Ripped off on prop repair???

[mickjetblue]

I damaged the outer 3/4" of my prop blades when coming into the dock
and sent it to PropMD in Minnesota for repair. They weld fixed the blades and
charged me $75. Today I tried it on the boat, and when I accelerated to
plane, the prop just "spun out". The rpms went up, and no power. I made
it back to the launch, going slow. I asked the PropMD about this, and he
said the prop hub was probably damaged when the blades were damaged.
He said he doesn't do repair on old Volvo hubs. So, it looks like I paid $75 to
have work done on a worthless prop. Shouldn't the repair shop examine a
prop to make sure it is worth welding before making a repair? Could the
hub have been damaged during the blade repair? I read good testimonials
on PropMD's web site, but feel like I got "ripped off".
Any advice? It's a Volvo 14 x 21 with 17 splines.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

Nope -- It's not their problem and you generally can't tell by looking at it anyway. They told you the truth.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

You hired them to make the tip repair by welding. They did that. For $75 American, I think they were more than reasonable as to what they did.

You are responsible to determine if there were other problems. If the hub drive was damaged then a simple grab and turn test wouod reveal the problem. You would have to lock the drive somehow to find this out, but so would any prop shop.

If you are too ignorant (read unknowledgeable) to know what to do then you need to talk with those who help you about what you need. Please don't take offense. I am not competent to know what is needed to treat several medical conditions that I have, so I must talk with my physicians a good deal to make sure they know what I need and that I have relayed all the information that I have and what I want.

Any time both parties have any guessing room as to what the other wants or needs there will be dissapointment.

Once again, please don't take offense. Just see it from your prop shop's side. They don't make money if they don't deliver the services hired.

 

[wire2]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

Only $75? That's cheap. I do my own tig welding/repair but one of my neighbors took a Merc aluminum prop to a shop, it was damaged on 1 blade, about 1" in. For the blade repair and a new hub insert was $195 plus tax.

I do empathize with you on the wasted repair, I had a "Master" marine mechanic put new bearings & seals in an OMC stringer upper that had an obvious 1?" crack in it.
$680 wasted.
I did it myself the next time in a used but sound upper.
$100 for the upper, $80 for bearings & seals.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

I've only had 3 or 4 props done so not much expierence but it sure would seem to me a simple matter of a few minutes for a prop shop to test a hub on any prop with damage and should be part of normal procedure.
If I was running a shop and wasn't prepared to do a Volvo hub I sure as heck would want to be sure I was fixing a prop with a good hub.He wasted his time,and the cuctomers time and money and now he(the shop) is going to be bad mouthed.The shop should realize there are lots of folks out there that don't have a clue about prop construction or even know what to look for to
tell what might be needed.I can't imagine knowing he can't do the hub and going ahead with a repair without a test.

 

[mickjetblue]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

Thanks for your feedback, and I appreciate all responses.
It looks like there are differences of opinion about whether a prop shop
should fully inspect a prop before making any repairs to it. I worked in
maintenance for many years, and I thoroughly inspected every aspect of
work that I did, and I tested my work with each step. I think this is normal, but obviously not common practice everywhere.
Nobody answered my question about whether the prop hub could have been damaged during the repair. All 3 blades were repaired, and I think some heat was transferred to the hub bushing during the process.
Anyway, I have my other "old Volvo prop" on, and we're going boating today.
Have a good one!

 

[BillyFalcoln]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

I am retired, but used to do prop repair and propeller tuning for high performance bass boats.

While it is possible to put a breaker bar on and test a hub, it is not always that easy. The force that these hubs get from our motors is really something and probably wouldn't even show up then. Most prop shops that I know do not test hubs as a routine. If the customer is complaining of slipping, then they would replace the hubs. In other words, there is no real exact way to test a hub to see if it is bad.

Just by looking at it sometimes you can tell if it has been spinning by the rubber being flattened and melted.

I checked out their website and it looks like they advertise TIG welding only on aluminum repairs. TIG welding is the better way to go because there is not as much heat required thus reducing the chance of overheating the hub as well as replacing missing aluminum with real aluminum vs. some pot metal that gets soldered in.

To answer your question, you could have spun the hub when you damaged the prop.........but you probably would have noticed a lot of slippage as well as vibration.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

I'd certainly be disappointed if the shop I took it to did not check the hub, being obvious that it had been hit hard by just looking at the bent blades. It would be the last time I took a prop there and everyone I knew would know about it. They are the pros and should inspect the prop accordingly. It is not up to the customer to know what could be wrong...

 

[rooster1]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

i took my motor to a repair shop thinking they would rehub my prop i called to see if it was done and he said we replaced it i said it couldnt be rehubbed he said yea but they didnt do that kinda pissed me off but oh well

 

[BillyFalcoln]

Re: Ripped off on prop repair???

From a previous post.....

"It is not up to the customer to know what could be wrong..."


But it is up to the customer to be informed and ask questions. This goes for all of us boating types. Even if I think I know what the problem is with my rig,,,,,I still ask questions and see if their answer makes sense.

Be informed.

The bottom line, there is no exact science to tell if a hub is spun. Period. I feel like I am defending the prop shops...which I shouldn't because there are a lot of bad ones out there. Just don't expect a service that doesn't exist.

Being retired, I don't miss the customers who came in "telling me" what prop or service they needed when in reality I knew they were going down the wrong path...only to get blamed later for selling them exactly what they were asking for.