Going to need new props

Need new (used) propellers in future. 42LRC perkins 6.354T so far so good on engine and boat operation. I bottom dive the boat frequently and try to keep running gear as clear of growth as possible and zincs replaced. However after all these years (may be original props) the 23x21 bronze props are seeing some trailing edge corrosion. Getting pretty raggedy, I plan on future replacement. I think a lifetime of galvanic action has taken a toll. That is where my questions come from. I don’t run hard, enjoy 1750 RPM 7-7.5 knots. Don’t care much about WOT, care about my sweet spot and making my Perkins live longer. Shaft is 1-3/8”. After spending a few weeks surveying what is available, not seeing much. Have reviewed all past forum discussions some good info absorbed.
Question 1: I am currently searching for 3 bladed Bronze or Nibral 23x21, 23x20, 23x19. Pretty sure they would all work for me. Anyone have experience operating any other sizes successfully (again mostly low speed operation )?
Question 2: Anyone use the Anchor Bushing® Bronze Propeller Bore Reducer, they would allow me to consider 1-1/2” and 1-3/4” bore props also?
Question3: Any reason to try and upgrade to Nibral over current bronze if I can?

Thanks for any advice or tips - Jim

Check with a good prop shop in your area. They may be able to rebuild the props and add some metal if necessary. It would likely be cheaper than new props.

Comodave said:

Check with a good prop shop in your area. They may be able to rebuild the props and add some metal if necessary. It would likely be cheaper than new props.

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Second that motion.

I bought my current prop from Deep Blue Yacht Supply, a Michigan DQX 17x12 four blade, it cost about $500.00. If the diameter and pitch you have works well doing as previously suggested makes sense unless the ultimate cost is the same or exceeds new. Trying to save money by going to a different diameter or pitch may not be the best idea, props have a fairly narrow range for best efficiency.

Comodave said:

Check with a good prop shop in your area. They may be able to rebuild the props and add some metal if necessary. It would likely be cheaper than new props.

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I have just dealt with a prop shop this Spring for this very thing. Fortunately, mine weren't bad enough to need replacement... YET. However, I asked about filling the edges with braising or somehow repairing the edges with metal and I was told that there are too many contaminates deep in the corroded sections that the new metal would never adhere well enough for it to be a permanent fix. When they get bad enough to consider repairing, replacement is the best option.

Modern full service prop shops can work miracles. They can change pitch, diameter, replace missing metal, balance, cup, rebore, etc.

Honestly, you could take just about any prop( within reason) into a good shop and they can rebuild it to your specs.

pete

After a long unproductive search for used props I purchased new props from Deep Blue Yacht Supply. They did not have my 22X16 3 blades in stock and it was a 6 month lead time to order. I was willing to fudge the pitch an inch either way. So I ended up with 4 blades. I did not see any advantage to nibral. The old bronze props have probably been on the boat for 20 or 30 years.

Thank you all for replies. I do appreciate the exchange of ideas. Ideally would like to go into next haulout with new/used props on hand. Going new seems pretty expensive, both for maybe $4,000 with perhaps months of order time. Feel the existing probable have served their useful life, surely 20-30 years maybe more. I think the material properties of the bronze may have changed over time. The edges seem nibbled and rather brittle. Would not want to be in a jam during haulout, with no options except the hope a prop shop could do magic for reasonable cost in a short turnaround.

I've had two experiences with buying used props. Both took at least 6 months to find the exact props needed. First was for my Uniflite, I needed 26x26 with 1.75" shaft. After 8 months of searching I found a 'spare pair' of Michigan Wheel, still in their box from a sport fisher that were exactly the right props, they were basically new and much cheaper than new.

The second was for a grand banks 42 and after several months of looking, the only ones that were found were the wrong shaft size. We used bore reducers to adapt them and they have given good service. Either new or used, it can take quite a bit of time to get the correct props in hand.

Both sets were found on craigslist. I tried lots of shops, put my name on lists with people that said they found props, called every few weeks to popular prop shops to no avail. Repetitive searching of craigslist in several coastal areas (the entire west coast) was what worked in both cases.

Also, depending on your vessel's configuration, it may be possible to have a diver swap the props so you aren't tied to a haul out to fit them. I've had that done once, it was a bit challenging to find a diver that could do the work, but in the end it did work out OK.

If the blade tips are going it's usually from letting the zincs lapse or bad boat wiring. My current props are 50 years old and fine.

I bet you'd be surprised what a good prop shop can do to restore props.

lepke said:

if the blade tips are going it's usually from letting the zincs lapse or bad boat wiring. My current props are 50 years old and fine.

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^^^^this

How are your zincs? Do you have shaft zincs or a single hull block? Agree that the zincs should be waisting away and not the props. No way I would be looking at new props at this point.

Thanks again for replies. Yes, I think zincs may have contributed. There are shaft zinc anodes, rudder zinc anodes, and a single block zinc. Rudders are great, no issue. Single block looks good, normal slow wasting. I can admit over the life of those props, the shaft anodes were not continuous and lapses surely occurred. I do hear the replies that perhaps the props can be saved, so maybe I will line up a prop shop before hand. Then have a two prong approach, keep aware of replacement props also and even underwater replacement after haul-out, if called for.

If upon hauling, you find can save your current props, put your "new" pair on and recondition the old one. My brother has two sets of props and at every haulout, swaps them. Takes the removed set home and cleans them up and applies anti-fouling coating when ready for next swap. Saves time and prop shop costs in the yard.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255036200970?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3b6157980a:g:YPQAAOSwxBJfF7UR&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACgPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSg3Ye8yTWgOW7pmE1t838dkLRomKhUr%252BSo3MzjKbz9A7dhkDdKqxsWctiinbu7Iqp1U5E5tEbujHnldB092fiLP4kXrySUWOguckVtiLZg3VohilAuL59XB5Bvly7%252FqLpy3TCfsJOnKmaOEEjF9rehmflKev015%252FGDTDLl2kpsRRZlb9WxhXcIuSj3go4Xq3iZ5bqBl9Re5RvbB4RO6XPPrvslREr9FocJkXdOsCOm6YTV9iiDlNUy5nqocJ1SjQc6PcjbFpFPTJQ0VuR1FYe4l8z43hJomR8AeHKhLeuITIJu9azlk7j956eEs6R5OIaUSzWDzO48hO9CEoNqE42swJD82dVDTy7S33urGGuIozVRBU0MZzCEGHY7SOw0d2X60Lbn4DUlJHTQpWFEFBIHeXZ6TItZUvNeO6HZucSdV20xzPlENvdquKos9kog4eb6QwYm5yxn25UrrSQP28LcJNmhV61XrACcMt1syPa6MMZJfhhlfSVmc64mVsBIBaGHNS%252Fl79swbaK5IkGQxQjTI78%252FK%252F6Z1gX8NF5X1ZTvlEE0HkhymfG9Du3oYSm9IcWFpH8QGNAHzAILZNwEm0t4cCM9ioWXv4f1s%252BxYjVjpRyTo1uDwdxmD%252F%252BFldxAVFuMLXMF%252BR%252BlGDUHs9iBbOqjKR7%252By9wUoaWm83m4%252BZBG7qhfnwYdlHLmHpsrMRMvjtVfAfqkf9eyK%252F2UKanZ1mepMmOJb3etCc0rlZU7unvCh8Xa7pXGU7YJ6IIvzMXAjgkxAOTl6VZ1BWCYiO0mKSsa6XeG4%252FKvtFmL6jMt7Qg0zaY%253D%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524


https://www.ebay.com/itm/164810647258?hash=item265f7ae6da:g:RN4AAOSwQUFgFxa4


I have used the bushings plastic for one size up and bronze for 2 sizes up. Both worked fine for me. They come with a stepped key.


Also, a nationwide Craigs List searcher (like Search Tempest) can make quick work of finding what you need.


Like this: https://newlondon.craigslist.org/bpo/d/bozrah-propellers-blade-bronze/7334005078.html

Brooksie said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255036200970?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3b6157980a:g:YPQAAOSwxBJfF7UR&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACgPYe5NmHp%252B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSg3Ye8yTWgOW7pmE1t838dkLRomKhUr%252BSo3MzjKbz9A7dhkDdKqxsWctiinbu7Iqp1U5E5tEbujHnldB092fiLP4kXrySUWOguckVtiLZg3VohilAuL59XB5Bvly7%252FqLpy3TCfsJOnKmaOEEjF9rehmflKev015%252FGDTDLl2kpsRRZlb9WxhXcIuSj3go4Xq3iZ5bqBl9Re5RvbB4RO6XPPrvslREr9FocJkXdOsCOm6YTV9iiDlNUy5nqocJ1SjQc6PcjbFpFPTJQ0VuR1FYe4l8z43hJomR8AeHKhLeuITIJu9azlk7j956eEs6R5OIaUSzWDzO48hO9CEoNqE42swJD82dVDTy7S33urGGuIozVRBU0MZzCEGHY7SOw0d2X60Lbn4DUlJHTQpWFEFBIHeXZ6TItZUvNeO6HZucSdV20xzPlENvdquKos9kog4eb6QwYm5yxn25UrrSQP28LcJNmhV61XrACcMt1syPa6MMZJfhhlfSVmc64mVsBIBaGHNS%252Fl79swbaK5IkGQxQjTI78%252FK%252F6Z1gX8NF5X1ZTvlEE0HkhymfG9Du3oYSm9IcWFpH8QGNAHzAILZNwEm0t4cCM9ioWXv4f1s%252BxYjVjpRyTo1uDwdxmD%252F%252BFldxAVFuMLXMF%252BR%252BlGDUHs9iBbOqjKR7%252By9wUoaWm83m4%252BZBG7qhfnwYdlHLmHpsrMRMvjtVfAfqkf9eyK%252F2UKanZ1mepMmOJb3etCc0rlZU7unvCh8Xa7pXGU7YJ6IIvzMXAjgkxAOTl6VZ1BWCYiO0mKSsa6XeG4%252FKvtFmL6jMt7Qg0zaY%253D%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524


https://www.ebay.com/itm/164810647258?hash=item265f7ae6da:g:RN4AAOSwQUFgFxa4


I have used the bushings plastic for one size up and bronze for 2 sizes up. Both worked fine for me. They come with a stepped key.


Also, a nationwide Craigs List searcher (like Search Tempest) can make quick work of finding what you need.


Like this: https://newlondon.craigslist.org/bpo/d/bozrah-propellers-blade-bronze/7334005078.html

Click to expand...

I hate to think of the shipping costs for any bronze prop. Shop and locally.

Ah couple coats of "speed prop". You want the prop/s balanced both statically and dynamically.

The $2500. pair of props has freight included...


I've shipped props aprox. this size here and there, usually about $40-$50


Even if you buy a new one somewhere, the price has freight built in it somewhere.


I like to pay about 1/2 new price including shipping for a good prop.


You can get a bad new prop too, I've had one that sang and one that had several spots of the wrong alloy where the manufacturer had 'repaired' craters in the casting b/4 machining. They were both new Michigans and no they didn't make good either time.

I have a pair that might suit you Check the classifieds on this site Heading props for sale