Most outboards or sterndrives will either have a split pin or tab washer arrangement and you can use general tools or purchase a propeller wrench to remove the prop. If you have noticed any damage on your inspection the next step would be to remove the propeller from the shaft. It is very cost effective to have your propeller professionally repaired and serviced the average cost of a repair is about £38.50 + VAT and you will almost certainly save this outlay with increased efficiency and fuel economy.

If you do find any damage then it’s time to remove it and have it repaired, we wouldn’t recommend a DIY repair as they are rarely successful and usually end up in the prop being beyond repair, you wouldn’t believe the damage a grinder can cause in the hands of the inexperienced !!. (2.) Possibly the most significant affect of damage will be on the hydrodynamic qualities of the propeller, people forget that the blades are in effect small wings spinning at very high speed in fact anything up to three or four thousand RPM, at these speeds the water flowing over them is traveling extremely fast and therefore even slight damage will have a very significant effect on the water flow and reduce the overall efficiency. (1.) If you think of the propeller purely as a wheel for a moment any damage will affect it’s dynamic balance, much like a car with out of balance wheels, as an example of how critical this is just look at how small the balance weights are on your car in relation to the size of the wheels. The blade should be smooth if you can feel any damage in the form of burrs, pieces missing or bends however minimal it will signify that the propeller has at some stage come into contact with a submerged object, don’t forget anything you can feel counts as damage, it seems that many people think that a small amount of damage is acceptable- this is not so and here’s why-Damage to the blades will affect the performance in two basic ways. If you feel the prop looks fairly OK run you fingers around the propeller blades taking particular attention to the leading edge. big dents, severe bends, missing pieces or even missing blades etc!!, don’t laugh it happens the propeller defiantly needs repairing. So what are the recommendations? The first step is to have a look at the prop, if there are any obvious signs of damage i.e. When was the last time you really checked your propeller thoroughly?, have you noticed a drop off in speed?, does your boat vibrate more than it used to?, does it use more fuel?, chances are that most boat owners will have experienced one or more of these symptoms at some time, if so the following tips could save you money and make your boating a more pleasurable experience.

30 chopper 2 propellers