Low Water and Stumps on Lake Conroe: Protect Your Lower Unit and Prop

Lake Conroe is a big, beautiful lake, but parts of it are shallow and full of stumps, especially in the upper end of the lake toward the national forest. When the water level drops in a dry stretch, things that were safely below you all summer get a lot closer to your prop.

Know where you are

• Know your lake. Coves, creek mouths and the upper lake hold the most timber and the shallowest flats.
• Use your depth finder and watch it, not just the shoreline.
• Check the current lake level before you head out. Shorelines and flats you know at full pool can look very different after a dry spell.
• Slow down in unfamiliar water. A stump at idle speed is a scare. At cruising speed it's a repair bill.

Trim matters

Running with the drive trimmed up a bit in shallow water keeps the skeg and prop higher, but too much trim can cause cavitation and overheating if the water intake comes out of the water. Learn how your boat behaves, and go slow when it's shallow.

Signs you hit more than you thought

After a strike, even a small one, watch for:

• New vibration at speed (a bent prop or prop shaft)
• Trouble shifting, or a clunk going into gear
• Gear oil that turns milky in the weeks after (a damaged seal letting water in)
• A bent or chewed-up skeg
• The engine revving higher than normal without going faster (a spun prop hub)

What to do after a prop strike

1. 1Stop and check for damage and leaks.
2. 2If you have a vibration, idle back slowly. Running a bent prop or shaft at speed can damage the gears and seals.
3. 3Check the lower unit oil within a few days, even if everything feels fine.
4. 4Bring it in before your next long run.

A bent prop is the cheap version. A bent prop shaft or a damaged gear set is the expensive one, and catching it early keeps it cheaper. See Lower Unit Repair.

Carry a spare prop

If you boat the upper lake a lot, a spare prop and the tools to change it can save your day. Ask us about parts. Our parts department carries parts for outboards and sterndrives.

We see this every season

Lower units are one of the most common repairs we do. One customer's 12-year-old lower unit went out. He brought it in on a Monday and was back on the water by Friday. Call (833) 754-5978, tell us what happened, and we'll give you a phone quote.