Benefits of prop labbing
 

What are the benny's of this. Is it worth the money for it, can you pick up any mph from it or is is just help make it more efficient. Thanks John :cool-smiley-011:

Typically Lab Finishing is performed to gain top end. It allows you to step up to a taller pitch propeller (1-2 inches) and turn it at the same RPM as that of the smaller pitch propeller. You will typically see about an average of 250 RPM increase over its RPM when tested stock. There are some downfalls to labbing as well, which I have outlined on my web-site.

www.throttle-up.com

Click on services and then Lab Finishing

Julie

What is the typical cost to having a proped labbed.
John

Whats the deal? I always understood a "Lab finish" prop was done by mercurys prop shop. Has it become a generic term?
Jim

Yes it is.

Figure about $100 per blade. If you are`quoted much less than that you may want ask a lot of questions.

Throttle up does nice work, I would recommend them. Julie will be doing another set of props for me this winter.

I've found that the price depends on what you are actually having them do to the prop. If you are just having the prop trued, it can be much less.

Yes, a standard reconditioning is less than half of the cost of labbing a propeller.

Julie

Lab Finishing has become a generic term like Kleenex is to tissue.

It wasn't meant to be that way. In fact, while I was still at Merc Racing we tried to Trademark the term but it was too late. We ended up with Mercury Lab Finished as the trademark.

Lab is short for laboritory and Mercury was the only game in town doing the original Labbing till 10 or so years ago. My old boss and his invented and perfected the process. In fact, till a few years ago they were the only ones who really understood the ins and outs of the processes. That can be seen by looking at the progression in some shops work over the years. Early prop work may be less than desired. It takes time to understand and learn propellers, you don't become a expert in a couple years

Mercury had the edge on everyone because they invented the process. There was a standard Lab template which was used for most all applications. Slowly we began modifying the process to make it what it is today.

So as more people began to work on customizing propellers, and because the performance gains were obvious, everyone started to say they were Lab Finishing the prop. Whether they actually knew what they were doing or not.

As it was before and as it is today, Labbing isn't always the best solution. At least not a generic Lab. Each application must be set up on its own merits. The best prop on the boat is the best prop on the boat whether it is investment cast or CNC'd doesn't guaranty anything. Either production process can surpass the other in performance on any given day on any given set up. Knowing the goals desired and adjusting the prop to meet those goals is key.


Pass me a tissue....I mean Kleenex!

B

Great explanation! Now throw me that Frisbee...I mean flying disc! :D

Brett- You tell 'um. A lab set of props is something special unfortunately the term is OVER used. Dennis, God Bless Him, was the master. His work and knowledge was magical and better.
Jim

i should try that on my cigarette: i mean boat!

I'm currently running my boat (single 272 baja) without the blower. It made 657 hp this way,preliminary testing with a out of the box 26 pitch rh merc bravo it ran 72 mph at 5100 rpm's (1.50 drive). I bought a new merc factory labbed 26 pitch bravo,it now will run 5400 and runs around 76 mph plus I don't feel as much "stern" lifting,labbing props is usually beneficial as it was in my case. I saw 78 mph running on some rougher water BUT I think this new gaffrig gps speedo spikes easy,Smitty

Brovos always seem to respond well to labbing!

Smitty, what's up with the boat? Why aren't you running the blower?

I'm still working 100 hours a week at both jobs and have had to work every saturday and sunday so my boating has been limited to a few hours before work here and there. I have only managed to get 3 hours of run time on boat and I am STILL burning my 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of new gas/ old gas out of it from last year,I gave up my overtime last weekend to get some serious boating in only to freeze my azz off saturday on higgins lake for a hour and watch it rain all day sunday. I'm going out before work this sunday to run the other 50 gallons of gas out then hope to run it blown over labor day. I don't want to chanch detonation with the crap in my tank and I'm having fun running it N/A. The fun is wearing off quickly though as 76-78mph is what I used to run 5 years ago:D ,Smitty

Got ya! You going to Hot Boat this year?

As long as its not 58 degrees out,Smitty

Brett is the man. Give him and call, tell him what you are looking for and he will deliver. He did a prop for me and my boat is a whole different animal, I couldn't be happier!

"Labbing props" different LEVELS of the process ??
 

I wanted to understand this PROCESS more clearly by what is actually done in a basic "lab finish" versus a full blown "lab finish". I had my props labbed and then measured at another shop and the blades (4) were out of spec up to .400" in pitch difference. I think what I got for a basic job was the polishing of grain direction and a pretty prop.

I know everyone has thier own style, level of work done for each prop done in their shop, but what would a description of the actual work be per level of labbing? What would one ask for when sending props for lab finish and what would you expect to get for you money spent?

I apparently misinterpreted the word "Lab finished" to be a trueing of the blades and balance as well as correcting any other out of spec feature.
Thanks for any simple clarification please!

Real Labbing
 

Thanks for piping in..
Point is ..I am asking this question since sending my props out for LABBING and then having them measured at another prop shop with 'Prop Scan' measuring device and software. Although the " surface fiinishing done in the lab" looked great, but I was expecting some thing more than I recieved and was not told (by a reputable place here on this site) that I was not getting more than "surface finishing" and nothing more and not given the opportunity to have more done of which I thought was to be done with this process. As THROTTLE UP says on its site there is blueprinting as well as a lab finishing. It is still unclear where lab finishing stops and blueprinting begins.
Clarification to anyone sending props out to be lab finished should ask what they will be getting done exactly since all props shops have a little different definition or process.
Thanks again for any prop shop to pipe in and help with your clarification and we'll find the best advice and what to ask for and expect to receive when we send them out.

Jim, since you have become an expert what is or isn't a lab prop why don't you tell us what a lab prop is?

Thats just the problem, now lab means different things to different people . A lab prop to me is a prop that the mercury racing prop shop finished to a specific request on a specific boat. Now Quicksilver offers lab finish in their catalogs. It is a shame mercury didn't trademark that term cause it doesn't mean much any more. I have no experience with your stuff and cannot make any remarks to your work, but " lab" as a term in my opinion is way overused.
Jim

Why not start a new Name???
 

Like "DARK room finish" or "hammer toned" ???any ideas??