[mikeyt]

Originally Posted by RARinger

The prop is fine, no vibration. We checked that. Apparently the branch just missed the outdrive and just hit the one wing of the Dolfin. Talk about a game of inches!

A damaged coupler (or bent prop shaft) will cause vibration but a loosened prop hub likely wont. The loose hub will cause the hub to spin faster than the prop but not transmit full power to it.

[Andy b]

Evening Mikey

Defo prop hub. If it's a rubber hub then even though it's spun you'll have trouble turning it by hand. If it's a flo-torq it'll just be trashed.....that's what they are there for.

Anything else would have other results as listed above like noise, vibration or smell of rubber under the hatch

[RARinger]

How expensive/and how difficult is that to repair?

Thank you so much for your insight.

Is there a way that I can test for that with the boat being out of the water?

I hope this isn't going to be a really expensive repair. I would love to get her back in the water this year. You have no idea how much I miss quality time with my Mariah.

[mikeyt]

If its a rubber hub it will likely have to be pressed out and a new one pressed in but if its a Flo-Torq or a Michigan Wheel XHS style then its very easy to change. Maybe $75 for the rubber style and $50 for the Flo-Torq/XHS style.

Again, i'll suggest that if you have a buddy with a similar outdrive/prop then borrow his and try it to see if it makes a difference.

[RARinger]

UNfortunately I don't. Where I go boating, it's mostly ski boats or pontoon boats. I think I've only ever seen one other Mariah on the whole river.

How do I identify which one mine is?

Also, according to the Smart Tabs video, my boat is too big. Does that matter? They sure seem like a great idea.

[ColoradoDiablo]

Ohh they make them for your Z209 RA.

Smart Tabs SX Trim Tabs

Also have the stainlees steel ones if you want

http://www.nauticusinc.com/smart_tab..._trim_tabs.htm

[mikeyt]

Originally Posted by RARinger

How do I identify which one mine is?

This isn't hard.....really. Here's a link to a You-Tube video showing what a spun rubber prop hub looks like vs a good one. And here's a link to a Flo-Torq hub kit. You should be able to easily see the difference between the two styles and note that the Flo-Torq (or Michigan Wheel XHS) system is MUCH better as it makes things very easy to fix yourself.

You also might want to take a couple of minutes and read my STICKY in the Prop Talk section for some insight on props.

[RARinger]

Thank you for a fantastic reply. I'm very appreciative of your help and your patience. I figured that the prop probably isn't ideally suited to the boat, but the previous owner put it on and they're expensive to replace. One thing's for sure, she jumps out on plane in a hurry.

It occurred to me that the gas has been in the tanks since 2007 and probably isn't a good thing to run through the engine. Is there a way to drain it out other than a siphon? I believe that the tank is also aluminum, so corrosion shouldn't be a concern, correct?

Does Mariah feature a drain for the tanks? If so, how do I access it?