An
interesting tip from the BRUNTON / Autoprop crew at the London Boat
Show earlier this week, regarding idiosyncrasies of the autoprop.
Is
that, whenever you haul-out for period of longer than [3] days, it is
important to re-grease the prop asap after hauling out. The reason being
that after some time in the water, salt water enters the grease
channels. Then, when out of the water, as the hub dries out the salt
crystallises, which then creates opportunity for unnecessary wear later
on (and as well making it harder for grease to flow through the
now-obstructed channels, in order to remove the grease / salt). The
preventative intervention is to get rid of the old grease (and with it
any salt &/or other contaminants) before the dry-out takes place.
Rule-of-thumb: Grease the prop within 3 days of haul-out, preferably
within 24 hours.
All common sense when you think about it; but I never thought it through before.
David Perigee, SM#396, Martinique
Contact: BRUNTONS (UK), David Sheppard, Product Manager, david [at] bruntons-propellers [dot] com.
