PROP SHOPS: KEEPING OUTBOARDS ON THE GO

Travis Metje welded a broken boat propeller before grinding it into shape.

David Dodds, right, checked out a malfunctioning outboard motor with Steve Armstrong at Cape Boat & Motor, 505 Good Hope.

Today's anglers, hunters, campers and other outboard motor enthusiasts can sit comfortably in a boat and let the outboard motor propel them to certain destinations simply because a woman wanted a dish of ice cream.

While on a picnic during the early years of this century, Ole Evinrude, a young Milwaukee machinist, was asked by his fiancee to row across the lake for some ice cream. By the time, he returned with a somewhat soggy supply of ice cream, he was convinced there must be an easier and quicker way to satisfy the whim of his fiancee.

Evinrude went to work on solving the problem.

In 1910, Evinrude's solution -- a rough homemade motor that could be attached to the boat -- was granted a patent. It was the forerunner of the present-day, outboard motor.

A few detachable rowboat (outboard) motors were on the market, at this time, but Ole Evinrude's motor was the more practical one. His design was sound and has required few changes down through the years.

There has been an increase in the number of cylinders and the amount of power. There have been some mechanical refinements in bearings and metals, but the concept is the same. The motor, which operates a vertical driving shaft to which a propeller is geared, is still attached to the stern of a boat, and the propeller spins underneath to propel the boat.

Joe Metje is familiar with the Evinrude outboard motor.

"I have two of them in my collection of old outboard motors," said Metje, an electrical contractor who also operates an outboard motor prop shop along Highway 25, three miles south of Gordonville.

Metje has a 1937, 1.7 horsepower Evinrude, and one of the more powerful Evinrude outboards, a 1941, four-cylinder, 9.7 Evinrude, which had been used in a racing boat.

Metje has more than a passing interest in all outboards and propellers.

"I collect old outboard motors," he said. "I also like the old engine manuals which provide valuable reference."

Working with props is a learning experience, said Metje, who purchased a prop repair business more than two years ago.

"It's really an expensive business to get into," he said. "It takes lot of knowledge. I learn something new every week, every day. There are so many different kinds of props and shapes. You have to have special equipment for each one."

The propeller repair business has become a big one in this area. Over the past four decades, the nation's boating enthusiasts have increased from 15 million to more than 75 million.

You can have a (propeller) brush with bad luck, whether you're a beginner running your first outboard motor, or an experienced sea captain, out for an afternoon's fun in a small outboard motor craft.

"All it takes is a log floating in the river or stream," said Metje, who sees a lot of props that have had a run-in with a stump or log.

And, it can happen to anyone, anytime.

"I've been looking at bent and broken props for more than two years," said Metje, owner of the Highway 25 Prop Repair.

The average owner of an outboard motor has little knowledge of what goes on inside the smoothly purring engine that can operate for many hours with little care.

But, an angler, hunter or boat enthusiast can run into prop problems in a hurry in waters that contain underwater debris.

Propellers are usually cast in bronze, steel or aluminum alloy, and are constructed with either two or three blades, depending on the nature of service and the size of motor.

Metje got into the propeller repair business two years ago when a friend in the business wanted to sell out.

"It's been a busy two years," said Metje, who operates the only propeller repair shop -- "we don't do motor tuneups" -- between the St. Louis metropolitan area and Memphis, Tenn.

"A number of area engine repair facilities refer people with prop problems to me, and during the past two years, more and more people have become aware of our business. We're especially busy during the summer months."

"We" includes Metje and his son, Travis Metje, a carpenter by trade. "We do a lot of things with the propeller. We reweld them, we grind them down into shape, re-pitch them and re-balance the blades."

In addition to mending damaged props, Metje sells new props.

The Evinrude company still makes outboards, along with a number of other companies, including Mercury, Johnson, Michigan Wheel, Nissan and many others,

Overall, outboard motors are reliable in operation. But, many outboards have been prematurely ruined because of the lack of proper care and maintenance.

"Carburetion problems are normal in most outboards," said David Dodds, of Cape Boat and Motor Inc., which sells and services Nissan outboard products.

"We provide service and tuneup work for any outboard, except for prop work," said Dodd. "We send that work to Highway 25 Prop."