prop shaft removal

Sun, no come alongs on a ski boat, in the past i am guilty of using a slide hammer to SEPERATE the couplings tapping gently, never to remove the shaft though, the housing i am refering to is pretty thin aluminum and the guy was slide hammering it to get the shaft out and it broke
the come along thing is for larger boats, you have to cinch a chain around the shaft and put alot of pull pressure to get the couplings to seperate, and once seperated you also use the come along to pull the shaft back. its a real bear sometimes

Speaking of strut bearings, I need to replace mine and am wondering what size bearing I need, where to find it , how to remove the old one and how to install the new one. I have not checked the forims yet but intend to. Thanks in advance.

That makes sense. Thanks Eric.

John, this thread is very god explaining a lot of the bearing R&R. At the end I believe Pete explain why removing the rudder is not a good idea. I liked the idea of putting the bearing in the freezer first. Maybe it helps a little bit.

Anthony, Keep us posted to what you find.
I mentioned not removing the strut if possible.

"Posted: July 19 2007 at 11:41am | IP Logged    

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"Mike, I think removing the shaft is the easier way even though you will need to drop the rudder. If you pull the strut, it then needs to be resealed and then I would recommend checking the alignment of the strut to the engine. If it bolted back on in a slightly different position then the engine will need to be moved. I have also seen shims between the strut base and the hull put there to line it's bore up with the hole in the bottom of the boat."

no, they will offset some rudders to accomadate shaft removal, alot of the older ones dont

I have removed the strut in the past to get shafts out, sometimes to get to the rudder is impossible and its your only option other than removing the engine

anthony has an '87 (which doesn't appear to be in the diaries) and is on a newer Ramlin trailer, he may even have clearance.

I was also talking in to regards of getting to the rudder on the inside too...its real tough sometimes, enough to make you say im finding a new line of work

I think it doesn't look good. Is the strut suppose to be leaning a little towards starboard (right I guess).

Here is the picture:



close up:



cont...

strut:



another closeup:

Thanks Pete, I will inform.

Tim,
   So your strut looks the same way and you don't think is bent? How can you tell if is correct? I guess that is sort of good news for me. So is possible the that the way it looks is correct. I don't want to pull the strut out of there.

I removed the coupling and the prop is still very hard to turn. I think my cutlass is busted. When I try to turn it sound like an old rusty bolt.

At least one thing is for sure, I have a bad misalignment or a bent strut. More pictures:

8122pbrainard wrote: Bruce, Does your brothers Century have the hole in the rudder to get the prop shaft out? Some of the older ones did and I can't remember the year they stopped doing it. Great idea - Turn the helm/rudder ether full port or starboard and pull the shaft!

Pete, it does not. I've never seen one of those. Good idea, but one more thing to line up.

There is a serious problem with that alignment and it's not likely on the engine end.

Pete, did you see this pic of the old Interceptor with adjustable mounts.

Well, shaft and strut are out. Removing the coupling was a lot of fun.

This is my strut, can you see the problem:



I believe my strut is bent:



It was so bent that it made little groves on the shaft. Look for at the polished marks:


I guess the questions are: Who fixes these struts and any do I need a new shaft?

Anthony, Find someone with a hydraulic press and see if they are willing to try and straighten the strut. A auto repair, marina, machine shop?? After checking the shaft for straightness and if good, it may still be usable if the groves aren't very deep. From the picture, it doesn't look that bad. Clean it up with a flat file if needed and some abrasive strips.