Help me choose a new prop for my Ski Ray inboard tournament boat

[Rugglesworth]

Hi everyone, I bought a 1998 Sea Ray Ski Ray tournament boat a couple of months ago. I had to buy a new carb and tune it. She's running great now. I had her out for her maiden voyage in the ocean last night. It ran great but seemed to me to have quite a bit of vibrations in the higher RPMS. The prop does have some damage, seems slight but still it's there. I'm thinking it's the reason for the vibrations. It has a 13x13 prop on it now which I feel was pretty standard for the time as my friends old 97 Sanger vlx had the same prop. I may just take it into see if it can be fixed but I am also thinking about getting a 4 blade made for hole shot for wakeboarding and doing some surfing.

What 4 blade prop would work for that? and what 4 blade would be the equivalent to my stocker?

The motor is a carbed 350 ski magnum

 

[Scott06]

Hi everyone, I bought a 1998 Sea Ray Ski Ray tournament boat a couple of months ago. I had to buy a new carb and tune it. She's running great now. I had her out for her maiden voyage in the ocean last night. It ran great but seemed to me to have quite a bit of vibrations in the higher RPMS. The prop does have some damage, seems slight but still it's there. I'm thinking it's the reason for the vibrations. It has a 13x13 prop on it now which I feel was pretty standard for the time as my friends old 97 Sanger vlx had the same prop. I may just take it into see if it can be fixed but I am also thinking about getting a 4 blade made for hole shot for wakeboarding and doing some surfing.

What 4 blade prop would work for that? and what 4 blade would be the equivalent to my stocker?

The motor is a carbed 350 ski magnum

If u can have a prop shop repair the prop you have and get a baseline with it beyond a couple uses. Yes 4 blade and or lower pitch will give more hole shot. This depends on current wot rpm

Vibration could be the prop, shaft, cutlass bearing or alignment as well as prop

 

[Rugglesworth]

If u can have a prop shop repair the prop you have and get a baseline with it beyond a couple uses. Yes 4 blade and or lower pitch will give more hole shot. This depends on current wot rpm

Vibration could be the prop, shaft, cutlass bearing or alignment as well as prop

Yeah for sure. We don't have a lot of prop shops around here but I have 2 dinged up stockers. Thinking I could fix both, sell one and keep one a spare and buy a new 13x13 CNC acme prop. I wonder what the performance difference between the old style vs the CNC?

 

[Rugglesworth]

If u can have a prop shop repair the prop you have and get a baseline with it beyond a couple uses. Yes 4 blade and or lower pitch will give more hole shot. This depends on current wot rpm

Vibration could be the prop, shaft, cutlass bearing or alignment as well as prop

the cutlass has no play and by eye last night there wasn't any shaft wobble. I did inspect the rudder this morning and it does seem to have quite a bit of play. That could be the source of the vibration. I wonder if I can get to it to grease it and or tighten it up.

 

[Rugglesworth]

I got a c clamp prop tool and will attempt to pull off the stock prop that's apparently been on there for 30 years. Should be a trip. I'm taking it into a shop on Friday and will probably get a new cnc prop at 13x11.5. I will report back once I've tried it out

 

[cyclops222]

You will need a accurate GPS speedometer and a accurate engine reading tachometer. To know what this prop is doing at about 3200 rpms and WOT rpms.

 

[Scott06]

I got a c clamp prop tool and will attempt to pull off the stock prop that's apparently been on there for 30 years. Should be a trip. I'm taking it into a shop on Friday and will probably get a new cnc prop at 13x11.5. I will report back once I've tried it out

heat and Kroil

 

[Rugglesworth]

heat and Kroil

So this is day two of this... loosened the nut sprayed some pb blaster in there. applied a lot of tenson on the C Clamp puller, heated the hub up for at least 5 mins, the prop fins were hot to touch, hit the back of the puller bow to stern multiple times with a framing hammer. It didn't move at all. Left it for the night with the tension on the puller hoping it may let go overnight. No dice.

Did the same thing this afternoon but with a 2lb sledge hammer. It still won't move at all... Should I be able to see the key? I see the slot but for the life of me I can't see the key... Could the PO have put the prop on and let the key slide up? Why else would this be so hard to get off? Getting frustrated but don't want to break anything...

 

[cyclops222]

The person who put it on IS A JERK !! POUND it on !!!
Stupid D I Y people.
I had to borrow a electricians HYDRAULIC gear puller 1 time.
Sounded like a high powered rifle went off.
Stay off to 1 side for hand protection.

 

[Scott06]

So this is day two of this... loosened the nut sprayed some pb blaster in there. applied a lot of tenson on the C Clamp puller, heated the hub up for at least 5 mins, the prop fins were hot to touch, hit the back of the puller bow to stern multiple times with a framing hammer. It didn't move at all. Left it for the night with the tension on the puller hoping it may let go overnight. No dice.

Did the same thing this afternoon but with a 2lb sledge hammer. It still won't move at all... Should I be able to see the key? I see the slot but for the life of me I can't see the key... Could the PO have put the prop on and let the key slide up? Why else would this be so hard to get off? Getting frustrated but don't want to break anything...

if it really has been on there for years some level of creativity/special words/brute force will be involved.

The key may not be the entire length of the keyway so not surprised you can't see it.

I would be patient with cycles of heat and penetrating oil. Not sure what kind of torch you are using but may need a bigger one as trick is to expand the prop but do it quickly before the shaft gets hot too. Can you get oil on the shaft in front of the prop so it trickles down the shaft?

Can you take the screw out of the puller and put a cylinder from a portapower in there?

Worst case you may have to cut it off. Usually on machinery at work when confronted with this cut a slit with grinder or sawzall parallel to shaft and use a cold chisel as a wedge to open it up

Given time of year you may want to leave it on until fall so you can use the boat. Or are the vibrations bad enough you don't want to use it

 

[cyclops222]

Those inboard drives have the dreaded Marine Taper shafts. Can be unreal to remove. If the prop shaft did not have all the uneven places under the prop area made perfectly smooth. Before putting on a different prop. We have cut the prop almost all the way to the shaft to reduce the holding friction forces. Get lucky.

 

[Rugglesworth]

if it really has been on there for years some level of creativity/special words/brute force will be involved.

The key may not be the entire length of the keyway so not surprised you can't see it.

I would be patient with cycles of heat and penetrating oil. Not sure what kind of torch you are using but may need a bigger one as trick is to expand the prop but do it quickly before the shaft gets hot too. Can you get oil on the shaft in front of the prop so it trickles down the shaft?

Can you take the screw out of the puller and put a cylinder from a portapower in there?

Worst case you may have to cut it off. Usually on machinery at work when confronted with this cut a slit with grinder or sawzall parallel to shaft and use a cold chisel as a wedge to open it up

Given time of year you may want to leave it on until fall so you can use the boat. Or are the vibrations bad enough you don't want to use it

Yeah I'd like to try to save the prop as it's definitely repairable. I'm going to call my local marine mechanical shop and see if they can fit me in. Maybe they'll be able to get it off. The vibrations are bad enough that it was noticeable over 3k I believe. I didn't want to keep running it and cause other issues. Although who knows what damage I've caused banging on the prop puller....