Why do people wrap their prop?

[agallant80]

Went to check out my boat at the storage place yesterday. A good 1/3 of the boats had a plastic bag wrapped around the prop. I can't think of anything good that will come of this, I can only think of all of the bad things that come from trapping moisture in a place.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

Typically, the thru-hub-exhaust prop is wrapped to prevent rain from entering and collecting in the lower unit. Freezing weather will cause the rain to freeze and expand, cracking the lower unit. The bag is not really necessary if the lower unit is stored vertically since no water can get in through the prop.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

Field mice....... plenty of room for them and water.

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

I can't think of one bad thing that would happen to a propeller wrapped in plastic. Makes sense to me for the reasons mentioned.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

the first guy did it b/c he didn't know better and the others did it b/c they saw him do it. People are like that.

It won't do any good and it traps moisture which is harmful. If the motor is vertical (as it should be) no water can accumulate. If it's tilted up, a plastic bag is not secure enough to cover the risk of accumulation + freezing.

Put it in the bad idea department.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

I guess it's ok as long as you remember to take it off before you hit the water. Otherwise you're going to have chopped up baggine in your impeller and/or the lake. I believe in the UK they have to wrap them in a bright orange bag while in transit simply as a visual warning to cars behind them, like a the triangles on horse buggies.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

I wouldn't wrap it. Just make sure the drive is trimmed down as far as you can go w/o having the skeg in the ground....

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

If my boat was at the marina over winter, I would remove the prop(theft) and maybe bag the shaft to keep it clean and mice and critters out, storing the L/U in the down position.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

No need to bag the gearcase. It will cause more harm than good. If you are in a theft prone area, pull the prop and take it home. I never had any trouble with critters moving into my exhaust housing. There have got to be less smelly places for them to live.

BTW - I think Home cooking had it right. Monkey see, monkey do....

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

No need to bag the gearcase. It will cause more harm than good. If you are in a theft prone area, pull the prop and take it home. I never had any trouble with critters moving into my exhaust housing. There have got to be less smelly places for them to live.

BTW - I think Home cooking had it right. Monkey see, monkey do....

Because it didn't happen to you doesn't mean it didn't, can't or hasn't happened to anyone else. I have had critters take up residence in the lower and the boat was in inside storage. As for water doing damage -- that can only happen if that water freezes. Isn't an outdrive designed to be "in the water"?

 

[Slip Away]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

So a prop that can get moisture on it is bad ?? Learn sumthin' new every day round here......

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

My dad stores mine in his yard and always wraps it in plastic despite me telling him not too. I never thought about the mouse thing with through hub exhaust, I wonder if wrapping it in a breathable burlap sack would work or if it would just give mice more nesting material.

 

[Stumpalump]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

Dirt Dobbers get in engines down south. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P4r6Gh_FtVo&desktop_uri=/watch?v=P4r6Gh_FtVo

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

So a prop that can get moisture on it is bad ?? Learn sumthin' new every day round here......

not the prop itself but all the other workings down there, including the bushing.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

Has anyone actually ever seen damage done by rain water freezing in a drive tilted up?
Reason I ask is the majority of motors in my area are tilted up all winter and I've never heard of any issues except on the interweb.
And we get -40 weather here.

I would think as it froze and expanded it would just expand in the direction of the hub outlet.

 

[izoomie]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

not the prop itself but all the other workings down there, including the bushing.

Water in the prop is fine of course, but if it freezes and expands, pop goes the lower unit case. I trim mine all the way down and then take out the battery, per manufacturers winterizing instructions. If you just drop your unit off at some yard and they need to move it around, they will want it trimmed up, then it needs to be sealed from water.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

Yep, Marc! Right here in S.E. Pa. I have seen an OMC with a cracked gearcase and a Merc tower of power 115 with the gearcase split wide open. Subsequent melting let water into the gearcase and because they were now open to air, ALL the internals rusted. Yeah, freezing water can do a LOT of damage.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

Gee, wrap it in burlap, if the critters are an issue. At least it will dry out, after it gets wet in the rain.

As a matter of course, it is almost always better to allow water to drain off items, then to try to seal them up. If the attempt to seal an item is the least bit faulty, it will trap moisture and hold it against the item all winter. If water drains, the metal is painted and it dries out, usually no corrosion will set in. Only if the water lays on an item it will usually corrode.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

Yep, Marc! Right here in S.E. Pa. I have seen an OMC with a cracked gearcase and a Merc tower of power 115 with the gearcase split wide open. Subsequent melting let water into the gearcase and because they were now open to air, ALL the internals rusted. Yeah, freezing water can do a LOT of damage.

Are you sure it wasn't because there was water IN the gear case that froze?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Why do people wrap their prop?

when I lived in the frozen north and stored my boat outside, I routinely propped the bow as high as posible (on a 2' diameter, 2' long section of oak) and had to have the outdrive tilted up because it hit the ground. in that case, I would double wrap the outdrive to keep water out to keep from freezing.

then I bought a house with a large shop, and could keep the boat inside for a winter. then the outdrive was lowered.

after that, I had off-site storage in either a heated barn, or a new storage unit. in either case, stored with outdrive down and no bag.