were say 350 hp engine, now we're talking another story here. Some places fix props, so maybe thats an option, although im not sure if plastic props are fixable. I know aluminum and s/ s are. How much can a new plastic prop cost anyway? You may want to upgrade to a new aluminum prop while youre at it.