A neighbor left this for me.  I couldn't believe it, a plastic wrench. On closer checking I find it is a Quicksilver floating prop wrench. I now have an anchor and a wrench. Just need the parts in between and I can go fishing.

And they made it a nice bright yellow so you can watch it float away.....

(You just took the prop off, how ya gonna chase it? LOL)

WHY WHY WHY are we taking the prop off while we're IN the water?  I guess I've just never toasted one that bad.

You take the prop off to make the boat lighter for when you row it home , because really, you just ran out of gas, but a real boater *never* admits that part......

My buddy tells the story of the time he went fishing in a local river. Just a small aluminum boat with a small outboard motor on it. He got everything loaded into the boat and took off up river, about a half mile up river he hit the wake of another boat only to have the outboard motor handle fall from his hand........ He looked back in time to see his motor sink out of sight never to be seen again. He forgot to tighten the motor mounting clamps to the boat. He didn't have any paddles with him so he floated down stream and hand paddled his way towards shore so he could head back home again.

Don't you know a boat is just a hole in the water into which you pour money???

I know a couple people who spent a few thousand on a boat, trailer and all the trimmings. Got it serviced annually and put it in the lake every 2 or 3 years. Did look impressive setting in the driveway though.

Just how many carry a spare prop onboard anyway ?   So why the wrench ?

I think lots of people carry a spare, or at least a wrench, because the prop can come loose or off easily.

Having a prop come off is quite rare.  They are usually secured with a stainless steel nylon lok-nut, or with a washer that is splined on the inside and has a tab that bends over on to one of the wrench flats.  The big advantage to a "plastic" wrench is that when you finally find it, after it has laid in the bilge of your boat for several years, it won't be all rusty.

I spent 25 years in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and during that time I don't ever remember towing somebody in that had lost a prop...lots of other problems but not props.

Mike

Seems my brother-in-law was always losing the prop or at least shearing the pin. Not a boat guy myself, so I could be mistaken.

Shearing a pin used to be/is? fairly common on the smaller motors...when you don't watch where you're going.  The bigger motors use a rubber insert between the drive splines and the propeller its self.  This is supposed to slip when you hit something.  If you believe that, I have beautiful property down here in FL that is NEVER under water.

Mike

I sold my last boat 2 years ago. Still have a lot of boating stuff to put out at a garage sale.
Haven't missed it one bit.
I fish off a friend's dock when I get the "shakes" to go fishing.
I carried "everything" imaginable in my boat, as just about every time I went out, I ran across another boat in the middle of the lake broken down.

One time it was a "speed boat full of girls in bikinis with no tops".
Their speed boat quit running, didn't know why, had nothing to wave or call anyone.
So, I pulled out my tow rope with bridle, hooked it up, and started towing.
I had approx 20 miles to tow them.
After a few minutes of them back there, they all wanted to get in my boat and hear the music from my stereo.
So, at towing at about 7 to 10 miles an hour, I had at least 2 hours of squirming female anatomy to study.

One of the girls had her "ditty" bag with a cell phone in it.
She called and told the boyfriend boat owner what had happened, and I said about an hour more and we'll be there at his private dock behind his house, or his father's house.

So, be prepared,,as it may happen to you!

Sounds like all you lacked was an island to shipwreck on.

Quote from: Neals on June 25, 2012, 02:59:31 PM
Sounds like all you lacked was an island to shipwreck on.

I would have run out of gas