MAINTENANCE
In most cases, aluminum, stainless steel, and bronze or NiBril propellers can be repaired. Curled blade edges, missing pieces of the blade edge, and bent blades can all be straightened and filled. The central hub in aluminum and stainless steel propellers can be replaced. Usually, if more than 1/3 of a blade is missing or the metal of center hub of the propeller is damaged, the propeller cannot be repaired. In addition, aluminium propellers that have been repaired multiple times may not be able to be repaired due to metal fatigue.
PROPELLER SIZING
The proper propeller size for your boat and engine combination is based in part on the wide open throttle (WOT) operating range for your particular engine. You can find this in your operator's manual, expressed in terms of a certain horsepower at a certain r.p.m.
The goal in propeller selection is to determine what style and size will maximize your boat's performance, while allowing your engine to operate in the recommended r.p.m. range. The correct propeller will prevent the engine from over-revving, yet allow it to reach the minimum r.p.m. where the maximum horsepower is produced, with ideal engine loading.
Out trained technicians will help determine which propeller is right for you.
PROP EYE SCANNER
The Prop Eye is designed to automatically measure the pitch, rake, tracking and squareness of a marine propeller. Laser technology is used to scan the Z axis. The degrees of rotation along with the radii of the propeller are established through computer interaction with encoders integrated into servo motor drives. The Prop Eye is designed to be fixed on a single tapered center point. The single center point allows the laser to be rotated around the propeller for data acquisition. The Prop Eye scans in both clockwise and counter clockwise directions and records data for up to seven previously defined radii as set by the user. The complete scan can be accomplished in as little as two minutes. The simplicity of a single point fixture also allows for mounting to several different platforms eliminating costly set up time. The Prop Eye can scan a larger diameter propeller while still being able to measure the 50% radius on a smaller diameter propeller.
CUTLASS BEARINGS
The proper generic term for these bearings is stave bearing or sleeve bearing. The vast majority of boaters would not know what I am talking about, had I used the title; "Replacing A Sleeve Bearing".. I chose the word cutlass carefully because it is well accepted, and understood by most boaters, as to what it is/describes.
With our commercial tools, we can quickly remove and replace your bearings. We stock standard sizes and can have custom sizes delivered overnight.