prop wear?

[dartman]

I have been told that over time a prop loses cup. I'm not getting the performance from my boat that everyone thinks I should. No bow lift, low speeds (53 MPH). My prop is a 13 1/2" - 25 Renegade that is 14 years old. It came with the boat. It's in good shape no dings or visible damage. According to the factory my boat should run 60-64MPH. Also, the spray is in front of my console at WOT. The boat will not get back on the pad at WOT. I've checked for hull hook and soft transom and these are not a problem. I'm going to try a Raker in the spring but I wanted to see if anyone knew about this losing cup thing.

[BassBUFF]

What kind of boat are you running?

[OutdoorFrontiers]

I actually have heard of such a thing happening.  You have to remember that the metal was originally forced into the cupped shape to provide the lift for your bow.  Each time you run the boat, the metal of the prop is being stressed and forced by the pressure of the water.  In time, the cup flattens out.

I'd be willing to bet that you'd be amazed at the difference in the prop's contours between what it once was and how it is now.  I'd have to say that 14 years of service, it's time to have the prop re-worked. 

A good prop shop can recup the prop for a whole lot less than a new prop!

Steve

[dartman]

BassBuff, this is sort of a continuation of the thread ( correct prop?). I'm going crazy trying to figure out why my boat won't run right. Thanks for any help.

[BassBUFF]

OK got my head on straight !

I had a '89 275 w/ 150 Rude XP on it and it would hit the high 50s. I was running a 23p Raker with added cup. I would take the prop to a good shop like Steve mentioned and have them look it over/rework it. You'll get more speed out of a Raker IMO. I would bet a 24p Raker with some extra cup would wake it up!

[OutdoorFrontiers]

Dartman,

Another thing I thought of is, "Is your outboard producing the original horsepower?"  If it's the same age as the prop, you might want to consider having a compression check run on all cylinders.  It's possible that your outboard's cylinders are beginning to wear and you're getting some blow-by around the rings.  If your outboard is doing this, you'll not get the horsepower your motor is rated for...

Steve

[dartman]

I did a compression check and everything was great.

[traveler]

Lots more info needed to make an intelligent comment. Most 18/19 ft bass boats with a few exceptions will run up to 64 MPH when propped right. If you think you need more lift[and it sounds like you do] you may consider a four bladed prop. I seriously doubt if you'd wear the cup out of a stainless prop. You may work one out in 14 years by filing and cleaning up the nicks and dings but not by pumping clean water. How much sand is in that water you been pumping??  Just my opinion.

My 91  275 stratos would run a GPS 64 with a tournment load with a four bladed prop.

[dartman]

The Renegade is a 4 blade.

[BIG PAPA]

14 year old boat, wooden stringers and transom, old foam insullation,
water weight?

[dartman]

I wondered about that but the boat was never left in the water, always covered, and the previous owner bought it new and never used it much. In fact the last 3 yrs. he only used it 2 times. That's why I checked for hull hook. Also, I would think if it gained that much weight it would effect everything. This boat has a blistering hole shot and quickly gets to 53, 54mph but seems to run out of trim.

[BIG PAPA]

My last boat was 8 years old , never left out a single day. Just happen to live 20 mins from factory, when my boat slowly lost 6-7 mph Owner of company told me it could have gained as much as 300 lbs. from water regardless. Had the cap pulled and sure enough everything was soaked, it was in shop for repairs anyway so I just traded it in.