Prop IS GONE … At bottom of KY Lake

Much thanks to Marty and to the replies already received … at this point I am most concerned about the plumbing (see the response from SKIDIM in bold below) and then compare that to both Paul's reply (above) and also this from my contact at Nautiqueparts.com (thanks Townsend!): "I have confirmed that it is 1'' hose. I have checked with everyone here and we all agree that where you have it should not affect the engine temp if you have a fully functioning pump. We have seen it in that location before with no problems. You should be good to go. Of course, as always just watch your gauges. (I would tell you that even without installing anything lol)."

Guys, I really apologize for the redundancy but thought some of you might enjoy the whole story … I had been sitting on the sideline without being able to post anything for the last several days … Keith fixed the database issue and I can finally participate! Here it goes … the original post that I had intended is set out below:

Guys, I need your help. We are once again getting ready to de-winterize our ol'94 Ski Nautique in anticipation of our annual ski vacation in KY. I had our boat repaired as part of the winterization and have set out some images of the results below. I have been corresponding a bit with our mutual pal Marty on some of my questions/concerns and he suggested that I post this up for some clarification. I replaced the drive shaft (w/ A.R.E. double taper), "upgraded" to a dripless system (PSS seal), and, of course, a new prop … I tried to get my boat mechanic to replace the castle bearing (I even ordered a new one as part of my order from SKIDIM), but he indicated that he did not replace castle bearings … only struts along with new bearings and he further indicated that my bearing and strut were in excellent shape and he could not justify replacing them. As I told Marty, I kind of had to go with it … (I really like my boat mechanic and he has been consistently working on ski boats in the Denver area for over 25 years … a kind of delicate situation for me, at least in my opinion).

Here are my questions: 1) is the dripless system plumbed correctly?—although I had hoped to wet-test this prior to our vacation, the Colorado weather and reservoir levels may prevent me from doing so—I want to ensure that it is at least rigged correctly, 2) do I need to add a two-piece safety collar ahead of the PSS system or does the "collar"/stainless steel rotor suffice? I sent along a similar e-mail to SKIDIM earlier this week and received the following response:

"The rotor can act as a safety collar. The placement of the T-fitting concerns us. It should be plumed to the port side exhaust manifold feed hose, by putting it before the thermostat housing. You may not get enough water to maintain proper engine temperature."

So, at the very least, it looks like I need to have the T-fitting moved to the port side exhaust manifold feed hose. Alright, I know that enough is enough … however, can someone please clarify what size what hoses are our on our Ford power plant (351 HO Pro Boss w/Pro Tec Ignition), the PCM number on the hoses are P/N R045004—I want to ensure that I have the correct hoses to make the necessary correction(s)? Here are the post-repair images for you guys to review. I hope that they are self-explanatory and know that I greatly appreciate your help!




My mechanic assures me that the alignment is perfect …







Our new Acme 422 (from Delta Prop Co):





For those who might be interested (Marty was seeking some clarification as to whether or not the PSS stainless steel rotor spins and rubs on the carbon graphite flange ahead of the nitrile bellow), I have posted the PSS instructions: Instruction Set 1 and Instruction Set 2

Well here's a video of an install.. I'm perplexed as to how that 'collar' doesn't wear on the snout of the PSS System when it's preloaded and right up against it! ??? Guess the water keeps it lubricated and cool ????

MartyMabe wrote: Brian has his boat fixed up and ready for the yearly Family vacation in Kentucky- but has a few questions. 1st he's having an issue with posting it here- so I'm gonna try. He had a new shaft and prop installed. Also went with the PSS Drippless System. It's plumbed above the outlet on the RWP. Is this correct ? Also it has a collar that is up against the graphite bushing. It seems like it's a safety collar- but I didn't think it should be up against that bushing. The mechanic said his strurt and strut bearing was good. He has slight movement in that area. I'll try and get pics up.. Any help in this matter is appreciative by him and helpful in me gaining knowledge on it also.

Marty where he has it plumbed in is perfect nice cool water going to the seal.
The collar should be moved up the shaft some so it's not touching.
The movement in the strut bushing should be very minimal if any. Since it's the old bushing it has some wear on it. If it were me I would have changed that also while he had everything apart don't know why his guy didn't do it.

Brian has his boat fixed up and ready for the yearly Family vacation in Kentucky- but has a few questions. 1st he's having an issue with posting it here- so I'm gonna try.
He had a new shaft and prop installed. Also went with the PSS Drippless System. It's plumbed above the outlet on the RWP. Is this correct ?
Also it has a collar that is up against the graphite bushing. It seems like it's a safety collar- but I didn't think it should be up against that bushing.
The mechanic said his strurt and strut bearing was good. He has slight movement in that area.
I'll try and get pics up..
Any help in this matter is appreciative by him and helpful in me gaining knowledge on it also.

gsyogi, of course I'd like to look at it.
Close up pics would most likely also do.

Hollywood wrote: A.R.E. shafts Acme propellers

Hollywood is correct, I advised badly. A.R.E. for the shaft including a new coupler was $375 from Discount Inboard Marine, Ski DIM when I bought mine in January this year. It is an improved coupler and easy to work on if needed. Good time to check the cutlass bearing in your strut, makes sure it is still tight before ordering parts.

backfoot100 wrote: John lost a practically brand new 540 in TN a few years ago and the shaft looked identical to yours. No warning, no vibration, just gone. Get a new double taper Acme shaft, coupler and prop. Put it back together and have fun.

seemed like it was real easy to put it all back together..at least Eddie made it look easy. I just watched & tried to stay outa the way.



john

A.R.E. shafts

Acme propellers

gsyogi wrote: Thx. Not a single vibration or an "off" note of any kind. That's a beauty you've got MrMcD.

I had never heard of the shaft snapping without an alignment issue or bend in 30 years of tournament boat use. I guess I have been lucky.
1,500 hours on my first Nautique. 800 Hours on the Malibu.

Thanks for the kind words about our 95, unfortunately it was in a car accident and is waiting for repairs, formerly unscratched now needs gel coat repair, trailer repair, new prop and more. There is a thread with pictures of the damage, could have been much worse no one was hurt. ( not even the deer )
Your fix will be straight forward, good thing your prop did not come up and damage the hull. I used the Acme shaft on the 95 and it was very high quality and shipped really fast. There is a 10% discount available if you use our membership on this forum.

backfoot100 wrote: You make it sound like it's the equivalent of an alien invasion that nobody has ever experienced before. The shaft broke. It happens. Get over it.

Ah, compassion for our fellow boaters...

I should get credit for one of Joe's, and I was on Eddie's boat several times last year, which means his will probably go in the next 5 months...my guess, Feb 7th.

Any hit on the wallet sucks, but at least it was day 14 of the vaca, not day 1. If everything worked all the time, what would we talk about?

Eddie, point well made and I understand … I am ready to get on with the repair and do it correctly! Thx.

Good to hear no damage other than your wallet. ARE shaft is the way to go for replacement. Gortex packing will do 95% as good as a dripless packing.

Thx. Not a single vibration or an "off" note of any kind. That's a beauty you've got MrMcD.