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400R Eating Props

ChuckB

ChuckB

Well-known member
I have now gone through my 2nd prop. The first one pictured below was only used for less than 15 hours when I lost 2 inches of one of the blades while in Lake Cumberland during the Owners Rally. This was the 24p Blaster from BBlades.

I originally was thinking I hit something but now that the same thing started to happened on the 2nd prop (Bravo 1 OB/F 24p) from BBlades, I am thinking there must be a flaw in these props...? What are your thoughts?

The Marina I use has been the primary point of contact with BBlades and he will be contacting them with questions.

20150721_193353_zpslts5jq6e.jpg

Blaster Prop

20151007_183713_zpsyqztf5r8.jpg

Bravo 1 OB/F

20151007_183659_zpsct4ntyi4.jpg
 
Contact BBlades yourself to eliminate any mistakes in transfer of information. He has an outstanding reputation in the offshore world and seems to be very intent on keeping it going. He will probably ask you many questions about your setup and the better you are prepared to answer them the better your results are going to be moving forward. Were both of the props new or just new to you and possibly you are not aware of previous repairs or modifications. Brett is not the only prop guru out there but he is one of the top tier guys. Good luck Keep us posted.:popcorn:
 
I wasn't knocking the prop guy. He does great stuff. If it was taken that way.
I'm just seeing 2 props with about the same breaks done by the same guy. This is a new motor and not alot of testing yet. Why not try a prop that hasn't been worked?
You getting free "try this prop" props from the prop man? You on the merc R&D program?
 
Wow that sucks . Definitely something going on with the setup as 400 hp would not snap a worked prop blade like that. I would get with Sammie (Viper1) and see what he thinks. My experiences with BBlADES has not been very good at all but most folks think they rock. Also returning to the water heavy handed can cause this but seems as if something else might be going on. Sorry to see this as I know it is a very expensive situation.
 
I do believe you need to talk to Bblades directly. You have two different props, two different styles, the common denominator is Bblades. Because I find it hard to believe the 400R exerts forces never seen before on a prop. Anyway best of luck.

Chuck
 
Sorry to hear this Chuck.. :( I was really hoping that the first one was just something we nicked on Cumberland but this is making me think not.. I will be curious to hear what Bblades says about it and there thoughts.
 
My guess is that if the prop has been thinned, there was not enough thickness left for the HP of the motor. If the prop has not been thinned, I have no Idea.
 
Wow, that is crazy stuff. Personally I do think the motor is literally overpowering them. I have seen damage like that on Tempests that were run at very high motor heights with only 250hp.

There are lots of higher powered I/O's using those props but they may not be surfacing them at the heights you are.
 
With the 400 hp and running high on a jack plate, I think you are surfacing those props too much for the thinned labbed blades. You are probably going to need more of a forges surfacing prop but prepare to bend over on that one. Bravo I props are not meant to surface as much as you probably are and throwing blades from them is common on high shaft height Sterndriver apps as well.
 
They do appear to have fractured right at the thinnest part of the trailing edge. Significant torque me thinks.
 
Lab finish is great on an STV/Allison but too thin for your app imo. I've seen the expression that the "B" in Bblades stands for broken lol. Thin blades = fast, but fragile, especially on a heavy boat with big power. Could just be a coincidence you've broken two but what do I know. What does Bblades say about it?
 
Wow! You guys have been awesome in addressing every potential cause. Excellent points! I agree with you and will contact BBlades directly.

You're probably right about the surfacing. The motor always runs smooth without any vibration, but when it cracked, I noticed immediately. At that point I did have it trimmed up a bit but still running in normal RPMs.

When I speak with BBlades, I will discuss the running conditions to see if there is a prop that better matches my driving diversity.:thumb::D:D:thumb::thumb:
 
ChuckB said:
Wow! You guys have been awesome in addressing every potential cause. Excellent points! I agree with you and will contact BBlades directly.

You're probably right about the surfacing. The motor always runs smooth without any vibration, but when it cracked, I noticed immediately. At that point I did have it trimmed up a bit but still running in normal RPMs.

When I speak with BBlades, I will discuss the running conditions to see if there is a prop that better matches my driving diversity.:thumb::D:D:thumb::thumb:
Click to expand...
What would the downside be on a trophy 4 or a powertech TRO4?
 
I spoke with Brett at BBlades today. Great guy and very willing to make sure we figure this out. I contacted Matt at South Jersey Boat works (My Marina 400R install guy) to make sure he sends both props (Blaster and OB/F)so that Brett can analyze them to help determine cause.

It's good to work with professionals that know their business and take pride in finding a solution.

Sim,
I'm very open to trying whatever you got and if your around tomorrow or Wednesday, I may try to squeeze a few hours on the Delaware:) Maybe I can do a trial program with your stock:thumb:If I break it I bought it...:eyecrazy:
 
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