Storing the Spare Prop Inside the Boat
It is a fact that the free space in our rib is usually quite limited, but this does not justify the absence of basic supplies that we must always have on board even if they do not belong to the mandatory boat equipment. Such a supply is the extra propeller that must be present in every boat, which is essential for our safety, especially if we frequently make long trips.
The Spare Propeller
- Will get us out of the stalemate we find ourselves in if our main propeller gets "spun" (which means that its rubber hub has been detached).
- Will be useful, especially when it has less pitch than the main one. Putting on a spare propeller with shorter pitch when our boat is overloaded lets the engine run at its maximum rpm range.
Our spare propeller should not be sloppily stored on board because it can cause damage or injury if it’s moving around within the locker. A relatively simple way of storing and stabilizing our spare propeller is to attach it on a properly fixed shaft.
We can ask an engineer if he has any old or stricken propeller shafts. We can also make a metal tube of corresponding diameter, attaching a support base and forming a proper thread on the other end where the propeller nut will be screwed on.
This way we'll always have our spare propeller securely stored in a dedicated space on board, with all its accessories passed through in the shaft in the desired order. It will be tidily stored and if we need a backup nut, spacer or washer, we will always know the location of the spares.