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Posts: 118
| Hello....getting a newer boat....has a SS prop....have heard folks say to run aluminum props up there because if you whack a rock the with the SS that you can wreck your lower unit because the SS won't give....do you take off your stainless when you fish LOTW?.....I realize if you hit rock wide open you lose it all.....I'm talking about trolling speeds mainly.....thanks......Bob |
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Posts: 42
Location: Becker MN | I run an aluminium and use my stainless for a backup. If you can think you would be wise to do it. |
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | Definitely get a disposable prop - Last year coming out of a bay I have been in and out of a thousand times - Idling out I hit a submerged rock and it destroyed my skeg, prop, and spun the hub as well as a bent prop shaft. Ruined the trip with 4 days left. Insurance would only cover 50%. I had to put a new lower unit on a brand new Verado 250.. It was a bummer!
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
An aluminum prop is only going to save you if you are in a low speed situation. You hit a rock at mid speed and above, you are almost guaranteed to bend a shaft, let alone lose a blade...
Can damage be less? Possibly, but at speed, aluminum is going to have enough resistance to do major damage to the lower unit.
I have been running steel up there for as long as I have been going up there and have not had any rock issues. Follow your map, watch for contours between islands, etc. and you should be fairly safe. Not all rocks are marked, so it is never a guarantee, but being mindful of the area will save you.
Steve |
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Posts: 118
| Ouch...that's an ugly picture....and you did that idling?.....wow.....what's a decent aluminum prop for a 225 Optimax? |
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Posts: 999
| When in any doubt slow down and trim up!! 9 years and only one rock contact bw
Because of not being precaucious! |
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| my experience up there the past few years is that there's more risk at slow/idle speeds than running wide open. when driving high speed i tend to stick to well-know runs or the marked travel routes. it's when i get off those and start exploring around that i've found some rocks. in both cases i actually hit the hull of the boat rather than the motor/prop, but the lesson i learned is to put somebody up on the bow of the boat to be on the lookout! |
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Location: 31 | LOL, when we would hit a reef we were looking for to fish we called it the "braille method". |
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Posts: 223
Location: Victoria,MN | I hit a rock going 25-30 mph on Sab 5 years ago, destroying my skeg, my aluminum prop and just tweeked my shaft. I expected to see an oil slick and was extremely lucky that was all there was for damage. I would hate to have had a stainless prop on.
Aluminum props are a good idea up there. Also make a trail with the gps everywhere you go. Even with a trail marked, it does not ensure you will not find a hazard next time thru. If you come across a hazard that is not mapped,hit a waypoint, (I prefer the skull and crossbones icon for these). Be safe,be alert and be cautious |
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| Run aluminum with a spare SS prop. Not changing out my SS prop cost me over $1,500. |
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Posts: 225
Location: Nordeast Minneapolis | Check with your insurance, too... Hit a rock once, mangled the stainless prop, bent the shaft, etc. $1,200 worth of damage, but I only had a $200 deductible. Still an expensive lesson, but nowhere near what it could have been.
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | 2T Critter - 5/4/2011 1:25 PM
Run aluminum with a spare SS prop. Not changing out my SS prop cost me over $1,500.
Actually, hitting the marked rock cost you $1500!
There are awesome charts available for LOTW detailing about 99.9% of the motor bashers. Knowing where you are on the map (not the GPS chip) and taking it easy is the key to keeping your prop and lower unit whole. I have bumped some at low speed, usually when not paying attention. I don't change out my prop before heading to the Woods, and don't expect problems unless I invite them. |
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| Buy a Hustler aluminum prop. I've been running one for years, it's a two piece prop that performs great. Virtually impossible to do any lower unit damage with this prop, unless your lower unit acutally impacts. If you hit anything the blades break away from the hub, leaving you with a fully intact hub. I carry a spare set of blades with me.
http://www.turningpointpropellers.com/hustler_aluminum_propellers.p...
John |
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Posts: 906
Location: Warroad, Mn | If you spend anough time on the LOTWs with the varing water levels you'll eventully hit a rock. If you're lucky you'll hit them at low speeds, and then an aluminum prop does save some repair work. If you hit a rock at high speed regardless of your prop, good luck. I always say there are two kinds of folks on the lake. The ones who have hit a rock, and the ones who haven't hit one yet. Oh, by the way the charts are pretty good, but I can show you lots of spots where they aren't so good. If you stay on the main channels they are great, but once you get off the beaten path they aren't as great. Be careful! Doug Johnson
Edited by dougj 5/4/2011 7:25 PM
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| Here is proof that knowledge of the water and an alum. prop does not eliminate the potential for disaster.
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Posts: 136
| Ouch!! |
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | ONE UPPER! JK! Ouch that had to hurt. Like Doug said, if you spend any amount of time up there, "There's fisherman who have hit rocks, and fisherman that are going to hit rocks." If I remember correctly, Justin at Mylies smoked a rock last season... Not to mention, ask him how many other LOTW veteran boats he sees limping in. I bet the number is astronomical.
I remember talking to Jack Burns several years ago when he switched out of an aluminum boat to a fiberglass one. I asked him if he had any reservations with all the rocks he would be encountering every weekend. He told me "No, he had pretty reliable navigation paths he had been taking for decades." After the season we caught up and he told me he had been cruising half the year with a damaged prop and a hole in his hull. Just goes to show you, no one is safe from the terrain under that water - Those friggin' rocks have teeth!
Edited by Jsondag 5/5/2011 8:12 AM
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Location: 31 | Yikes, did you also have to replace some fillings in your teeth too? I've only hit one reef on plane like that, and it stopped us cold too.
Doug J. will chuckle at this because it was sooo incredibly stupid, but probably something he sees several times a summer. In Sept of 1988 we were running from the Angle to Shoals Lake Narrows everyday... yes, without GPS or even a cell phone.
I had found a little short cut between a couple fish up there that we were working and about the 3th time between these islands... wham. When I trimmed it up I fully expected not to see a lower unit.
Despair! So here we were with the boat shifter stuck in forward, oil slowly leaking out, seemingly dead in the water almost an hour and a half from camp on this beautiful late September afternoon. I was spooked to say the least. After gathering my composure somewhat I pulled the shifter as far toward neutral as possible and turned the key.
Relief! It started right up, but was still stuck in forward gear! Everything seemed to be normal enough otherwise and we thankfully made it back to camp okay. The next morning we "hammered" the oil leak shut and drained and filled the lower unit. After checking it out fishing around camp for a while we were back up in Shoals Lake that afternoon, and fished this way the last few days of the trip.
I think that little shortcut cost me just under $2K, but I had learned my lesson. No more shortcuts on plane until I was 100% sure. |
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | So...moral of the story:
Have a kicker motor on a water body that has the potential to take out your lower unit, or...for that matter, have a kicker in case ANYTHING goes down on your main motor.
This is a safety issue in many cases... I'd hate to be caught out in the middle of some lakes in a blow, with no way of getting the boat off the water.
Long story short for me: I was fishing the pipestone chain about 10 years ago, Home base was trails-end campground on Clearwater lake, and we went fishing for walleyes some 10 miles away at the easternmost end of the chain. In that series of lakes, etc. there are places you are in 50 feet of water, and in less than 20 feet you are looking at boulders under the surface. Welll..I managed to rip out my gearing while successfully avoiding some rocks with the boat and motor (the motor made it into reverse gear from forward and just shredded everything inside) I had a 6hp kicker on, which allowed us to get off the water. Took us some 2-1/2 hours to get back to camp, but we made it...
Always always ALWAYS have a backup means to get off the water.
at least with a kicker, your week of fishing is not fully ruined...just takes you longer to get from spot to spot.
Steve |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I had the same problem on LOTW a few years back, although I must say the good chip for that lake is pretty darn reliable, me hitting the rock pile was no fault of my own and was the result of not paying attention. My skeg and prop looked exactly like Jerry's did, fortunately I brought a spare prop and was able to get around just fine for the rest of the week ( and miraculously I had no damage to anything but the prop and skeg even though I git the reef at about 40-45 MPH.) The thought of going on these Canadian trips without a kicker is a very scary thought, unfortunately a bass boat does not allow for such features. I pay extra for maintenance on the engine and always try to be extra cautious when in unknown terrain to try and compensate, that's about the only option unfortunately |
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Posts: 108
| Please be honest - Has anyone hit a rock, unless it was very close to shore, that was not on the Canadian Hydrographic Charts, which I assume is the map most use while on LOTW? I realize it is very easy to hit a rock if you are not absolutely sure of where you are on that map, or if you are just using a chip, but has anyone actually hit a rock that was not on that map? |
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Posts: 906
Location: Warroad, Mn | Yes!
There are more than you think. I even know of an island that isn't on the map. I know of 10 footers that are one footers, and two footers that are 12 footers. I was there when these maps where made (in the 80's) and these guys didn't have the best equipment. I can show you spots that the map says it's greater than 12 feet deep, and if you want you can hop out of the boat and stand on a rock. The main channels are by and large good, but watch out if you get away from them. Also the water levels will vary a lot. I think the datum level for the maps is 1059 (elevation above sea level). Right now the lake is pretty high (85 percentile at 1059.7), but it gets down to 1057 at times. That's two feet of water and that can make a lot of differance in many areas. The GPS charts are about the same. Be careful! There's 14,552 islands, and probably that many reefs.
It's still one of the most beautiful spots in the world, with some of the best fishing in the world. Just be careful, learn the places you can go and enjoy one of the best places in the world.
Doug Johnson
Edited by dougj 5/6/2011 5:25 PM
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| I beleve Cabelas sells a plastic prop that is designed to break if you hit a rock so hopefully you save the rest of the unit. They are much cheaper than aluminum or SS props and may be a good investment up on LOTW. Just another option. |
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Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | I was in a new to me area one time, running by the map in an off the beaten trail channel between an island and the shore on LOTW. The map showed "lots" of water and when the locator started to slowly get shallower I shut the motor down to neutral, coasting to a stop just in time to see a reef coming up in the middle of the channel. Not only was it shallow and rocky there were even reeds growing on it in one little spot. This happened after fishing a nearby area where we hit a rock with the trolling motor in supposedly deeper water. Whoever mapped that area took one heck of a shortcut with the data.
Most of the map is darn good from my limited experience, but after finding those spots, I sure wouldn't trust the map completely the first time through an area. Caution and patience are needed I think, unless you also have a sacraficial boat and motor with you. I fished LOTW in fall for six years and always used a SS prop on my 150 Johnson. When we got off the main channel we just used extreme caution when we weren't sure of the rocks. It wasted a little time, but probably saved much more in the long run. We had no GPS then and had the map out in a plastic bag so we could watch it constantly. It worked for us. |
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| One of those break away props will do you no good when you crank that skeg into a reef like the pictures above. |
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