Extra Propeller?
 

Anyone else have an extra propeller sitting with their marina in case they hit a rock?
I was told its a good idea for a couple reasons; It can really mess up your engine + boat to drive around with a damaged prop, and you'll lose valuable time on the water during the season waiting for the part to arrive from the manufacturer.

I haven't heard of this, but it makes sense to me. Is this something boat owners invest in?

Sure do!

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On board props
 

The last two (ocean) boats I bought, the surveyor remarked on whether there were or were not spare propellers. It is less common on lake boats. For commonly stocked props, it is less common to keep your own in inventory. Check with your dealer to see what they normally have on hand.

A current chart costs $12(?). My four blade props are about $1500-$2000. Get an extra chart.

It's not only the rocks to worry about..on some propellers, it's possible for the hub in the center to separate from the outer blade portion...acts like a slipping clutch in a manual transmission vehicle. That's happened a few times to me, and with spares, I can change them right at the dock.

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I agree. Except over the years many of the buoys have moved and are not where they should be. We have one by our house that is not even close to where it used to be by the rocks years ago and I told MP when he was here. He said that's where GPS says it goes. So I guess it doesn't matter if it's near rocks as long as GPS says that's where it should be.

Funny this topic came up...I just received my spare prop in the mail yesterday. Ordered it last week. Once I came to the conclusion that I had the "right" prop for my pontoon I figured it was a good idea to have a spare on hand for if and when I need it. It's on the shelf in my workshop. I got a good deal on it brand new on Ebay and now I have it when I need it. I will have very minimal downtime in the event of a prop incident.

Absolutely
 

When we had a slip at a marina, we left a spare prop with them so there wouldn't be any wait time if we arrived with a ding (or worse). Once we owned our own slip (Minge Cove) we kept the spare in the boat. Nothing worse than waiting around for the new prop to arrive or for the old one to be fixed...especially if your cabin is out on an island.

I carried a spare prop on my boat. Actually, had two at one point.

Changed one after getting confused in a channel on the lake, and had it rebuilt. I waited until I got back to the dock to change it.

The 2nd time, was on the Merrimack in Tyngsboro, trying to slip through the channel by the golf course. I let the boat drift back down the channel and made the change at the channel mouth. Unfortunately, I forgot to stow it and the casualty bounced out somewhere in Greeley Park.

If you need to change it yourself, tie a line to each part and tool (especially in deep water) so you can quickly recover anything that slips from your grip.

FYI: Rebuilding your prop costs about 1/3 to 1/2 as much as a new one. Your Dealer/Repair shop will farm this out so it's easy to have it done.

I always have a spare at the house.

It somewhat depends on what you have. Descant mentioned very expensive props, I can see not having a spare one of those hanging around. But if you have a more common prop having a spare is a good plan. If you have a stainless prop and don't want the expense of a spare, buy a same size aluminum for your spare. On my ski boat the props are pretty expensive but I still have a spare, slightly different size as I was trying out some sizes anyway but perfect to use for a spare.

If you hit something that damages your prop badly enough you won't want to drive it any further than you have to. The out of balance shake will do more damage.

All of the years I had single engine, single prop boats I carried a spare prop, spare cotter pin, extra nut, and a wrench. On one occasion I hit something in the water and limped into someone's dock. With the drive trimmed all the way up I changed the prop from the swim platform, without getting in the water. It only takes about 10 minutes.

An extra prop is nice but I would rather have it on the boat than leave it at home or at the marina.

Great point on having the spare pin, nut, and the wrench to change it. The spare prop isn't much good without being able to use it!

spare prop
 

You don't need an expensive "spare" prop. Just get an aluminum one (for around 100, plus or minus for most boats), and keep it on board just in case. Just like a spare tire... You can use the spare till the nice one gets fixed, or replaced, and avoid down time.

My boat came with two spare props (twin engine) and a PVC pipe, with a screw-on cap, glassed into the hull for a spare prop shaft. I intend to get as spare prop shaft before I start cruising to exotic places.

Spare parts are smart to have handy. I had an entire spare Bravo 3 drive for my last boat and I'd put it in the back seat of my truck when we'd tow the boat to far away places for long vacations. Never had to use it, but was nice to know it was handy. Imagine starting a two week cruise and the drive blows up on day 2...

I Carry One
 

I carry a spare prop and the appropriate spinner and locking bolt onboard. I want to be able to mount a new prop regardless of whether I'm somewhere on the lake or back at my dock. I've only had to mount a spare prop once in 30 years of boating on the lake when I lost the screw while teaching my son how to drive the boat when he was 11 years old. It took all of 15 minutes to mount the spare prop.

At the moment I have the speed prop (14 x 23) mounted and the 'regular' prop (14 x 21) as my spare.

Both props are aluminum and I've had them both rebuilt at one point or another over the years I've had my boat.

Yes,

I had to have new hubs installed this spring before launch.

I have twin duo props. Just about $520 per hub. There are four if you are not counting. No, I didn't hit anything, just because of age and wear!

You know the saying is true. . . . B.O.A.T.