1987 Carver 3697 Mariner Props

[carver3697'87]

Hello! I am the new owner of a 1987 3697. I have done lots of work on the boat thus far and use it every weekend.
This sunday I hit something (probably a rock) and damaged a prop based on vibration after the hit. I will go under the boat in the next week and check the shaft, rudders,etc. and see what props are on the boat and make sure nothing else got hurt. I am interested in the stock proppeller size pitch and bore to see if I can find a spare set. What were the "stock" Props? Thanks!

[km1125]

You should probably post the engines and transmissions (with gear reduction figure) to get the best/correct answer.

The most important thing is the shaft size (and you can find that out from INSIDE the boat). If I had to guess it's say 1 3/8", but really needs to be confirmed.

You could get a spare set of props that are marginally larger or smaller and still get great performance out of the boat, although not ideal. What that buys you though is the ability to get back on the water ASAP while the main set are reconditioned. I had bought a set from an old Sea Ray that were 2" smaller in pitch and three blade instead of four, and it only cost $300 for the PAIR. Both times when I used them I ended up leaving them on the boat for the rest of the season and changed them back to the originals over the winter break. I lost a little bit of speed at cruise RPM but not enough to really make a difference in the usage of the boat, but I was able to use it IMMEDIATELY, as it just took a couple hours o haul the boat and swap the props. That also makes the assumption that you didn't hit something so hard as to bend the shafts or damage the struts.

[carver3697'87]

the boat has 454 mercruisers with v drives. I will add information. Ultimately I will go under the boat with my flashlight and goggles wednesday.and see if I can read the prop itself. I have an appointment to pull the boat on the 16th so hopefully the info is stamped on the prop. I will post my findings then. More comments still welcome. Thanks!!

[km1125]

It's definitely stamped on the prop (well almost always!). You might want to bring a very stiff brush (maybe even a brass or stainless wire brush) that's small enough to get between the blades so you can clean the hub to read what's stamped there. You could have enough growth built up that makes it hard to read.

[dgreene]

I have the same boat (1988 model), and I’m fairly certain they’re 22 x 22 Dyna Quad with 1 3/8” shaft. I’ve attach screenshots from the 1984 & 1988 User’s Manuals. I couldn’t find pics from my haulout.

[carver3697'87]

Boy I hope not.. those are big $! I will find out for sure tommorow. The vibration wasn't too bad, hopefully I can have it fixed at the prop shop. Thanks!!

[km1125]

You'd be surprised what a good prop shop can do in terms of restoring a damaged prop. I tore one up pretty good and thought for SURE they'd say I'd need to replace it, but they made it back to almost "like new" condition. The only difference was they had to take a little of the diameter out (and did the same with the other prop so they matched), but you couldn't tell the difference on the boat.

Post up some pics when you get them off!

[carver3697'87]

Ok< so I went to the boat with my 3 blade prop puller and lo and behold Dgreen's post wins! they are in fact 4 blade. I drove to the marina with the big boy lift and they cleaned the bottom of barnacles etc. and blocked the boat. the props have been sent to the prop shop and I will finalize this post when I get the report back. Paint looks good, there ar a couple small repairs that were done that need to be re-done. The props didnt look terrible but there was some minor cupping on a couple blades of each prop. So I will get them reconditioned and balanced and then see what new props should feel like for my new baseline "feel" the damage was minor but any vibration is bad vibration.. thank you all for your replies. This is a great forum!

[waybomb]

Watch ebay for a set of used props. Every boat I've had, I always bought a spare set on ebay.

[Viper]

Dial the shafts, even a minor impact can tweak the tapered end. While she's out, check the condition of the strut bearings and replace them if they're badly cracked and there's noticeable clearance between the shafts and struts.