Idiot of the week award..

OklaState19 · May 28, 2012

Goes to me!

First time at a new lake. Ran into some rocks trying to ski in a shallow bay.

2008 Sea Ray 185 Sport. 4.3L Alpha One. Usually run about 4 - 5 guys. Skiing/Wakeboarding etc.

Think I can just buy a new prop and skeg guard? If so, any recommendations? Or should I bite the bullet and take it in to a shop?

spdracr39 · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

You should have the prop shaft checked because it is probably bent.

catfishcarl99 · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

ouch. ya i would have the shaft checked. could cause more damage. if its not then you can get the prop and guard and do it yourself. cross your fingers.

OklaState19 · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

Could I just go ahead and replace it all myself? Then test it out? If its bent at all it will spin off center correct? Should be easy to figure out whether or not the shaft is bent. I didnt hit anything running, just drifted into too shallow of water waiting on a new wakeboarder to get set.

BonairII · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

OklaState19 said:
Could I just go ahead and replace it all myself? Then test it out?

Yup.

You'll want to run the motor at all speeds....to check(feel) for vibration etc.

catfishcarl99 · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

you broke all 3 blades and skeg by drifting? ya you can put it on and spin it. if its bad you can tell by the spin off or it may rub. slight bends will cause vibs at speed. the broken one may be bent so use a new one.

OklaState19 · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

No I drifted into shallow water, then tore it all up when I fired it up to pop up the wakeboarder.

90stingray · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

MAN, that baby is tore up! Sorry for your loss. What lake was that? Do you have a depth finder? If no, are you going to add one?

OklaState19 · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

Grand Lake in Oklahoma. And yes, just installed it before this trip! Which is why I am an idiot. We ran in the same water the day before and had no problems. There were several other boats out there too, just were about 20 yards away from where we should have been. Lesson learned, ALWAYS respect the depth finder.

I think I am going to go ahead with the purchase of a stainless prop and a skeg guard and install it myself. Then I will check to see how it spins. Hopefully all is well and I won't be taking it to the shop. I will post pics of the install.

catfishcarl99 · May 28, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

No I drifted into shallow water, then tore it all up when I fired it up to pop up the wakeboarder.

ok makes sense now. i was thinking hes trying to down play what happened lol. might have gotton lucky if it was at start up. just have to see.

Bob_VT · May 29, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

A nice stainless steel prop and skeg guard would a nice idea however, it would not have prevented the damage you have and you could still incur similar damage if you drift into the rocks in the future.

Yup, check the shaft and keep an eye on your lower unit oil too.

Based on your experience....... you might ALSO purchase a cheaper aluminum prop to keep onboard as a spare. Trying to limp the boat back on a damaged prop like that is not healthy for the outdrive.

steelespike · May 29, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

If you boat where hard contact(rocks) is likely a ss prop may be a poor choice an aluminum prop if not damaged beyond repair is less expensive to repair and will protect the drive train better than ss.Both props hubs should help as well but sometimes not enough.

OklaState19 · May 29, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

Shaft is bent..

jkust · May 29, 2012

Re: Idiot of the week award..

Bent shaft is a bummer. Betting it would have been worse had the alum prop not buffered the drive innards. That is the reason I stick with the alum props. With the 190hp, the improvement in performance with SS isn't huge anyway.

Idiot of the week award..

Cadet

Attachments

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Cadet

Commander

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Cadet

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Cadet

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian

Supreme Mariner

Cadet

Rear Admiral