I HAD a brand new prop on my Lund...

[cjromano]

My 2003 Yamaha 70 was the unfortunate victim of my love for river fishing. Tore up the prop pretty bad. Anyone have a good recomendation? Have you had any luck with refurbished props? Or does it just make sense to buy a new one? Cabela's has $60 props, and $200 steel ones. Any ideas? I'm not trying to win any speed contests, but I want something that will work well.

Can I do any damage to my engine if I run it with a tore up prop for a while?

Thanks -

[Phred52]

Drop Jay Soderbloom an email at Soderbloom.com He repairs and retails best of all he'll treat ya right. Phred52

[2dalake]

If you run your motor with a damaged prop you risk damage to your lower unit by causing the shaft to spin on an uneven axis. The shaft will develop an elliptical rotation which will wear the seals, then your lower unit housing will start leaking water, then your grease gets diluted, the metal parts can wear and seize up, which in the worst case scenario causes the whole thing to freeze up and shear.

Chalk up your outboard.

So I'd take your prop to a shop that rebuilds them and if they can't help you get a new one.

[klbowe]

When buying a prop you need to decide how much risk you are willing to accept or how much money you are willing to lose to gain the performance you desire and also figure in how much you know about the body of water you are on.

If lake levels are low or I am fishing a new lake I pull my stainless and replace it with the aluminum prop. If I know the lake and the trouble spots the stainless is on and I do my best to keep it safe.

If you are very familiar with the river a stainless prop will handle most floating debris much better than aluminum prop will.

If the odds are in favor of hitting a large rock or bottom I would rather have an aluminum prop installed than a Stainless it is easier on your motor.

[Surface Tension]

A damaged prop will prematurely wear out your lower bearings and seals. Bring in your damaged prop to the shop and see if its repairable. Talk with Jay Soderbloom about your prop. Based on your discussion with him you'll get a nice rebuilt prop with an added tweak to boost its performance to your needs.

[cjromano]

Phred52 -

Thanks for the tip about Soderbloom. He was really helpful and offered to repair the prop for $30 with return shipping included. Turn around time of a few days.

I'm still looking at buying a 2nd aluminum prop. He sells both Michigan Wheel and PROPCO. Any opinions?

[Phred52]

Hey, You're welcome. I recently was in the same situation as you. Unfortunatly, I sent my prop in through our local (only) marine dealer. I ended up at the CLEANERS! All said and done $73.55! THEN I seen about Jays' HSOforum. I ordered the Mich Wheel prop from him. I did ask what the difference (quality, rebuildability, etc.) was and he told me they were equal. I went with Mich Wheel because I was familiar with the name. I bet I spent 20 minutes on the phone with him, he's very knowledgable and personable guy. I will Definitely be sending any of my future work/ purchases his way. If you talk to Jay, ask why the difference in the price between the 2 brands. It has to do with how he buys them. Watch out for them ROCKS!!!! Phred52

[This message has been edited by Phred52 (edited 08-06-2004).]

[cjromano]

Phred52 -

I talked with Jay for about 10 minutes too. He seemed to feel that Michigan Wheel was a higher quality. His exact words were "the PRADCO is a good backup prop". The Mich Wheel is $117 and PRADCO is $79.

I know what you mean - my dealer wanted $85 to repair it and $17o for a new one.

[Northlander]

Ive worked with Jay on several props and icehouses. He is very knowledgable and wont talk ya! I highly recomend Jay! By the way check out his HSOforum. He makes docks and all kinds of neat things to add on to them. Also his wife does AWESOME canvas work.

[Phred52]

CJROMANO, Just out of curiousity, which way did YOU end up going with your Prop problem? I couldn't find ANY better deal on mine, just wondering if you found the same. Phred52

[cjromano]

Phred52 -

I ended up buying the Mich Wheel from Jay. I got it in two days - just like he said. I sent the other one in to get repaired. He charged me $30, although I had to pay UPS $15 to ship it - it was still cheaper than any of the dealers in town. I had that in 4 days, just as he said.

The only issue was that when the Mich Wheel came, it was a model that did not have part of the housing (the part inside of the propeller). I couldn't figure it out and ended up putting my old prop back on.

I talked with Jay and he was really helpful. He looked into it and has sent me another one that should fit.

I don't understand why some of these dealers are such a pain in the *** to deal with. You would think they would realize that if they treat you right, you will come back to make biger purchases, refer friends, etc.

I will definately continue to use Jay - his service beats anyone in town, hands down.

[Northlander]

You will be happy with any sort of bussiness you do with Jay! He is a great guy and wont blow ya any smoke!

[rickmp]

How much damage to a prop will cause problems? I have a small nick in one of my blades, and hadn't really thought about it being a problem until I read this, now I'm worried about it. Should I be?

[Phred52]

cjromano, good to hear you had pleasant dealings with Jay, Sometimes things get screwed up at the factory too, at least Jay WILL make it right. Best thing you can do is, Keep passing Jays' information along. Share the Knowledge!!! And the experience. "Nobody's PERFECT, but some are closer than others". rickmp, Give Jay a call, Info is free and he is Darn good! As stated above, "He won't blow you any smoke". It's the GOOD ones we wanna keep in businness! Phred52

[This message has been edited by Phred52 (edited 08-22-2004).]

[ktjig]

How do I get in contact with Jay Soderbloom?

[Phred52]

ktjig, Sounds like your prop "found" the rocks! May I suggest first going to Jays' HSOforum at Soderbloom.com? He has an online catalog so you can find just what you need and the price. Then you can either contact him by email or his 800 number. NICE guy and VERY knowledgeable. He can answer most any question about a prop you may have. GOOD SHOPPING Phred52

[This message has been edited by Phred52 (edited 08-25-2004).]

[ktjig]

Thanks Phred52

[IFallsRon]

Precision Propeller in St. Joseph. 320-363-4637. They return damaged props to like-new condition. I paid about $45 apiece to have two used props reconditioned.