Page 15 - 2007 Lake St. Clair Guide Magazine

I need a new propeller.
What do I buy?

The biggest piece of advice that I received from Rich Wag-
ner, owner of Expert Propeller Service in Roseville is, “If
what you have works well, buy the same thing. If you’re
not happy with your performance, talk to someone who
really understands propellers to recommend what adjust-
ment will help.”

“You may not need a bigger pitch or diameter. Having the

right propeller is like reaching the top of the mountain.

Any change you make from what you started with will
probably send you downhill.” Rich fixes a lot of propel-
lers that boat owners buy that found didn’t work (you can’t
return a propeller once used). He is often asked to take a
basically new propeller and ‘make it like my old one’. “If

it runs good, stay with the same size.”

Rich explained further… If you want to go faster but are at Check our website for su mmer & winter events
your peak RPM, by changing your pitch you might actually Live Entertainment all Year on Friday & Saturday….
run slower. If you’re not getting the recommended manu- And on Sunday afternoon during the summer!
facturer’s correct maximum RPMs, you may have the
wrong propeller…and you can damage your engine very
quickly.

For example, if you can push your throttle more, and you’re Monthly S tora ge — Do you tra ile r your
not going any faster, S umme r & Winte r boat every week
you’re pouring too much Gated & S ec ured to go fis h ing or
fuel into your engine and ple a s ure boa ting?
you could damage your •Boats w/Trailer: $.15 ft.² S a ve t ime a nd
engine because your en- •Boats Only: $.25 ft.² ga s . .. le a ve your
gine cannot burn the ex- boa t he re & pic k it
cess fuel. (W/free Bottom Wash) up when you need
it ! We a re c onve n-
“Under turning” your en- ie nt ly loc a te d by
gine may also cause dam- t w o DN R la unc h
age. If your propeller is s ite s a nd the be s t
undersize it will turn too s wim area on Lake
many RPMs and again S t. C la ir!
could damage the engine.
The propeller should turn at the manufacturers’ recom-
mended RPMs for that specific engine…and they are very
different, check your manual.

Your MPH is no gauge as to whether you have the right
prop. Bigger does not mean faster. If your boat normally
runs at the right RPMs at wide open throttle, and you stop
getting these RPMs, this is a first indication of something
wrong. It could be a damaged prop, or something wrong
with the motor, maybe just a simple spark plug wire.

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