Propeller is In

Jose installed the propeller yesterday.




The operation took longer than expected because the fancy new anode that he had suggested to be screwed in at the end of the shaft required modification. The long slots provided for the stainless steel cotter pin did not reach the hole at the shaft so we were forced to drill a hole through the nut part of the brass fitting.  Jose marked the location and I drilled using my Bosch portable drill which proved to be up to the task. I had to use a bigger bit to take enough off the top of one of the holes to take the cotter pin head so that it would not be proud and interfere with the fitting of the actual anode.  Then I had the more delicate job of cutting a channel from the other hole to allow us to lay the end of the cotter pin below the level of the brass, also to allow the fitting of the anode. 

Modified Brass Fitting

After more than 2 hours of work Jose surfaced with a big smile and pronounced the job completed.

Back on the jetty he commented on the very good condition of the propeller - "like new" he stated, which is a pretty good testimonial to a propeller that probably dates back to 1983, when Pachuca was built.  

New Anode at End of Shaft

... But that begs the question of why the new end-of-shaft anode was required if the traditional clamp-on shaft anodes had done such a good job.  I'll dive on the propeller to make sure that it is still nice and tight after a few hours of running, but in any event I will probably revert to the tried and true nut, washer, and cotter pin sometime in the future.

Incidentally, the consensus is that there is no point in antifouling propellers because nothing works for very long.  Even that vaunted and very expensive "Prop Guard" that I tried proved to be useless.  Everyone, including Jose, advises to leave the prop bare and scrub it as required.

The propeller job marks the second (the alternator was first) of three tasks required to prepare Pachuca for sea.  This morning I will attempt to engage Joel to fit the new Volvo engine controls.