What Does it Take to Recover a Lost Prop?
Published: Wednesday, August 4, 2021
By: Eve Gribble
It was Friday on a planned weekend in August at Middle Bass Island Marina. We were the last to arrive. The wind was out of the west at 24 mph and we were heading to A-18, which meant the wind was blowing straight up the entrance and would blow us off the dock. Everyone was on the dock to help... and watch.
Bill had brought Just BilEve into many different docks in many different conditions. We were all confident. We had made the turn and Bill was on the throttles to bring her over to the dock. He put the port engine in reverse “with authority” and then we heard the POP. Suddenly, there was no power on the port side, there were boats on all sides, and the wind was dictating.
We backed, trying to get in the center of the aisle, then forward with the rudder to get out of the bottle neck. We drifted over to the fuel dock and it had cleats, so I tied her up. We all had a big sigh of relief and the peanut gallery cheered. Celebration ensued with much chatter on the docks.
The next day we used the inflatables as tugs to nudge us over to our proper dock. The 2.5” shaft had broken, and the prop had fallen in the water somewhere on the east side of A Dock. Later in September, Bill contacted Deep Six Diving, where he had been certified low these many years ago, and still had his card. Four from Deep Six and Bill dove a whole day and did not find anything. A proper search grid could not be followed as the seaweed was so thick and visibility was near zero.
Throughout that winter the topic would surface among friends, and each would add their thoughts as to where the prop may have fallen. It was more than 100 lbs. and 26” across! You wouldn’t think it would be that hard to find. Finally, a plan was hatched to try again in the spring before the weeds were too thick and the water was still clear.
It was Saturday, May 22, with overcast skies and warm air but the water was still cold. Bill and his cousin, Kenny; his girlfriend, Scuba Sue from Deep Six; Tyler, who was in the September group; and his dad, Tim, made up the divers. Wanderer and Dust Cutter were there to witness. One by one, the divers slipped below the surface and we watched the bubbles.
It was barely 30 minutes when Tim surfaced. “I found it!” In a flash, Bill was half out of his suit and connecting a sling and lines to the davit. Turns out the propeller was about 15’ off the side of the boat! We dragged it over and reset the lines to bring it aboard with the end of the shaft still firmly bolted on. We all cheered and the celebration ensued, again.
We are very grateful to all that helped in all the many ways, especially Deep Six Diving Center in Akron OH. What a great way to start the summer!
A version of this article appeared in the Summer Issue (July/August) 2021 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Feel Good Story, Lifestyle
