Boat Prop

[flyinsalt]

I was running down the center of a local river this week-end when all of a sudden I heard a sickening sound. My prop hit a rock or something right in the center of the river. I have a Suzuki 40 on this boat and it put a few dings in each of the blades. I was just wondering when you should replace the prop? How much damage has to be done to the prop before it must be replaced?

[pelkins]

NOt sure on a 40 horse, but I was told that any dings or bends can cause vibration and lead to bigger problems on larger engines. My props run @ $150. (basic 3 blade aluminum)TO me that is cheap insurance on a larger problem. I get my dinged props refinished and keep as spare on boat. I dont recomend using a refinished aluminum prop as your primary. My refinished ones have pitted and basically decayed where they did refinished in short time. my .02