Reply To: Which prop; 80 HP / 19' Aluminum?

[Alan]

Wow, and yes. The prop is exactly as Frank R described. It does look small compared to the gearcase. “Wow” in that I hadn’t spotted it on my parts list. What makes it a, “kit”?
I always keep every part that’s even close to useable, (and some that aren’t very close). I carry the bigger prop as a spare, and will hang onto the one pictured. It’s not as ugly as the closeup pic implies.
This motor has been quite the challenge. When I bought it, the guy told me an engineer had given it to him for free, and wished him, “good luck”. He helped me load it, and said, “good luck w/ that”. I’m not really superstitious, but that’s generally a bad omen when buying an old machine. The wiring was fried from his jump starts, and it looked like it sat outside for a decade or two.
I just finished my 6th less than successful lake trial. A new record for me; I’ve never needed more than two. One thing that didn’t help was my vintage factory service manual said the low speed needles should be backed out 3/4 of a turn as the initial setting. Even though the newer Clymer manual said 1.5 turns out. Gosh, I sure spent a lot of time chasing a lean sneeze at idle til I re-adjusted. That, and I learned one must twist spark wires when testing them. They tested fine, until I moved them a little. Car spark wires don’t twist, but outboard wires do. Live and learn.
Many thanks and happy motoring to all.
Alan