Mercury 9.9 on the Dink

[Pa La O La]

Ok,
Here’s the deal. I’m in my dink out exploring around Stock Island in the keys. I’ve been idling and up on plane off and on. On plane about 45 minutes into the trip and I’m smack in the middle of the channel about half throttle and it’s like I’m tied to the dock. Engine is still running but I’m losing speed. I turn around and start back. It’s like I can get up on plane but then I start to lose speed but the engine is still running at speed just the boat is slowing. What? I didn’t hit anything and when I get back the prop is still there and doesn’t feel loose. All I can think is it is spinning the hub. It is a 6 month old 9.9 Mercury 4 cycle. Ideas? I’m going to pull the prop tomorrow but just thought I’d ask W T H !!
Thanks

Gary

[anglooff]

Its always a difficult assessment from a far... Was water still circulating... you may have a partial/blockage or an impeller problem and the engine overheated?

Regards

Alan

[Cheechako]

spun hub. I used my Yamaha with a spun hub for a month or so... whenever I gunned it to get up on plane it would rev like crazy, thought I had a gear problem.... then the light went on in my head....

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

spun hub. I used my Yamaha with a spun hub for a month or so... whenever I gunned it to get up on plane it would rev like crazy, thought I had a gear problem.... then the light went on in my head....

Ditto.

Spun hub.

One neat thing about the way the props are made now is with this design a damaged prop and a spun hub will usually allow you to "make it back".

[s/v 'Faith']

+ 3 on spun hub.

They are tough to identify, since they don't free spin like older outboards with a shear pin....

You can sometimes get a short term fix with a couple inch long wood screw into the rubber hub. This can affect prop ballance, so I would not use this to plane but it should be ok to put back and forth to the dock while you wait for a new prop.

[Pa La O La]

Thanks for the replies; I always like a second opinion. Never had a prop with a hub before. It just didn’t make sense that the motor would keep up its rev’s but start slowing. It was like it was cavitating but that didn’t make sense because nothing had really changed and nothing was missing or obviously loose. I’ve sheared a pin or two in my day. Lost a prop but this was a different animal. It would go fast enough to get up on plane it just would stay. There was no problem with the engine running. Yea it was good that it got me back. It was good I wasn’t in a hurry.

Again thanks
Gary

[DRS]

Just replaced the prop on my Honda. Would not even get on to plane without the engine reving and the boat slowing. New Prop and it runs like a charm.