Alignment Poll

This is the current topic of interest, so I thought we could share results.

I check alignment each spring, however I now just check it with boat on the trailer.   Takes about 1/2 hour - I don't remove all the screws, just loosen them. I think last year it was right at .003 so I just left it alone. In previous years I would shoot for .001, now consider that to just be extra work.    I guess the novelty is wearing off . . .

Does anyone check annually & regularly find it out of spec?

This is the third year since I've done mine, I haven't hit anything or noticed vibrations. I'm going to go through it completely while the motor is out, but I don't see anything that leads me to believe something is wrong or not straight, cutlass is wearing evenly and everything turns fine by hand. I am am a little lazy because it's such a bigger chore with a Vdrive.

TX Foilhead wrote: I haven't noticed vibrations.

Don,
Keep in mind that a misaligned shaft will not vibrate unless it's been run that way for many hours. With a misaligned shaft, it is binding in most cases the cutlass. Without any clearance/play it will not vibrate until the cutlass is very worn.

The most common cause of vibration is #1 a bad prop and then #2 a bent prop shaft.

I have done three seasons since my last alignment. As soon as she goes back in hte water at the marina in the spring, I'm gonna check the alignment when she's sitting in the water...

I regularly spin the shaft by hand to feel if it spins freely and smoothly. I also check my engine mounts regularly to see if they are still thight... Three seasons ago I noticed one mount to be completely loose (that's why I had to do an alignment twice that season...)

forvicjr wrote: Alignment.....whats that?

Vic,
You will know all about alignment when you blow the trans and it costs you around $800 not including the R&R and shipping!!

forvicjr wrote: Need to lighten up pete.

I reacted due to you first sarcastic comment. We certainly do not want new members thinking alignment isn't important do we Vic?

forvicjr wrote: Alignment.....whats that?

Cutlass looks the same as it did when I bought it so I doubt it's wearing, I did have the prop fixed from hitting the trailer. That just flat spotted my 6 month old prop, but all they really did was check the ballance.   It 3 of the blades on the prop guard which evenly put flat spot about an inch long on the blades, might have shortened them 1/16 of an inch.   +300 hrs later running fine so I'm thinking it's good but I'm closing in on that time when Eric says trannys just seem to just wear out.

I've owned my boat for over 12 years and have never done an alignment. It has absolutely no vibration. I'm afraid if I ever messed with it I would screw it up.

Is anyone keeping count? Both of our woodies are apart at this time. The
Atom probably should be checked before the season though I hadn't really planned to do it till now. My son's SN was aligned three seasons back when we completed the stringer replacement. It is working fine and I hear no plans for the alignment check. I guess if his tranny goes he will just fix it as that is what he does for a living. Ya, ya I know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and all that stuff. My comments on the Craigslist thread were more centered around how we receive new posters and should we try to maintain a small amount of decency or just go about alienating them before they even get started, just saying.

I've never used an alignment pole.
I just use a worn out prop shaft to tune (bend or un-bend) the strut and to nudge the engine side to side.


Oh! Poll! with two el's,   Ok, well other than changing engines, velvet-d's, ARE's etc...
As a part of routine or preventative maintenance.

1966 Mustang    (never)
1974 Ski Nau.   (once, in 8 years)

Ha last time mine was checked you did it to make the alignment video Pete.

Well I wondered where I got the idea that it had to be checked annually, so I looked at the owners manual - it just says to spin the prop to check for binding. I then found this old post from Eric suggesting annual alignment:

Posted: March-19-2007 at 12:15pm

perfect scenario is to check it in the water if you can, these boats are very short and rigid and you can get by on the trailer, its the 25 footers and up that should always be checked in the water, any time you strike an object it is a goood idea to check the alignment, i would add it to the spring list of checking it once a year. boats with rotted stringers should be checked more often if that problem is not fixed. if you do decide to check it in the water at least let it sit overnight or longer to let the boat settle to its natural state.
Alignment is often overlooked and is as important as checking the oil, I dont try to advertise this to much because, well you know...
but alot of transmissions i see are failed due to mis-alignment and it causes hard part damage, vibrations, excess heat and so on

Owning a boat, even a classic inboard is not rocket science and doesn’t require one to own a set of feeler gauges or to have a mechanic on speed dial ..

Personally I do what is recommended in the owners manual which is
“Periodically check alignment by visually inspecting and turning the prop to assure yourself that it turns freely with no binding”
I suspect that for most people doing more than that on a boat that hasn’t recently hit something is far more likely to cause harm than good.   Even if it has hit something a good spin by hand has always told me whether it was limited to the prop or if the problem went deeper.

A couple spins of the prop by hand on a boat I am looking at to buy tells the same tale, if it is loose in the strut or binds at one or more points while turning around I am deducting the cost of the parts from the bell housing back from my offer…

For the poll - I aligned my 83 when I put in the new stringers, transmission, and mounts five years ago.. I have had the engine out a few times since then, and even switched blocks but haven’t removed or adjusted the trans, bell housing, or the engine mounts.. each time I bolted up the new engine then gave the propeller a spin and decided not to touch it so that is one actual alignment in 5 years. But I give it a good spin every chance I get (10+ times a year)

Great timing on this topic. We just finished painting the bilge and ready to install the engine. I did not remove the shaft from the boat. Watching Pete's video I am thinking I should loosen all 4 engine mounts and make sure they move freely before installation. I am positive I will have to tweak the engine to meet/exceed the .003 max spec requirements. Is there anything else I need to consider prior to assembly?

tbeard wrote: Is there anything else I need to consider prior to assembly?

If the cutlass bearing has not been replaced in the last couple of years, now is the time to do that.