Cavitation

[Chia 362]

we get quite a bit of cavitation when we surf, and someone suggested it might be damaging to the transmission. any truth to that? I am running the 1235 prop and am thinking maybe the 537 might be better?

[Polock 0]

I have heard that too much cavitation can be bad for your prop. It can apparently heat it up and burn the edges. As for damaging the transmission...

[Big Dubya 2]

i know that cavitation in a water pump will destroy the impeller

[UWSkier 3,868]

Excessive cavitation might have an impact on the tranny, but I wouldn't worry about it unless you spend a lot of time with your boat airborne like in Miami Vice. Cavitation will damage a prop though. The pressure difference can actually cause the water to boil and burn/discolor your prop. I bet if you look on the leading face of your prop blades, you see lighter colored lines about halfway up the blades. Never did figure out what's causing it...

[WakeGirl 2,181]

I have heard that too much cavitation can be bad for your prop. It can apparently heat it up and burn the edges. As for damaging the transmission...

Yup, that's the winner. We've actually had cavitation burn a prop, not bad enough to make it unusable, but you can see the burn marks on the blades.

[Polock 0]

I have heard that too much cavitation can be bad for your prop. It can apparently heat it up and burn the edges. As for damaging the transmission...

Yup, that's the winner. We've actually had cavitation burn a prop, not bad enough to make it unusable, but you can see the burn marks on the blades.

Ya, I'm pretty sure that I learned that from Joe

[aneal000 4]

Bronze propeller blade

The pressure gradients in the water cause bubbles of vapour to nucleate and almost immediately collapse. This subjects the blade edge to repetitive localised stress and the material erodes away. Hence the failure mechanism is known as cavitation or erosion-corrosion.

Link to above site.

[smedman 0]

how do you know if you have "cativation" ?

do you hear something or just look at the prop when its out of the water?

thanks!

[WakeGirl 2,181]

It sounds & feels different, hard to describe but you know it when it happens.

[gooddog 1]

how do you know if you have "cativation" ?

do you hear something or just look at the prop when its out of the water?

thanks!

You should only get cavitation when the boat is heavily weighted in the rear for surfing an high power setting with low speed. I get a lot of cavitation especially if there is chop on the water. I haven't noticed much riding in friends boats that have the wedge which I don't have yet. When you get cavitation, you can hear it and feel it. Its kind of a growly sound like like air hitting the prop, a little vibration or shudder and it feels like you're tranny is slipping or loosing traction. Its kind of like a burnout on water. I have noticed some discoloration on the tips of the prop but no physical damage. I've never heard it in a wakesetter hull.

[WakeGirl 2,181]

We get it with our stock prop & an empty boat, so it goes the other way as well. The "burnout on water" is a good description.

[jetskipro550 781]

we cavitated bad with our stock prop. When we would accelorate through turns while heavily weighted it did it. Our new prop doesn't cavitate and it actually digs in during the turns

[WakeGirl 2,181]

Meaning, "you're dialed in". Which prop did you get? 515?

[jetskipro550 781]

We went with the 525, I am glad I didn't get the 515 (isn't that the 13x10.5?) That would have severly killed our top end and made skiing cost a ton of $$$ in gas!

[gooddog 1]

I have my spare prop on right now. Its an OJ 14x18...I cant remember if my Acme had cavitation, its a 13.5x17.5 I need to get it on there and see. I keep having Ronnie bring his prop tool to the WOWs then get all busy doing other things and forget to swap them out.

[VinRLX 5]

but I wouldn't worry about it unless you spend a lot of time with your boat airborne like in Miami Vice.

That would be "ventilation."

[NorCaliBu 82]

but I wouldn't worry about it unless you spend a lot of time with your boat airborne like in Miami Vice.

That would be "ventilation."

Or "aviation".

[Big Dubya 2]

and likely "over-revation"