Shear pin….really????  What is the last time you needed a shear pin for a boat motor propeller?    
Shear pins for boat props (except for trolling motors) went out of vogue about the same time as corded telephones, if not before. 

So, after the demise of shear pins for outboard and stern drive motors came props with rubber or plastic hubs molded into the steel or aluminum props.  Those worked pretty good but they were more or less once and done.  Meaning, if you hit something with a prop that had a shear pin hopefully all one needed to get the boat moving again was a replacement shear pin.  When you hit something with rubber or plastic molded directly to the prop….once you hit something hard enough to spin the prop…the prop was likely trash.

Fast forward to most of the (higher quality) props made today for your modern outboards or stern drives.  They use a replaceable hub that allows the prop to spin on the shaft if one hits something substantial.  These are generally a metal spline with molded rubber or plastic around it that fits into one propeller.  If you hit something hard enough…the rubber or plastic gives way and hopefully all you must replace is the hub.  I mention hopefully…because prop shafts do often still get bent if the prop strike is really bad or if the weight of the boat is suddenly high centered on the prop due a grounding on a hard bottom.

Should you carry a spare prop on your boat?  Good question.  If it is one of the cheaper throw away (usually aluminum) props with the rubber or plastic molded to the prop…then by all means….yes…you should carry a spare prop as a solid hit on a submerged log can ruin your day or weekend on the water. 

If you have a higher quality aluminum prop with a replaceable hub…you still might consider carrying a spare prop along with a hub.  Why? Sometimes an aluminum prop can actually break a blade off if the impact is severe enough (see photo above)…so replacing just the hub will not allow the prop to perform very well at all and my not get you back to the boat ramp without doing damage to the lower unit due to possible vibration.

If you have a stainless-steel prop on your outboard or stern drive…then you should be good with just carrying a spare replacement hub.  Even if you bend the prop and spin the hub you should be able to get back to the marina or boat dock safely after replacing the hub.

Wakeboard or other in-boards….if you don’t want to totally ruin your weekend…always have a spare prop on board.   That way, you can put a new prop on and then take the bent one to the shop…have it repaired and put it back in the boat for the next time.  And…if you can…take the boat and put it on a trailer before changing the prop.  I do not recommend changing in-board props in the water.  Depending on the boat….a prop puller is likely required.

Last but not least…..having a spare prop or spare hub does you NO GOOD if you do not have the correct tools on board to remove it when needed.  Always carry a prop wrench!!

Where do you buy a spare prop or hub or prop wrench?  Many of the on-line boat parts catalogs have props…but if you’re not sure how to match up the exact prop you have…then stop by LAKEVIEW BOATING CENTER.  We can help you determine the hub diameter, prop diameter, and pitch of your current prop and order you a spare.  We can also stock hubs for several types of outboard motors and prop wrenches for many brands of outdrives.