Alternate Waterproof Grease for Maxprop

Maine Sail · Jun 21, 2015

Amazon has it. With Amazon Prime you would have it Tuesday.. Otherwise wait until Monday and call PYI and ask which alternative grease you can use and will it be compatible with what is in there and not turn into a mass of hard goo... This grease was carefully chosen for a number of performance factors, waterproof being just one of them..

centerline · Jun 21, 2015

if you cant find the stuff at a marina/marine store, then there are a couple of greases that match the lubriplate product, which can be gotten from an oil dealer/jobber, but in the quantity you need, Main Sails suggestion is by far the cheapest, as the jobbers sell only in carton quantities of 10 grease gun sized tubes per carton... at a price of around $140 for the highly water resistant stuff.

fstbttms · Jun 21, 2015

smokey73 said:
I have a 3 blade Maxprop and my boat is out of the water for a few days. I need to lubricate the prop and the recommended grease is Lubriplate 130AA.

I can't seem to find it locally and the boat will be going into back into the water very soon.

You can splash the boat and have a diver lube the prop later on, ideally in conjunction with a hull cleaning. There is no reason this job has to be done on the hard.

fstbttms · Jun 21, 2015

Maine Sail said:
This grease was carefully chosen for a number of performance factors, waterproof being just one of them..

Maybe not so much...

From the installation manual:

Fill the two halves of the spinner with a sea water grease. From our experience Lubraplate “130 AA” grease has worked best.

Maine Sail · Jun 21, 2015

fstbttms said:
Maybe not so much...

From the installation manual:

Fill the two halves of the spinner with a sea water grease. From our experience Lubraplate “130 AA” grease has worked best.

A few years ago I was chatting with Fred H. about a gummy mess I came across on a customers boat that refused to even feather. Owner had injected a NAPA water-proof trailer bearing grease and it turned to a hard very gummy pine tar-ish state. Fred was pretty convincing that 130AA was the best fit and said some waterproof greases lack the right viscosities make up for all waters and some can even cause this type of gum.. I am sure other greases can be used but for me, I stick to what Fred advised... I also agree this does not need to be done on the hard unless it is due for a tear down, clean and re-grease...

fstbttms · Jun 21, 2015

Maine Sail said:
I am sure other greases can be used but for me, I stick to what Fred advised...

Agreed. Lubriplate 130AA is the best choice. I never use anything else.

JoeWhite · Jun 21, 2015

One other idea - Use the grease that is used on powerboat propeller drive shaft. It is Teflon and I would think it is OK to use for your application. This lube is used when the prop is removed from shaft. It must be lubricated before re-inserting the prop. This lube makes sure that you will be able to remove the prop when needed.

fstbttms · Jun 21, 2015

JoeWhite said:
One other idea - Use the grease that is used on powerboat propeller drive shaft. It is Teflon and I would think it is OK to use for your application.

Also from the Max Prop installation manual:

NOTE: DO NOT USE TEFLON GREASE it will wash out very quickly.

JoeWhite said:
This lube is used when the prop is removed from shaft. It must be lubricated before re-inserting the prop. This lube makes sure that you will be able to remove the prop when needed.

Lubricating the shaft & prop bore is a no-no. The bore and shaft taper are designed to mate very tightly and adding any lubricant to the equation can keep that from happening. Not to mention, your prop is not supposed to come off easily, for obvious reasons.

All U Get · Jun 21, 2015

I could add one thought, spread a tarp on the ground where you will be working. I know an old sailor that spent an hour on his knees looking for the small set screw. After removing most of the gravel in a 4X4 area one stone at a time his wife found it directly below the prop. It could have bounced right into the bay. I have spares for many parts, but not that set screw.

All U Get

All U Get · Jun 21, 2015

Here's a video to help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr_aEJgugjM

All U Get

Gunni · Jun 22, 2015

You can over-grease a max-prop. You'll know because the blades won't rotate. Remove the zercs and roll the blade around and any excess will come back out.

Parsons · Nov 13, 2017

I'm resurrecting an old post to not that finding this grease is not easy. Most vendors sell in 12-count boxes, which is enough grease to maintain a fleet of boats. Based on smokey73's post above (thanks!), I found the PYI kit on Amazon labelled "Max-Prop Grease Kit Feathering Propeller (Lubriplate LU130-AA + Pistol Style Grease Gun + Fittings)" and sells for about $35. Searching on "Lubriplate 130AA" is hopeless. Thanks to this forum, again.

FastOlson · Nov 13, 2017

I used a feathering Martec prop for a decade, and when Martec temporarily ran out of this grease, at their suggestion I ordered a tube from PYI. These are both small companies and they do not mind helping each other out...
I would call it a good natured rivalry.

And yes, you DO want that particular grease. We boat in relatively cold water and the standard green grease I had been using would sometimes not let the blades rotate from reverse to forward on the first try. Rather disconcerting when you are backing and turning in a tight fair way!

jviss · Nov 13, 2017

Maine Sail said:
Amazon has it. With Amazon Prime you would have it Tuesday.. Otherwise wait until Monday and call PYI and ask which alternative grease you can use and will it be compatible with what is in there and not turn into a mass of hard goo... This grease was carefully chosen for a number of performance factors, waterproof being just one of them..

Here's the product to which MaineSail refers:
https://www.amazon.com/Max-Prop-Fea...=1510605567&sr=8-3&keywords=lubriplate+130-aa
I have ordered it. I balked at the price, at first, but found it impossible to put this same kit together for this price.

My question is, never having done this, how much grease is usually required?

Thanks,

jv

Sandy Stone · Nov 13, 2017

IIRC, I picked up the recommended Lubriplate grease at the local NAPA store, off the shelf.

jviss · Nov 13, 2017

Sandy Stone said:
IIRC, I picked up the recommended Lubriplate grease at the local NAPA store, off the shelf.

Cool! It doesn't show up on NAPA online. What size? How are you going to inject it? I couldn't find 130-aa in grease gun cartridges on Lubriplate's site.

All U Get · Nov 13, 2017

jviss said:
Cool! It doesn't show up on NAPA online. What size? How are you going to inject it? I couldn't find 130-aa in grease gun cartridges on Lubriplate's site.

Thought I saw somewhere, maybe at Walmart or Tractor Supply, I have several tubes so it’s off the radar. However a cruiser friend said he uses a syringe from his epoxy kit. He fills the tube and cut the tip to insert it in the prop. Must work.

All U Get

jviss · Nov 13, 2017

All U Get said:
Thought I saw somewhere, maybe at Walmart or Tractor Supply, I have several tubes so it’s off the radar. However a cruiser friend said he uses a syringe from his epoxy kit. He fills the tube and cut the tip to insert it in the prop. Must work.

All U Get

I doubt it works. The Max-Prop manual calls for pulling grub screws and replacing with zerks, and pumping grease in while manipulating the blades 'til grease oozes out of the hub. Would be impossible to do with a plastic syringe, I think.