When you decide to put together your ‘to-do list’
for winter haul out, did you remember to check the
propellers to see if they needed attention? Now you
may be asking yourself, “How do I know if I should
pull the propellers?”; “Is there any place I can
take them where they can be evaluated and adjusted
for what is best for my vessel?”
A few of the indicators for
end-of-season propeller maintenance may be things
that you’ve been living with for some time and
figure that is just the way it is supposed to be,
such as the throttles being at different positions
or burning more fuel on one side than the other. Did
it seem like you were continually using the trim
tabs to adjust the attitude of the vessel? Did the
bow rails or the bridge ladder seem to have a slight
vibration that came and went away at a certain RPM
range? All of these can be the result of propellers
that need tuning.
Let’s take the throttle issue,
for example. With the manufacturing tolerances an d
differences in weight that your boat has collected
(spare parts, tools, future projects, clothing,
etc.), the loads that are put on your drive train
will be noticed with different throttle settings to
compensate for the differences in pitch diameter and
cup. The motors have to overcome these same
differences by burning fuel at different rates.
Different pitches between blades will cause your
vessel to want to ‘dog walk’ or have difficulty
keeping a straight course which then forces a trim
tab adjustment. This same condition will also cause
a slight vibration just like a bad universal joint
in a car, or a moaning sound in the motors.
If you’re not sure about the
way your vessel ran this past season, take a visual
inspection of the propeller blades. If your blades
are working in harmony, they will all appear fairly
clean and smooth. However, if the blades have
discoloration or areas that are shiny with other
areas with a coating that looks like built up dirt,
or if you’re not sure, then bring them to us and we
will explain what we see and measure them to be sure
they are the most efficient for your application
while you watch...at no cost!!
Come to Wolverine Propeller and
see what your boat has been missing! Contact us on
the web at
Propguy@Firststep.net or call 866-PROPGUY
(776-7489) TOLL FREE to discuss boating issues. We
are re-power specialists and drive train repair
experts. If you have had a long standing issue that
has plagued your vessel, let us use your knowledge
of your vessel along with our propeller expertise to
get it corrected the first time!
May you have light winds and
calm seas...PG
