Byron

I purchased a set of 31 pitch hydromotive pitch props for my 30' Spectre new from my buddy, put approx ten hours and threw a blade. The owner of Hydromotive will not warranty my prop because he said I don't have the original paperwork even though it was a faulty prop from their foundry. The owner will not budge even though I have run there props for years. should I go back to them or bag them and go with Mercury props. Please Help!!!

27mmLoto

Bag them. I sent a pair in to be labbed a few years ago. Based on statements I had made they decided to take one inch of pitch out of them, without consulting me. They had both my phone and fax numbers so there was no reason not to consult me but HE thought HE knew best. Unfortunately HE didn't know of other changes I had made in the boat.
When I saw what they had done I tried to send them back to be changed back to the original pitch. No dice they were mine and if I wanted them changed I had to pay for it.
I took them to small claims court and rather than make it right and change the props back or fight the case on its merits they paid for a lawyer to get it thrown out as they did not do business in Iowa. The internet and magazine ads do not count as doing business. Guess maybe HE knew about that from past experience.
I personally know of 3 people who have thrown ears off of Intimidators but they all got them fixed for a fairly reasonable fee.
Steve

WETTE VETTE

I would go with whatever prop works best on your boat. I just bought a Hydromotive prop and their warranty says it only applies to the buyer who purchased the prop from them. If the Hydromotive is fast and performs well it only makes sense to get another one to replace the broken one. Just my opinion.

Byron

I agree that they work great, but we have all tried different props to see which one works best, don't you think they should warranty something they agree was there problem?? come on the prop ear should not break after ten hours of use. I not sure if I can afford to buy props every weekend!!

Jana

I had the same problem earlier this year. The Hydro that came with my boat (used boat, therefore I'm not the original owner of the prop) cracked a blade and Hydro would not cover it. They've got some policy about warranties only being good for the original owner. I did end up buying another one.

Maximus

Interesting subject. I'll share my experiences and thoughts. I have tested Mercury, Herring and Hydromotive props. I have heard of prop failure with each manufacturer. Keep in mind the environment that a propellor has to run in... 5000+ rpm. constantly loading and unloading, salt, fresh, pressure, heat. Now, think about the manufacturer, they have to make a product priced reasonable enough for the public to afford at the highest quality while still making a profit... props break. It's a fact of life. Unless of course you have figured out some magic formula to make an unbreakable prop,cheap and fast.

One of the reasons (aside from top performance)I chose Mercury B-1 for my prop was the great service I recieved when I needed help. They were replaced quickly and the service was proffessional. They could have hasseled me but they did not ...result- kept a customer that believes in their product.

The guys at Herring were very informative and helpful in my search for a prop. Their product speaks for itself. They seemed very in tune with their customers needs and desires I have no doubt they would service their product without question no matter who owned it. They took pride in their work.

I have also spoken with the guys a Hydromotive in the past and it surprises me they are giving you a hard time about this. It is very clear these are new props if in fact they did admit that it was a faulty blade it would be simple to repair or replace their product and keep a customer (probably make a couple as well). Do the right thing Hydro, this is a small community and you know these are brand new props.

As for me I was in the market for a new set of wheels, and was going to consider The Hydro 5 blade. Your troubles have made me think twice.

I know who I'm sticking with.

Oh "Black Magic" keep on rollin, Mississippi queen...............

Maximus

cheapthrills

Original owner is the key phase here, as it would be with any company! We used their props on our race boat and never had any problems.

Jana

I think we do have to accept the fact that breakage is going to happen. I was a little annoyed at Hydro when I first called them, but my prop was several years old, so I guess they could claim it was just the life span. For brand new props though, they should make good, even if it's not to the original buyer.

One caution to everyone about repairing - Welding changes the metal in the area of the break. While the weld itself is strong, the heat-affected-zone around it has vastly different material properties and it is very likely that the blade will break again in that area. That is why I bought a brand new 24 Hydro instead of just fixing the one I already had.

Cord

iTrader: (2)

I've been through this too.

jr

I've got a 22 inch hydro that I had checked out. I dropped it by accident. So I took it to a prop shop to have it checked out because I wanted to sell it. They said all the blades were fine but one blade had a different pitch from the root to the tip. He said the only way that could happen is from manufacture. I called hydro and they wouldn't honor the warranty because I wasn't the original owner. Even though the it was obviously a manufacture flaw that they admitted to. I guess my next props arent going to be hydros.

If I had abused them, bent them, threw a blade, sure that I can understand. But when something is obviously done wrong at the foundry it should be covered.