Prop Damage.

[coondog123]

With all the different props out there and at the speed they travel my question is how do they hold up against something hitting them.

I see some pictures on here of airboats that look like they are being used as a bulldozer with tree limbs all around them.
To break the questions down is there any concern with:
Big rain drops.
What size tree limbs is bad. :lol:
Birds.
Your favorite hat.

 

[K-mac]

In my younger days, when I was not such a law abiding person as I am
now, I put quite a few 12 ga. hulls thru my old wood prop with
the metal leading edge and they dinged it up pretty bad

 

[jpatter123]

on a carbon fiber prop I have seen a hat and a bird go through one with no damage.. I doubt rain has an impact on a running prop.A couple weeks ago I went through a monsoon for 25 minutes at dern near full throttle. I have heard two stories of wood props exploding from a beer can and another from a kids dirty diaper. Thats not first hand accounts though so take it for what its worth. I will tell you nothing will shred a prop quicker then over revving it.
Oh and MrObvious told me an interesting story about a guy going through two carbon fiber props because he had his hull tied down with a strap going through the cage. Pow went the first prop replaced it and still forgot to remove the strap and boom went another one. MrObvious was the one actually driving when the bird went through the prop it. So call PETA on him

 

[K-mac]

That one story sounds like the sh****t hit the fan

 

[Ron Miller]

Wow good question... Wood props will not take as much as the carbon fiber But and I know we all want nothing but air going through them and I know first hand that things happen... We have run hard in several rain storms the big thing was being able to see to drive the rain did not seem to bother either our wood or fiber props... But a lot of water like over the transom will destroy any prop in a heart beet. A friend of mine run a full size life jacket through his warp drive this summer and he got lucky no damage.. when we got our 3/b Powershift mixamus the first time our for my son bowfishing at night he missed 2 big tree limbs and did not see the third 2" green Maple limb that found its way through the cage and turned into wood chips bow to stern .. and we had only green marks on the leading edge for damage .. now 400 hours later she is still fine.. But I would not recommend anyone to try this I still feel we were just lucky.
Each prop is an individual piece of equipment that is made to push ONLY free AIR and it should be kept clean and inspected before and after every run. WE have seen one wood prop fail and hope to never experience that again.

 

[camogonewild]

a plastic baggey sent my dad old wood prop 200 ft ive seen cooler lide go threw a warp drive and never hurt it it looked like it was snowing my geuss it wood props suck also a an air cleaner went threw our power shitf it gave it a nick at the end leading edge