78 sceptre onboard prop removal

[Fr. Frank]

You may have to remove pull the boat from the water and drop the rudder shaft if the combination of heat and tension doesn't do it.

Tighten the puller as much as you can, then apply an acetylene flame from a rosebud tip. Propane and MAPP torches just don't get hot enough. It can be helpful to also apply a thin stream of water to the shaft to keep it cool while you're heating the prop hub.

DO NOT stand behind the prop, but stand off to one side.
Every now and then the prop will release suddenly and with great force. If that happens and a blade hits you you could be suddenly dead with 6"-7" inches of propeller buried into your body.

I had an employee removing a wheel from a 28" John Allmand back in the 80's who was hit with a prop like that. He required extensive surgery after the prop embedded a blade 3" into his abdomen when it jumped off the shaft like it had been fired with a gun.