Labbed Props?
 

What does it mean to have a prop labbed and how much does it cost?

Lefty

Lefty, "lab finishing" basically means to take all the slop out of a mass produced prop----balance it and true it up...i.e. thining the blades and making it more efficient. Also, if your boat with the engine it has is turning let's say 5500rpm and you would rather it did 5300rpm or 5700rpm it can usually be done by labbing the prop you have.
York Propeller seems to be one of the top lab finishing shops in the business. "Tommy" at WPM (Warlock Performance Marine) has said that they have tried many of the better lab finishing prop shops including Merc's and no one that they have found is more consistant and performs better than York. WPM's phone number is 909-371-7567 and ask for Tommy and he can tell of their experiences with the other prop shops vs York. Lake X did a test a few years ago and they tried several of the shops that do lab finishing and York came out on top....even over Mercury. Merc wants about $350 to lab finish a prop---York is about HALF that price! I don't have York's phone number...they're in Anahiem, CA but I'm sure someone will read this thread and post it for you---hang tight.

Thanks for your help KAAMA!

Lefty

York's # 714 773-5444

Lefty:
While having your prop labbed certainly has its' advantages, there is one major disadvantage. When a prop is labbed, the blades are thinned to about 1/2 the thickness that they are now. While this is great for top speed and performance in general, it severly weakens the blades. You might think that it only weakens the steel by half its' original strength, but that is not true. A labbed blade is only about 12% a strong as it was originally. Not only will it dent up easily, the blades can actually crack off from the hub.

From what I have read on the board York sounds like a pretty good shop. Has anyone had an experience with them where the prop didn't work well? Did they work with you and offer a reasonable restocking charge? I have been spoiled by the service Mike Spinelli provided. After trying several Spinelli props (no bravo 1 props) they finally built a 29" that seemed to spank all of the others and carries the boat very well. Now that they closed their doors I want to find another prop that will give good performance. I will be happy if I find one that is within 2-3 mph of the Spinelli. You never know, maybe we'll find one faster. I will call York later today.:D

Hi,

Does anyone have a pair of 24 pitch Bravo 1's they need to sell? I'm looking...

Mongo

I have put hundreds of hours on labbed props under all kinds of conditions including offshore racing without any failures. Several years ago there were some bravo castings that had problems, it didn't matter if they were labbed or not. Its true they are more easliy damaged because of the thiner blade, but also they are easier on the lower unts because of the balance.