Lost a blade on my 3 blade Mercury Lightning ET and ......

Hi! Lost at blade on my prop yesterday and sadly the the blade took a piece from my Sport Master.

I have another prop to run with, but the question is: Is my Sportmaster good to go? Or will it fall in to pieces if I just keep running it? Could it be dangerous to run at high speed? What shall I do?

The gear case is almost brand new and is in super good shape aside from this.

Some more info about my boat:

Boat: Allison SS 2000
Motor: Mercury 2.5 EFI 280
Top speed: 108 mph

Thanks in advance!

Regards,

Oscar

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Gearcase should be usable? Just keep an eye on this area, since it's probably going to crack being close to those 2 mounting holes.
I'd weld it up asap.

Those ET's are time bombs. I'm replacing mine and hanging it on the wall as art. :) Should have hung up my last Bravo1 that was worked on my cat but it is not being run.

I run an ET, I know their history, and I do not use it as an "every time" prop. It's more of a I need a little more speed to outrun this other boat kinda prop. Chopper is my every time prop. ET's seem to have a limited lifetime on them, maybe due to blade flex? Mine is labbed, which is even thinner than stock. IMO, they are a true "racing" prop.....

:iagree: I am trying to replace mine with a Mazco RE4. Should be here today on teh little brown truck.

Check the propshaft for runout,That case needs to be fixed now.With a proper repair it will be fine.If you run it and it cracks through,the chances of a successful long term fix get slim.

SO much for made in the USA try a scorpion if u can its a chopper-deluxe but thru=hub for great holeshot super lift less torque

I don't use the word stupid often, but that may be the stupidest statement I have seen in a long time.....The USA makes some of the finest equipment in the world. You run your tiwanese scorpion bud....I will keep running my MERC props.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by outasite

Check the propshaft for runout,That case needs to be fixed now.With a proper repair it will be fine.If you run it and it cracks through,the chances of a successful long term fix get slim.

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:iagree: Mine took out the bearings and prop shaft. Turned it into a prop shart.

one reason i dont run et's or even think about buying a pair
cutting choppers into et's they break also . had great luck with cleavers ,mercury, mazco and mach

I would go in with a grinder and round that out removing any sharp edges or corners.

I have broken many props. Bud If I was you check the propshaft for run out. Check gear oil and keep an eye on it. Like others said clean up the edges on the box

That area on sportys that are used in surfacing applications are prone to cracking with the web intact.Run it with most of the web ground out,IMO it will be short lived.

Stalproppen, if you need a Sportmaster in Sweden, just let me know. I have a good one (built by Steckbauer) on the shelf.

Thin high performance propellers tend to throw blades. It is not just ETs.

If you get someone to weld on your gear case, make sure it is someone who knows what they are doing.

Are the ET props really any worse than all the others we run high and fast?

I don't know for sure but I do know that my thinned, cupped Bravo1 that I bought new never ran then paid 485 with shipping to get it worked by the best known company that is pretty famous did not last 1 time running the boat before it shed a blade right at the hub. Pretty scary experience I don't want to happen again. I was only turning 5600 RPM as well on a 500EFI on a Cougar MTR 22.

I know from the source of my Intimidator that the ET was time limited and I have since replaced it with a Mazco RE4. I won't be selling it it is now wall art in my shop. Looks great on the wall and will never shed a blade unless I die and my wife sells it which I think I am going to engrave on the back of the blades, DO NOT BUY THIS PROP.

Even seen thick offshore cleavers throw blades. On the other hand seen thinned blades that ring like a bell run for hundreds of hours....
You just can't tell....

As Stated.....Grind the sharp edges and file smooth, use a rat-tail on the "V" in the upper corner to make a radius instead of a sharp corner.
Remember that cracks start or continue from a corner or crack that is not radiused!
Check the runout on your prop shaft!

Dont want to jynx it but my 4 blade mercury pro et probably has 500 hours on it. Only prop i have used for the last 5 years and my friend ran it 2 or 3 years on his boat before he sold it to me. Excellent prop

Thanks for all the good input!

I did get a hold of a new Sporty (sorry Marcus, saw your post a little late), so I will do as you recommend, letting a pro fix the Case and run a almost brand new sporty the rest of the summer. Seems like I was lucky nothing else on the case took a beating. :cheers:
Btw,
I ran my old ET as my number one prop for four years (more than 2,000 miles).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Baja170

I know from the source of my Intimidator that the ET was time limited and I have since replaced it with a Mazco RE4

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Mazcos (as well) are known for throwing blades...

I would 100% get a file on there before it rips open more .
No way would I use it like that as it will definitely tear and then who knows what else will get smashed.
a nice bit of welding will put that right inside 10 minutes, make it thicker then taper it down with elbow grease and a hand file then wet n dry.

As for the prop shedding a blade, that is very poor quality, I dont care who make it that is very poor.
why on earth use a prop that is known for shedding its blades ? that is crazy.
you wouldn't drive a car if you were expecting the wheel to fall off would you ?

high performance is useless if it dont make it the finish line.

Can anybody name a high performance prop that has not shed a blade?

Are the new Promax props robust? I have a friend who says the Promax prop is less likely to break. I ran one for 20 minutes without incident:)

Haven't heard of many herrings going to pcs.....