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We don't power all that much. So since there was no major shaft vibration the repair was low on my list. After our rigging failure we had an opportunity to power the four and a half hours back from Catalina. That decided us to finally do something about the prop. I had wanted to get the diameter and pitch numbers off of the old prop but I couldn't find them. Most of the comments from our friends sounded a little large and a little pitchy. I headed down to our local used boat part store, Kelly Marine, to see what I could find. Jib had a 13x11 right hand 1" that looked serviceable for a hundred bucks.
I had felt a 12x8 might be more appropriate but this is what was available and from all the posts I'm sure it'll work.
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In the past I would have jumped in the water and swapped it out but I'm afraid my diving days are over. We called our bottom cleaner, Marina Diving, because they also do prop swaps and other boat maintenance. I met the diver down at the boat. Besides the prop I brought down a few extra nuts, cotter pins, and keys. All of them silicon bronze to go with the monel shaft.
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The diver already had some of his tools laid out. I gave him the parts and asked him to save the old prop for me.
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He was obviously experienced in prop swaps. It didn't seem to take very long at all. When he brought the old prop up he said it was falling apart in his hands. Even though for the last 11 years I've had great zincs the damage done from the electrolysis before I got the boat had taken a terrible toll.
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As the diver was finishing up a large group of sea lions came in. They have been lounging on the finger of the dock next to my boat. Unfortunately when they lay on the dock they defecate explosively all over the side of my boat. I had mentioned it to the marina office and they said they had the cure. One of the dock guys brought me down some ingenious spike strips to put on the finger of the dock.
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I laid out the spike strips after the diver moved his tools. The sea lions were not very happy. They flipped the flipper at me as they left.
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