Done with #@!! ProPulse

P

Pat Anderson

New member
For the third time in our boating career, we broke blades off the ProPulse. First time, in the CD22, with twin 40s, got back on the unaffected engine. First time on the CD25, changed out the prop while bounding around in Bellingham Bay - not easy. Third time, yesterday returning from Sucia, exact same spot as second time, at Pt. Francis where Hale Passage enters Bellingham Bay, it happened again. The four blade prop became a one blade prop, and no she go. It was WAY too sloppy to even think about changing the prop, thank heavens we had the BF15 kicker - 5 knots across Bellingham Bay. Going back to the stock 3 blade stainless now, who knows, the way we are loaded down now, it might just be the cat's meow. Anybody who wants the ProPulse for a BF150/135 and three blades (had two spares, you'll have to buy the fourth one), PM me, I will let it go very reasonably.
 
OK, went to replace the broken blades on the ProPulse, and the bloody center hub itself was broken - so much for the strength of the composite material! So here's the deal - I have 3 new in box replacement blades, Part No. 9501, which retail for $29.95 each, so this would be ~$90 plus tax at WM. Anybody who has a ProPulse for a BF150 can buy these three blades from me for $50, and I will throw in the one remaining used blade, which appears fine, and all the rest of the hub parts. I will deliver to the Bellingham CBGT or Gulf Island cruise, or you can pay me what it costs to ship it to you FedEx. Any takers?
 
Pat, I would buy your propulse parts but they will not fit on mine. I do have a question for you though. Did the outer or inner hub break?

Thanks
stevej
 
Here's a pic of the break. Actually it broke in all three places where the blades broke. Anybody care to hazard a guess as to what is going on here?



Broken_ProPulse_Hub.sized.jpg

stevej":nrpjqtl7 said:
Pat, I would buy your propulse parts but they will not fit on mine. I do have a question for you though. Did the outer or inner hub break?

Thanks
stevej
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Pat, My guess is, plastic parts vs 150 hp and rocks! Horsepower and rocks win :embarrased Besides, Stainless is much more macho :smiled
 
Got a new aluminum 15.5 x 15 x 3 prop on order, sorry! SS is great but just too expensive! Not sure whether this is the right decision, but the die is cast! Stay tuned!
Dreamer":i5lfby10 said:
Pat, My guess is, plastic parts vs 150 hp and rocks! Horsepower and rocks win :embarrased Besides, Stainless is much more macho :smiled
Click to expand...
 
Pat Anderson":17dh2hvy said:
Got a new aluminum 15.5 x 15 x 3 prop on order, sorry! SS is great but just too expensive! Not sure whether this is the right decision, but the die is cast! Stay tuned!
Click to expand...


Not sure what broke it, but if you periodically hit rocks, then by all means go aluminum. Whatever broke it, the aluminum will be stronger, and hopefully will not tear up so bad that you cannot limp home. However, a Stainless prop is so strong that much of any impact energy would be transferred to the splines and prop shaft..or worse. Better a prop then your lower unit.
 
Anybody care to hazard a guess as to what is going on here?
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It's all that PNW sunshine. Is the boat stored outside with the prop in the open when on the trailer? Maybe some UV degradation taking place? (I can't believe I beat Joe to this one.)
 
Pat, I was serious with the UV question. Here's just one line quoted from an online reference I used:

UV energy absorbed by plastics can excite photons, which then create free radicals.
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Seen many radicals wandering around? Maybe your prop was sabotaged and this is a Homeland Security matter.

Where is Joe?? I know DoD is sometimes slow with his erudition, but I am worried about the professor.
 
Pat, you have my sympathy. I broke the plastic prop in the middle of 'Dent rapids.

I now have an Apollo stainless steel prop, 4 blade by 16 pitch. Its imported by Michigan Wheel. a dealer balanced it for me under warranty, and we're using it on the Great Lakes this summer. So far its pretty good. It was ~$200, on the internet. Another $25 for a spare shear fitting.

I think the plastic is just too brittle, cause we hit something small and it took out 3 blades. that's unacceptable, dangerous and downright scary.

Boris
 
Pat,

I know you've ordered the aluminum. I used aluminum for many years, having the props welded and reground almost every year. Much better than plastic, BUT - now that I've experienced the resilience of Stainless Steel, I'd be reluctant to go back to aluminum.

Last Christmas, while up in the San Juans, we bumped alot of logs in spite of taking great care. Those stainless props show no signs at all of trauma.

Also, down in Oklahoma, with all the flooding, we're dodging logs every weekend again. Still not a sign of nick, bend, or trauma of any kind on the stainless prop. I think you'd get your money's worth out of stainless by just avoiding the costs of re-conditioning the aluminum.

Thanks for posting your experience with the comp props, though. I'm checking them off my list of possibilities!

John
 
I graduated from alum. to stainless years ago. Ain't never goin' back. Too much stuff in the water here in the winter (11 months of the year) and I couldn't afford all the prop repairs. Have never had to replace a stainless prop nor damaged a lower unit. Fingers crossed!

Dusty
 
Thanks for the picture Pat. The reason I ask is that My propulse broke the hub in the same place this last weekend (40 miles of shore) so I had to do an on the water prop change back to the aluminum prop.

I have never hit anything with my prop so am thinking this is a problem with the Propulse design. I ordered a new hub will be interesting to see if the design has changed.

If the propulse did not perform so much better than the aluminum prop I would have some reservations about going back to it. I do have to say that the Propulse has been problem free for over 4 years and I was never able to go a year without damaging the aluminum prop and spending 50 to 75 bucks to have repaired.

I think Boris has the right deal with the SS 4 blade Apollo but I hate to spend the money to go that route when I may replace my motor next year.

Thanks again
stevej
 
Pat,

Relating to your question with the picture, "Anyone care to hazard a guess.."

I'm not an engineer, but I have worked on some injection molding designs and designed several injection-molded devices. Also, we cast things alot in the Dental field.

It looks to my like that product has a two-fold problem. One is in the design, which leaves a minimum of material, a rapidly diminishing bulk, right in an area of heavy load.

The other is that, unless special care was used in locating the injection ports, two 'blobs' of molten material are meeting exactly in that weak design area.

The right angle fracture line is not the way a piece of well-injected, glass-filled polycarbonate would break. It is a weak spot.

Design and manufacturing problem - that's my take on it.

John
 
Sorry Tyboo, I stayed overnight at the lake, where the marina and esort don't have Wi-Fi (good)_

The myth about stainless props damaging lower units and engines fails to take into account the rubber slip bushing that replaces the sheer pins found on much older motors (anybody else remember those things?)

I bought a new stainless prop the the new Yamaha two years ago, but eventually took it off because I didn't like the big bump/clank when shifting. A 14 lb stainless prop is a lot more massive than a 4 pound aluminum one, and shifts like it.

I also bought a 4 blade aluminum Solas, but the difference between that and the OEM three blade wasn't all that significant.

So I've returned to aluminum props, and buy ones that were taken off motors that had stainless replacements put on them. If you watch carefully, you can get them for $50-$60 on ebay, which is cheaper than repairing your existing prop at the typical prop shop. Small repair jobs I can do myself.

Joe.
 
Pat Anderson":2l58pdpj said:
OK, went to replace the broken blades on the ProPulse, and the bloody center hub itself was broken - so much for the strength of the composite material!
...
I will deliver to the Bellingham CBGT or Gulf Island cruise, or you can pay me what it costs to ship it to you FedEx. Any takers?
Click to expand...

Hey Pat - with a recomendation like that folks should be lining up to take those off your hands :roll: !

Cheers,
Tom
 
Sea Wolf":366pbz3w said:
Sorry Tyboo, I stayed overnight at the lake, where the marina and esort don't have Wi-Fi (good)_

The myth about stainless props damaging lower units and engines fails to take into account the rubber slip bushing that replaces the sheer pins found on much older motors (anybody else remember those things?)

Joe.
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I am not in total agreement here. While the "slip" bushing indeed acts as the old sheer pin with rotational inertia, preventing shaft twist or spline breakage; a lateral impact which would deform an aluminum prob could bend a shaft, bend a spline, and thus affect the gears as well.
:smiled
 
JimD-

You wrote:

"I am not in total agreement here.While the "slip" bushing indeed acts as the old sheer pin with rotational inertia, preventing shaft twist or spline breakage; a lateral impact which would deform an aluminum prob could bend a shaft, bend a spline, and thus affect the gears as well. In other words, if you hit something hard enough to break blades, there is probably enough lateral force generated to cause damage. An aluminum or composite prop would minimize collateral damage."

And I agree! Thanks for pointing it out.

Joe.
 
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