"Props" to Sheffield Propellers

[cab13367]

Just wanted to give some props (pun intended) to Brian at Sheffield Marine Propellers in Portland, OR. They repair props and also sell them and are acme and OJ dealers. I met Brian at the boat show this weekend and asked him how much he would charge me to repair a small ding on my spare prop as a result of dropping it on the garage floor. He said bring it by the shop and I'll do it for free. So I took it to him today and it took literally 2 to 3 minutes and it looks like new again. No charge.

His contact info is:

Sheffield Marine Propellers
(503) 289-2620
10002 N Vancouver Way
Portland, Oregon 97217

I'll be buying my next prop from him and will have him do my future prop repair work.

[saskyrider]

always nice to hear stories like that..... And this is the best result the owner can get... good press in the right place!!

G

[wolfeman131]

rare to find that kind of customer service and "props" are definately deserved!

[saskyrider]

just curious as to what came out of your mouth when you dropped it???

Lucky it didn't land on your toes!!

G

[maxpower220]

Did he balance and true it?

[newty]

I second Cab. Brian and the guys are awesome to deal with and have helped me out several times in a pinch.
Last summer I got a bumped something and got a bad vibration 2 days before vacation. They had it done in a day and a half. Best shop in Portland.

Lets just say I've been there... a couple times.

[cab13367]

just curious as to what came out of your mouth when you dropped it???

Lucky it didn't land on your toes!!

G

You don't want to know Actually, it was in a folding plastic crate along with some other stuff and the wife was unloading it after a multi-day trip. Well, the bottom fell out of the folding crate and the prop fell to the ground. Lucky for ME it didn't land on her feet!

Did he balance and true it?

No, only one blade was dinged and he was able to hammer it back to new. He didn't add or take away any material so I don't think balancing is necessary? I guess I'll find out if I ever have to use it. It's the stock 13.5 x 17.5 (?) that came with the boat and is now my back up prop.

[thesack]

No, only one blade was dinged and he was able to hammer it back to new. He didn't add or take away any material so I don't think balancing is necessary? I guess I'll find out if I ever have to use it. It's the stock 13.5 x 17.5 (?) that came with the boat and is now my back up prop.

Since i do vibration analysis for a living, IMO balancing is necessary, because even though no material was directly added or taken away you still slightly altered the prop. He probably did a quick static balance on it (which is how they are balanced from the manufacturers as well). You can more or less check the balance of the prop yourself if you have a spindle or anything that will allow it to freely spin and mounted vertically. Just attach the prop to the spindle and spin it. Once it stops take a piece of chalk, pencil, etc and mark the prop at the lowest point. Repeat this 3 or 4 times and see where the marks are. If the are sporadic the more the likely your prop is balanced just fine. If you they are occurring in the same general area then your prop needs balancing. Please note that this method of doing it yourself at home is not 100% accurate, but will give you a general idea if you ever have a concern.

[kaneboats]

If you've ever balanced your windmill blades it's the same process:

http://www.reuk.co.uk/Balancing-Wind-Turbine-Blades.htm