Anyone have any experience with Spinelli props?
03-11-2004, 01:29 PM
#21
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Shane
Buy em!
I assume you're talking about Dan Weeden up in Canada eh?
I just got a 30" Cleaver from him for my race boat.
Have'nt had time to test it but is a beautifull wheel and Dan did exactly what he told me he would.
For O/B's the Spinelli Bros had the reputation as the best of the best.
As far as comaring to Merc Labs, you're comparing apples to oranges.
What Dan has are basicaly what I call "blanks".
In other words right out of the box. Run them on your boat, then send them to somebody like Performance Propeller in Sody Daisy Tennesse and then they'll be "Labbed" and should run right beside the Merc's.
On a 24' Skater I'd say you're right there.
A friend of mine ran a "labbed" 30" Spinelli on his 19' tunnel boat and he said it pulled like his 28" labbed Merc but would eat it's lunch up stairs!
I may buy two more from Dan just to have them.
The Spinelli Bros, retired about a year ago.
P.S., I bought 14 1/2's so I can cut down the dia if I can't spin it. You might consider the same thing. He has 15's,14 1/2's, and 14's. I'd buy 15's for your boat and gpo from there.
Gary
I assume you're talking about Dan Weeden up in Canada eh?
I just got a 30" Cleaver from him for my race boat.
Have'nt had time to test it but is a beautifull wheel and Dan did exactly what he told me he would.
For O/B's the Spinelli Bros had the reputation as the best of the best.
As far as comaring to Merc Labs, you're comparing apples to oranges.
What Dan has are basicaly what I call "blanks".
In other words right out of the box. Run them on your boat, then send them to somebody like Performance Propeller in Sody Daisy Tennesse and then they'll be "Labbed" and should run right beside the Merc's.
On a 24' Skater I'd say you're right there.
A friend of mine ran a "labbed" 30" Spinelli on his 19' tunnel boat and he said it pulled like his 28" labbed Merc but would eat it's lunch up stairs!
I may buy two more from Dan just to have them.
The Spinelli Bros, retired about a year ago.
P.S., I bought 14 1/2's so I can cut down the dia if I can't spin it. You might consider the same thing. He has 15's,14 1/2's, and 14's. I'd buy 15's for your boat and gpo from there.
Gary
03-11-2004, 01:42 PM
#22
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Re: Shane
Originally posted by Twin O/B Sonic
Buy em!
I assume you're talking about Dan Weeden up in Canada eh?
I just got a 30" Cleaver from him for my race boat.
Have'nt had time to test it but is a beautifull wheel and Dan did exactly what he told me he would.
For O/B's the Spinelli Bros had the reputation as the best of the best.
As far as comaring to Merc Labs, you're comparing apples to oranges.
What Dan has are basicaly what I call "blanks".
In other words right out of the box. Run them on your boat, then send them to somebody like Performance Propeller in Sody Daisy Tennesse and then they'll be "Labbed" and should run right beside the Merc's.
On a 24' Skater I'd say you're right there.
A friend of mine ran a "labbed" 30" Spinelli on his 19' tunnel boat and he said it pulled like his 28" labbed Merc but would eat it's lunch up stairs!
I may buy two more from Dan just to have them.
The Spinelli Bros, retired about a year ago.
P.S., I bought 14 1/2's so I can cut down the dia if I can't spin it. You might consider the same thing. He has 15's,14 1/2's, and 14's. I'd buy 15's for your boat and gpo from there.
Gary
Buy em!
I assume you're talking about Dan Weeden up in Canada eh?
I just got a 30" Cleaver from him for my race boat.
Have'nt had time to test it but is a beautifull wheel and Dan did exactly what he told me he would.
For O/B's the Spinelli Bros had the reputation as the best of the best.
As far as comaring to Merc Labs, you're comparing apples to oranges.
What Dan has are basicaly what I call "blanks".
In other words right out of the box. Run them on your boat, then send them to somebody like Performance Propeller in Sody Daisy Tennesse and then they'll be "Labbed" and should run right beside the Merc's.
On a 24' Skater I'd say you're right there.
A friend of mine ran a "labbed" 30" Spinelli on his 19' tunnel boat and he said it pulled like his 28" labbed Merc but would eat it's lunch up stairs!
I may buy two more from Dan just to have them.
The Spinelli Bros, retired about a year ago.
P.S., I bought 14 1/2's so I can cut down the dia if I can't spin it. You might consider the same thing. He has 15's,14 1/2's, and 14's. I'd buy 15's for your boat and gpo from there.
Gary
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03-11-2004, 02:04 PM
#24
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If you are looking for more experience, I tried one on my 288 Sunsation. Didn't work well, lost speed and rpm!! I called them and explained what was happening, they told me that "they couldn't help me. Send the prop back." So I did, and chalked it up as a bad experience!
Spennelli is out of business for a reason!
But, they have helped others. And you've got a good price, unless these props have been worked one to many times!
Spennelli is out of business for a reason!
But, they have helped others. And you've got a good price, unless these props have been worked one to many times!
03-12-2004, 10:04 PM
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Originally posted by RLW
Just for clarification, Mike Spinelli retired from his craft and closed up shop. He made a great prop. If you were lucky enough to have him build a prop, he would rework that prop until it performed as it should.
A very talented individual.
Amazing, someone didn't apprentice with him so he could have passed on the knowledge.
$400 bucks for a pair of Spinelli's sounds like a fair deal to me.
Just for clarification, Mike Spinelli retired from his craft and closed up shop. He made a great prop. If you were lucky enough to have him build a prop, he would rework that prop until it performed as it should.
A very talented individual.
Amazing, someone didn't apprentice with him so he could have passed on the knowledge.
$400 bucks for a pair of Spinelli's sounds like a fair deal to me.
03-13-2004, 02:14 AM
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Mike is a great prop guy!
but,to take over in the prop Business, it takes years of practice . it's a ART ,to be as good as he is.
He has been around since, I started back in 79
oh! how time flies when your having fun.
Darin
He has been around since, I started back in 79
oh! how time flies when your having fun.
Darin
03-13-2004, 09:44 AM
#28
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HoustonProp
agreed!
It's art alright, freagin "Black Art"!
I have been priveldged enough in my boating life to have been around some of those guys like Floyd Hopkins, Pappa Smith, Ron Hill, the Dewalds among others.
As a consumer the best thing we can do is educate ourselves about what ??? to ask, what to look for and then don't ***** when you find out how much they are (there's a reason one guys wheel is $150. on e-bay while another one that looks identical is $695. w/a 60 day wait!)
The guys that are at the top of their game are simply amamzing at their craft.
My personal opinion is to go to the guys that specialize in your segment of the trade.
A good I/O guy or Inboard guy may not be the best O/B guy and vice versa.
I have a set of "worked" Choppers on my Sonic and was looking to upgrade and started calling around.
I was talking to the owner of I believe it was Hoss Propeller and telling him what I was looking for. He asked the current #'s of the boat which I knew were very impressive for out of the box and when he replied "you're probably there. Your slip vs MPH is excellent and I don't think I can improve on it".
That impressed the **** out of me!!
I knew another guy named Harold Barnes back in my kneel down racing days.
He was known for building 4 cyl Merc race motors but was also a fairly well respected "Prop God".
He used to drag around this old chair with him. I finally figured out it was his "prop chair"!!
I wathced a friend of mine walk up to him with a prop in his hand while testing and told Harold, "it's very, very good but I'm still getting pulled a bit coming out of the turns."
Harold looked at it for a minute and then put one blade on one of the chair uprights that just so happened to have the perfect radius 
and he tapped on it for a couple minutes and handed it back.
My friend re-tested and it and came back and told Harold, "It's freagin perfect!!"
An art in deed!
We miss you Harold!
Gary
It's art alright, freagin "Black Art"!
I have been priveldged enough in my boating life to have been around some of those guys like Floyd Hopkins, Pappa Smith, Ron Hill, the Dewalds among others.
As a consumer the best thing we can do is educate ourselves about what ??? to ask, what to look for and then don't ***** when you find out how much they are
(there's a reason one guys wheel is $150. on e-bay while another one that looks identical is $695. w/a 60 day wait!)The guys that are at the top of their game are simply amamzing at their craft.
My personal opinion is to go to the guys that specialize in your segment of the trade.
A good I/O guy or Inboard guy may not be the best O/B guy and vice versa.
I have a set of "worked" Choppers on my Sonic and was looking to upgrade and started calling around.
I was talking to the owner of I believe it was Hoss Propeller and telling him what I was looking for. He asked the current #'s of the boat which I knew were very impressive for out of the box and when he replied "you're probably there. Your slip vs MPH is excellent and I don't think I can improve on it".
That impressed the **** out of me!!
I knew another guy named Harold Barnes back in my kneel down racing days.
He was known for building 4 cyl Merc race motors but was also a fairly well respected "Prop God".
He used to drag around this old chair with him. I finally figured out it was his "prop chair"!!
I wathced a friend of mine walk up to him with a prop in his hand while testing and told Harold, "it's very, very good but I'm still getting pulled a bit coming out of the turns."
Harold looked at it for a minute and then put one blade on one of the chair uprights that just so happened to have the perfect radius
and he tapped on it for a couple minutes and handed it back.My friend re-tested and it and came back and told Harold, "It's freagin perfect!!"
An art in deed!
We miss you Harold!
Gary
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