Prop Shaft Cotter Pins

Peter · Post by **Peter** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:56 am

I've finished my beaching legs and am getting ready to install a new prop. Just wondering which would be a longer lasting cotter pin: silicone bronze or stainless steel? (I can't find any monel ones around here :-( )

Post by **Tim** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:39 am

I actually can't think of a time where I've seen anything but stainless steel cotter pins on the prop shaft, though that doesn't mean bronze isn't a good choice.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:42 am

I would be astounded if a bronze cotter pin corroded away before you needed to pull the prop for some other purpose.

feetup · Post by **feetup** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:12 pm

Silicon Bronze sits midway between passive 316 stainless, and active 316 in the galvanic series for stagnant (ie. low oxygen content) seawater. If you use a 316 stainless cotter pin in a bronze shaft/nut be sure to bend the ends snug around the shaft/nut so that the pin cannot work and wear away the passivating layer. Even if it does wear away the passivating layer it will last for a lot longer than you need it to in the relatively oxygenated water of Pedder Bay. Likewise silicon bronze.
I would say it is an either/or.

Feetup

After all's been said and done, there's a lot more said than done.