Crack in prop .. best way to fix it?

[fishfeatures]

I bought a spare prop for my boat cheap from a mate. It has a slight crack in one of the blades approx 2 inches from the tip and it 's about 1-2 inches long. It's only a slight crack and i was wondering what is the best way to stop it from spreading across the blade. I was thinking about putting JB weld on it and sanding it smooth? someone did mention drilling it so it would stop increaing also but i don't really want to drill my prop.

In case it matters it's an 13 3/4 x 15 prop that goes on a Johnson 60 which is on my fab little 14ft fletcher speed boat..

 

[barbosam]

Re: Crack in prop .. best way to fix it?

Honestly I would not trust a homemade repair on a prop. The balance of the prop can easily be thrown off and cause serious vibrations and further damage to the prop and motor. I personally would only trust a prop repair done by a qualified and professional prop repair shop. A prop repair is usually much cheaper than purchasing new.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Crack in prop .. best way to fix it?

I 2nd that.But Being only a spare I supose you could just ignore it.
But a spare is not only to get home with but to fill in while the other is repaired.

 

[fishfeatures]

Re: Crack in prop .. best way to fix it?

God advice but if you look at my location, prop shops are few and far between and these so called pro's charge a fortune. It alone cost 70 euro to get a shaft straightened , convert to US dollars and you'll see what i'm on about. It 'll cost at least 50 euro for a prop to be done by a pro, that's why i asked on here if I could do it as it's only a slight crack and surely wont throw the prop off that much.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Crack in prop .. best way to fix it?

I think we're all assuming it's and aluminum prop so if that is true, the correct way is to drill a stop hole at the end of the crack or it will continue to crack further. You can then grind into the crack slightly on both sides and either TIG weld it or try jb weld. After that you can grind it down smooth making sure to match it to the surrounding surfaces and then paint.

It may have some vibration at higher speeds and this is not a good thing for wear on your engine so you want to avoid those rpm ranges when possible. Having a spare prop can be a god send but a spare doesn't have to be perfect it just needs to be there when you need it.

 

[fishfeatures]

Re: Crack in prop .. best way to fix it?

thanks sschefer, that seems like the route to go although drilling a hole into the prop does bother me but hey, if it solves the issue and doesn't create another one then I'll give it a go thanks.