Most aluminum and stainless steel propellers instead of having the rubber hub pressed into the prop from the factory now require a hub kit made specifically for the boat owner’s engine brand and horsepower. The hub kit system props are totally empty in hub part of the prop and you need to put in the hub kit parts in sequence yourself. It is not hard to do, no tools are needed and actually there is only one hard plastic piece that goes in the propeller that you push in yourself, sometimes this piece does not go all the way into the propeller and you need to lightly tap it in the rest of the way with a small hammer. The other three to five parts you install with the prop onto the engine prop shaft. This is really simple to do.
The hub kits are removable and transferable and are designed to break away from the prop if you hit something. So if you already have this kind of prop and kit system and need to get another propeller, you can buy just the prop and re-use the kit that you already have and save money, because the prop alone costs less than the old style prop with a pressed in hub does.
The prop manufactures save money and time by being able to make only one prop for a whole series of engine makes and horsepower and you just need to put the right hub kit.
If you still have the old style rubber hub propeller, which you might have since these kit style props have only been around fo since the late 1990’s, and need to buy a new propeller you must buy the prop and hub kit combination. The old rubber hub style props are pretty much not available anymore although some propeller manufacturers still make them but for the most part the new style kit props have been re-designed and perform better.
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