This is what a one bladed, Gori folding prop looks like.

After discovering I had no reverse thrust last weekend while replacing my windex, I hired a diver to meet me at the Yacht Club's, visitors dock Saturday morning at 11:00. He wasn't in the water for long before he surfaced and told me I had lost a blade on my folding prop and that he couldn't replace it in the water.

As it turned out, he wasn't kidding. I had hoped that the prop was simply fouled with barnacles and such. But now that it T2 had to come out of the water for prop replacement surgery, I had to throw myself on the mercy of Bobby at the Yacht Club's foreshore office.

You see, I learned last weekend that there had been a change in the rules governing Senior, Non-Voting Yacht Club members. They are no longer entitled to use the club's foreshore amenities. That means no more ways or crane for Trouper 2!  The next closest haul-out is in Tsehum Harbour, Sidney. A three hour cruise from where I'm moored. Sorry, three hours with a functional propeller.

The good news is that Bobby quickly agreed to take me out on the ways. Once she was on the hard, the fun began.

Taking off the remaining blade was the easy part. Removing the rest of the folding prop assembly proved very difficult. Fortunately, a child-hood friend by the name of Gordon Higgins happened along and as luck would have it, had nothing planned that night.

Using a grinder, we cut the old prop off the drive shaft and, as Dad still had the original prop in the boat, used that to replace the Gori. Now, I'm not sure what happened to the original propeller shaft but clearly the one on T2 now, is not it. I know this because there was no hole through the end of the shaft which is required to accept a cotter pin to ensure the castle nut doesn't back off, allowing your prop to leave the vicinity of the boat. That would be bad.

Here's a hypothetical question; "How long does it take to drill an 11/64" hole through 5/8" of stainless steel?

The answer is; "A looooooooooooooooong time." T2 came out of the water at 13:30. Gordon and I finally got the god damned cotter pin in place at 2245. We also went through over a dozen drill bits before we were through. We snapped off 4 bits but miraculously managed to free each broken tip along the way.

The next morning, T2 hit the water shortly after 10:00 and now I've got reverse and forward along with a little extra drag under sail. Nice.  According to his logs, dad installed the Gori on Tuesday, November 9, 1982. 34 years later, that prop didn't owe us a thing. Thanks to Gordon for his tireless and optimistic efforts and to Bobby for getting me up on the hard.

While waiting for the diver to arrive, I mounted my new heater to the bulkhead.

Shortly before getting the bad news from the diver at the visitors wharf, RVYC.

Gord Higgins cuts off the folding prop. Notice the lack of growth on the hull. Not bad after a year.

The new (old) prop, mounted and ready to roll!

A close up of the cotter pin, sitting in the new hole through the shaft. It took us hours and hours and about a dozen bits.