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Rudder or Prop?


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My 2000 Sunsetter made a "clunk" noise last night at about 20mph then steering wheel shuttered and boat vibrates at that speed and beyond. No issues at low speeds and engine sounds OK, no smoke, no indication of blown cylinder or mechanical issue. The boat is in a slip in the marina at a Nor Cal lake - water too murky to see what's going on without going back to get the trailer and pull it out of the water again. 
looking for advice from anyone who's run into this before (excuse the pun)- never saw debris in the lake but it's possible... Should I order a new prop so that when the boat is out, I can replace it and put it right back in, or do you all think it could be something else?   

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It does sound like you hit something. I'd order a new prop and get your current one fixed, so you have a spare. If you have not had your prop off, or have never taken one off... they can be difficult to get remove. So be prepared for that. They have c clamps designed to get them off.... I use a heat gun, short 2x4, and a hammer to remove mine, but the clamp designed for it would likely make it easier not in a garage. 

Edited by BlindSquirrel
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Agree with @BlindSquirrel on this one. I grounded out (sand) this weekend and bent 3 out of the 4 blades. Currently getting the prop fixed and thankfully will only take a few days. Hard pill to swallow needing a new prop this early on in the season and me having the boat barely 2 months but I guess that's the joys of boat ownership. I'm contemplating picking up a 2277 to use as my main and use the repaired prop as the spare. Price tag hurts...

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Another vote for hitting something.  If you want to upgrade your prop, now is the time but it may be very slight damage that can be cheaply repaired locally, or even no damage at all.  I hit a small branch and a piece lodged into the prop root and stayed there for the entire trip.  I thought I had damaged the prop but it was just a piece of wood lodged into the leading edge of the prop.  After removing it, it was just fine...

Anyway, you'd be surprised what they can do with prop repairs and turnaround time might not be too bad...even if you can't pull it now, call the local prop shop (if you have one) and ask them what the turnaround time is.  If it's too long or you want to upgrade anyway, then order your new prop and let the old one be a spare after repair (assuming it is damaged.) 

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thanks for the feedback everyone. I ordered a new prop and C clamp prop puller from Acme - most people tell me the prop can be hard to pull if it's been on there for years (it has). I'll get the current one repaired and keep it as a spare so we aren't shut down for more than a few hours next time this happens. 

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17 minutes ago, DannyBoy said:

thanks for the feedback everyone. I ordered a new prop and C clamp prop puller from Acme - most people tell me the prop can be hard to pull if it's been on there for years (it has). I'll get the current one repaired and keep it as a spare so we aren't shut down for more than a few hours next time this happens. 

Nice. As a reminder, when you loosen the prop nut leave it on a few turns so it will prevent the prop from flying off when it breaks loose. (you'll need a 2x4 block to keep the prop from spinning so you can remove the nut) Also keep an eye out for the shaft key, it will likely fall out too when the prop is removed. You can reuse the key. Some folks say the nut can be reused once, so if this is the first time off... you're good!  Last is the cotter pin, best to bring one with you if the current one is unusable after you remove it. Even with the clamp, I'd bring a heat source too. If it doesn't come off, you can heat the prop to help. Have some gloves so you don't burn yourself when it finally lets go.  

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