PH: (02) 9890 1766
info@dhporter.com.auA damaged propeller doesn’t have to mean a new one. Most propellers that come through our door can be repaired, and many leave our workshop running more accurately than the day they were new.
At DH Porter, we repair propellers for everything from small pleasure craft to commercial vessels, in manganese bronze, nickel-aluminium-bronze and stainless steel. With over a century of marine engineering behind us, we’re trusted by boat owners, shipwrights and insurers across Sydney and beyond.
Assessment and advice are free. Bring your propeller in and we’ll take a proper look, measure it and tell you honestly what it needs. If it isn’t worth repairing, you’ll hear that from us before any work starts.
We repair propellers up to about 50” in diameter, and we also repair pump impellers.
The one exception is aluminium outboard propellers. A new one usually costs less than repairing the old one, so we’ll tell you that up front rather than quote you for a repair that doesn’t make sense.
Our repairs follow the same thorough process from start to finish:
Here’s a welcome bonus: plenty of production propellers were never made to Class I in the first place, so a repaired propeller often comes back better than it left the factory.
We look after the hub as well as the blades. Worn tapers can be re-bored and sleeved and keyways recut, so your propeller fits its shaft as well as it runs.
In most cases, yes. Bent, chipped and broken blades are everyday work for us, and most can be repaired. A propeller is normally only beyond saving in two situations:
Like any metal in seawater, a propeller needs protecting. If the anodes are worn out, or there’s an electrical fault on board or nearby, the zinc in the alloy can slowly leach out. That process is called dezincification, and over time it leaves the metal weak and porous. It’s often easy to spot once you know the sign: the affected metal takes on a pinkish, coppery colour.
The good news is that it’s largely preventable. Keep your anodes in good condition and have any electrical issues sorted, and your propeller will be well protected. We check for dezincification whenever we assess a propeller, and only when it’s very advanced is there too little sound metal left to repair.
A propeller that’s out of balance or out of class sends vibration through the shaft, the cutless bearing and the gearbox every hour the engine runs. It’s worth having yours checked regularly, and always after an impact or if you notice vibration that wasn’t there before.
Commercial operators regularly send us their propellers as part of scheduled maintenance, which keeps small problems from becoming big ones.
Hit something? Insurance repairs are a big part of our work. If your insurer would like its representative to inspect the propeller before work starts, they’re welcome to see it here at the workshop.
Propellers are also often brought to us for a repair and balance when a vessel is due for survey. For commercial vessels in survey, a Prop Scan report is available on request.
Every repair is done here in our workshop, so the propeller will need to come off the boat first. After that, getting it to us is easy:
Urgent jobs are a regular part of our work. If your boat is sitting on the slip waiting for its propeller, give us a ring on (02) 9890 1766 and we’ll do our best to help.
Not sure whether it makes sense to repair your propeller? Ring the workshop on (02) 9890 1766 or get in touch. The assessment is free, and so is the advice.
