ImPROPer Installation?

[digitalMan]

OK - this question relates to a non-donzi, but since I do own one and I post here from time to time, I think this a legal post.

There's this guy at work who ran his deck boat aground and munched his 21P aluminum prop. He bought an exact replacement for the destroyed prop and installed it.

He claims that after installation he could not get any power out of the boat - to the point it would barely plane. A friend of his needed a tow so he went out and towed the guy. After the tow the boat performed perfectly.

I told him he had hurt the boat's feelings by running it aground. When he used it as a tugboat he once again proved to the boat that he needed it and he was forgiven.

He didn't buy my explanation. You guys got anything better?

[GEOO]

D-Man,
His engine was probabaly missing; running on less then all the cylinders. Then when he was towing, the engine cleaned out and he had all his power back??? GEOO

[RickR,GroveCity]

digitalman
Your buddy reinstalled his thrust bushing, didn't he?


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RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

[digitalMan]

He claims he put everything back on the way it came off, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm a 'computer professional' and I've tried to help him sell stuff on ebay. I always seem to be able to get his pictures up, but when he does the 'same thing' from home it doesn't work. He has a tendency to leave stuff out.

I've been boating for 20 years but I've never had occasion to change a prop on anything bigger than my Mercury Lightning. Would the boat act this way without the thrust washer? It seems like putting a load on it fixed the problem.

I don't think it was a engine problem from teh way he describes it.

[RickR,GroveCity]

If the thrust washer was missing the load caused the prop to mill metal out of the lower gear housing until it fit.
If not repaired he will have a blow out problem after he replaces the thrust washer.

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RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

[digitalMan]

Thanks Rick. He lives on the lake so I'll go see him the next time I'm out.

If I pull the prop off will the problem be obvious to me or is there something subtle I should look for?

[digitalMan]

Never mind. I knew I wasn't getting the whole story from this guy. The prop did just like RickR said, and that's why it started running better. He looked at it again then realized he forgot a piece. He replaced the piece and now it runs great.

I told him to look into getting the gear housing replaced. He doesn't seem to be worried about it.

And that my friends... is the REST of the story.