Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

[DrNo08]

VP SX-M Cobra Outdrive 1.79 ratio. Serial #4112054940.

Pretty bummed out and could use some advice. My second time on the water in a boat i've been working on continuously for over a month. A barge had just went through about 20 or 30 minutes prior to me hitting a log or something in the middle of the lake. Thinking the barge churned up the debris. Cruising about 30 mph then THUD. Boat stops. Engine keeps going. I kill it. Everybody looks around wondering what just happened. Prop lost half of one blade and about a third of another. I know the shaft is bent cuz it wobbles when spinning by hand. But spinning it by hand is the only way it turns. If you put it in gear it revs but doesn't spin and you can hear clanking noises. If it's not cranked but in gear you can spin it by hand with no resistance. Whatever it was cut about an inch long gash in the bottom fin. No known hull damage.

I have insurance but it's a thousand $ deductible. Whats the likely diagnosis? How much am I about to spend if insurance doesn't cover it? I have a good mechanic friend but this may be out of his league.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

Call your insurance. When I bent a prop shaft on my VP it was well over 1K to fix. I don't remember the exact amount, but it is expensive to replace. The shaft alone was almost $600 and I did not break any gears or spin the hub.

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

I have geico. I've never taken out a claim with them so I hope they pay.

 

[jimmbo]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

I have geico. I've never taken out a claim with them so I hope they pay.

If they don't, make sure you tell everybody.

 

[wellsc1]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

First time I took our boat out, I bumped a log and bent two lobes on aluminim prop. I replaced it with a SS prop and have the AL one as a spare (lobes hand straightened) for my 90 Yammy.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

Your $1000 deductible is going to be fraction of the total repair.

 

[jkust]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

Yes and that is a pretty high deductible for a boat policy. Be glad your out of pocket will be limited to 1k.

 

[Dave1251]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

My guess is the repair bill will be about $1,200 to $1,500. New prop $189.00. New drive shaft $603.00, new baering and seals $30.00, new drive save coupler $40, drive lube $35.00 Labor $300.00. Insurance will cover the repairs. All prices assume volvo penta original parts.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

With a minimum shop price of $90/hour, not sure how you would ever get that done for $300/$90 = 3.33 hours. Just not possible.

You also don't even take into account that there is internal drive damage based on the fact that the drive will no longer go into gear with clanking inside the drive.

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

If they don't, make sure you tell everybody.

I got a call last night from the Insurance Agent handling the claim. He pretty much said they were NOT going to cover this b/c of a number of factors and figures he was throwing out. When I heard that they're probably not going to cover it my head went cloudy and everything else he said after that is fuzzy. He mentioned the year of the boat (1999) and he mentioned depreciation and blah blah blah. I paid $3,800 for the boat the way it was. It's total value that I insured it for, not including the trailer is 5k. I have already spent about a 1k on rebuilding the engine compartment, reupholstering it, and having the head fixed due to 2 tuliped valves. And now this - the 2nd time I take it out! I'm not exaggerating when I say I feel like vomiting.

Boat is currently being examined by the marine shop. I expect to hear from them tomorrow morning hopefully.

I'm not scared to take the labor on myself to save some money. I guess just get a list of the parts needed from the mechanic and have him order those. Depending on how much this is gonna cost will determine whether or not my boating season has ended before it's really began. Sigh....

After speaking with some folks and showing them the prop most believe that I must've hit an old bouy that was floating beneath the water and not a log.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

So if the boat including trailer is insured for $5K then they should at least insure it up to what the boat is worth for a replacement value or probaly $4.5K whatever is lower. I guess I don't see why they wouldn't do something here. Either pay for the repair or total out the boat.

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

Mechanic quote came in. Goes as follows:

Prop Shaft - 540.80 #3857675
Bearing - 26.96 #3854249
O-ring - 2.64 #3852865
Seal - 26.96 #3863090
Housing - 272.47 #3858051
Drive Shaft - 50.96 #3852288 ?????? I think he meant #3852292
Prop Kit - 65.59
Prop - 453.47
Labor (6 hours @ $85) - 510.00
Skeggard - 130.59

Total - $2,230.79

Said the coupler on the top side is broke which is why there is no gears. Is this broken coupler what saved the upper unit? And the housing that holds the prop shaft is cracked too he said.

Does this seem right to you guys?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

Looks good. Is that how much a Volvo aluminum prop is? I am used to buying the DuoProps which are not much more money than that.

 

[JWFails]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

You an get a aluminum solas 4 blade on iboats for $105.

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

Looks good. Is that how much a Volvo aluminum prop is? I am used to buying the DuoProps which are not much more money than that.

No, the mechanic said he priced a SS prop. I have not yet seen the outdrive with all the housing removed, therefore i don't yet understand the mechanics of this outdrive. I know obviously the prop shaft bent and the coupler broke but is the coupler breaking what saved the shaft that sits vertically? And is that what the coupler is supposed to do - to act as a sort of "shear pin" to prevent damage to the upper unit mechanisms?

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

You an get a aluminum solas 4 blade on iboats for $105.

Thanks. I'll check into it.

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

I looked up the Drive Shaft with the number he has written down "3852288" and that is a HOSE, not a drive shaft. Did he mean "3852292"? If so, that ain't no $50 piece. More like $350! http://www.dougrussell.com/partscatalog/volvo_omc/index.cfm?fuseaction=comp&group=1432&GroupList=1417,1418,1419,1420,1421,1422,1423,1424,1425,1426,1427,1428,1429,1430,1431,1432,1433

 

[Maclin]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

If you go with a stainless steel prop just realize that it will have no give and on a hit like that even more of the shock from the prop will get transmitted to the lower unit.

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

If you go with a stainless steel prop just realize that it will have no give and on a hit like that even more of the shock from the prop will get transmitted to the lower unit.

I do which is why I'm gonna go with probably the $105 aluminum prop the guy above mentioned.

 

[DrNo08]

Re: Welcome to the World of Boating! Hit a log today. Prop not spinning.

I guess the coupler that broke did NOT save the upper shaft since the mechanic list the drive shaft as something needed (eventhough he wrote down the incorrect P/N and priced it wrong). Nothing is ever easy, gentlemen.