Ok -- I bent one of my duoprop's this past weekend near an island in the Palm Beach Inlet -- I was backing the boat to set the anchor -- so I was going slow -- but had not trimmed the drive up and the back prop and some rocks joined each other in a grand unification ---- OK -- I hit the rocks --

I bent two blades -- one about an inch in and bentover about a half inch --- I would take pictures -- but I never do.

Once home I removed the prop -- took out my large ball been hammer -- and a nice 4x4 block of wood and now all is good -- well -- pretty much -- although it is not prefect of course.

My quesiton is this
-- How many people do this --
and how many would "never touch it" ----

I have done this many times over the years --on both aluminim and stainless props --- if I detect any vibration at all -- then it is back to the "adjustment" -- I have never had seal issues or anything else in 25years of sterndrive use.

I have never tried it. Were there stainless props that you repaired? My concern would be that they would be out of balance or that i would do more harm than good.

Yes == Volvo F5 stainless --

I sanded out some dings in an aluminum prop once with a belt sander. Seemed to work fine after that.

The Volvo props are run through an MRI scan, and dynamic balanced for a reason. A slight off balance may not be detectable at the melm, but over time, your outdrive will detect it. It's a pay me now, or pay me later thing.

I would not touch Volvo or Mercs' stainless DP's myself.

Balance that was my first concern. You don't want to destroy your outdrive to save a few bucks on repairing a prop.

That said, I've filed down a few nicks and dings on my SS Vengence Prop... but is is just a single too.

OUCH! Sorry Dale can't help you. But was it Peanut island?

Yes == We snorkel at Peanut Island frequently --especially since the new revised "reefs" --the fish quality is pretty close to the Keys now ---- Do you get down here?-- or are just aware of the area?

Grew up in Palm Beach County- lantana rd and 441, then out in the acreage(when it was all dirt!), spent many a night with my dad and others fishing in the mouth of the inlet and the turn basin. Great to hear they are revitalizing the waters there. It had gotten pretty abused in the 80's!

Capn, just to be one hundred percent clear, when you say "MRI scanned" are you referring to Magnetic Resonance Imagining? The MRI I saw done at a prop shop sure was NOT like an MRI you would get at a hospital. The prop shop's MRI doesn't stand for the same as a hospital's MRI.

Dale, I have seen props repaired this way, and will do mine if they are not very bad. I wouldn't worry for a minute about the balance, cause you'll feel it right away if you did it wrong. If you can't feel it, you will not hurt your drive.

I am not at all worried about it -- I was just curious who else would "fess up" to repairs to their their props like this.

StarFisher -- you would not even recognize the island now. They just opened the old Coast Guard Station and JFK's emergency bunker to public tours a few months ago ---

Cool, might be time for a trip down there to check it out! Not during tourist season though!!!

I filed and bent my alum Black Max several times one year; then sent it to a prop shop at the end of the season. Lake/River had a sandy bottom w/ shoals and it would get nicked every now and then. I've seen some props that looked pretty poor being launched at ramps, and I don't even use a ramp that much.

Never mind. I should not have said anything.

I do that and have also sucessfully "brazed" aluminum props with Durafix rods and a propane torch.

You mean you shouldn't have said this:

I should not have posted to this thread. Period.

Little hot, eh?

Disappointed would be more accurate.