got a 7.5” and two 8” for around $50 total for my mud motor. I was down to my last one and it’s chewed up significantly (no mud where I fish, only rocks 😂). I got 4 back in around 2013 and they lasted me til now , gotta have backup tho 

We gotta have pics of the ‘used’ ones. 😁

Agree!  Let’s see the well used ones.  

 

Also, you just reminded me I need to swap my prop back.  I put my crewed up spare on the boat to take it to the river just in case.  But I lose 40% of my speed with that one (different pitch and not enough HP).  And I’m going to need it tomorrow.  

The rest are in the graveyard I guess 😂 

 

just getting broken in 

A little spit and elbow grease and those used one will be good as new! 🤣

C'mon man, I'm still running my 2005 factory prop. Just quit hitting rocks. Just stop! Worked for me with backlashing. I haven't backlashed since, the last time I backlashed.🤣

It’s absolutely wild how much better the engine runs with a fresh prop. I haven’t thrown water like that in a decade. Was going 13-14 mph upstream, used to go 10 mph with the dinged ones 

 

Found another of the old ones , had a memorial and tossed it in the municipal garbage can 

I'm curious about something...

 

When replacing a prop how do you approach it?

 

Simply get an identical replacement prop?

 

Or, does anyone do the prop to boat test and purchase new prop based on that?

 

If no weight changes to boat, identical prop *may* be the way to go. But over the years some of us change boat weight and don't think about the prop adjustments.

 

I bring this up because my situation requires testing of props. When I purchased my U.S. Navy MARS motor, it came with a prop made for a boat load of like 8 or more Navy Seals. It was in no way the correct prop for my boat and weight. The engine over rev'd big time.

 

So I went through the process of adjusting the prop pitch and size to get to the correct size for my boat situation. I wound up with 3 props before finally settling on the one. Now I can adjust up or down if needed.

 

And with two men in the boat and gear at wide open throttle and my outboard is humming along right at max rpm's or just under by like 100 to 150 rpm's so I can get maximum horsepower out of it.

 

Props have to be dialed in and its amazing how many people overlook this important issue. On the water some boats will never reach max rpm's and struggle, and you can hear some are revving over the max.

 

To do it right really takes some experimenting and with the right tools. But it seems as if few are willing to take on this challenging project.

 

So I was curious how some of you approach replacing props?

 

Go with the same or, take the opportunity to check and see if your prop is adjusted correctly for your situation?

On my 80mph bass boat I had props custom tuned for it to get peak performance.  On my canoe with a 4hp merc or my 1436 jon with a 9.9 or 25 on it, all I'm concerned about is it being in the proper RPM range, I could care less about going through the expense and aggravation to get the one or two MPH going through a 1/2 dozen different props to find that "perfect" match might give.

Oh I could go through the process of getting just the right prop on that jon and with just me in it with that 25 merc it will run 42mph, been there done that just for the hell of it but the first sand bar or other submerged item in the river and that prop is no longer the perfect prop.

@FloridaFishinFool, I went with the exact same one(s) I had before. Just running one that’s not chewed up set my motor free 😂. Crazy how much thrust I had slowly lost over the years. Ran it yesterday solo and hit 18 mph, had been getting 10-12. It also smoothed out the engine, used to kind of miss and have some  cavitation, now it just rips