Strut Alignment Questions

Starting a new thread b/c this topic is focused on strut alignment issue I am having. The new strut bolt holes are not the same as the original strut and it is causing binding when I bolt it up and causes the shaft to come out of alignment - the width side to side is not an issue it is the center to center length from front to back that is causing the issue the holes in the new strut are approximately 2/3 of the 3/8" bolt diameter longer. When mocking the new strut up by just bolting up the back two bolts it works perfect. Because of the countersink in the strut I cannot really modify it so I am thinking about filling the existing bolt holes through the hull with epoxy and then drilling them back out or would it be OK to drill them out as-is and use some larger washers on the bilge side? I am at a loss on how to proceed with a fix

I hear you on the bigger holes sounds like I will be doing a little epoxy work today. The strut quality is horrible I know it is a cast piece, but the flange surface on the top was awful and the squareness of the flange itself was way off - I have already had to grind some on the edges and round the corners to get it to fit into the hull recess. I guess it is better to kind of shape it to fit the boat, but the holes being off has really given me alot more work than really needed it would have been easier to just not drill holes in the flange

SNobsessed wrote: the cheesey stacks of washers (under the cable mount plate) that was there.

Chris,
CC did this??? They probably ran out of the correct length bolts or bought the wrong lentghts!!

Jodi - I'm pretty sure the washer stacks came from the factory. It was the original strut.   The washers were used to level the steering cable mount plate. It performed the function OK so maybe I am being a little harsh with their design criteria.

Here is a photo form the post I made 2 yrs ago on this - you can see the washer imprint around the rear hole.

Fl Inboards wrote: More than likely the cheesy washers were from some shade tree repair in the past. If memory serves me the original strut had been adjusted or percieved to be in the past. You all would be real supprised at what we find from the shade tree repairs... Scary!!!

SNobsessed wrote: Jodi - I'm pretty sure the washer stacks came from the factory. It was the original strut.   The washers were used to level the steering cable mount plate. It performed the function OK so maybe I am being a little harsh with their design criteria.

Come on Jody!! You must have been somewhere else in the factory the years you worked there when CC did stuff like this. Don't get me wrong as I'm not comming down on my favorite boat company but it is fact that the workmanship sucked through many years. It was a carry over from the wood when they used their "finishing hatchets", and plenty of "dumb dumb" (bedding compound) to fill in the poor fitting joints. I don't feel you've been exposed to the woods, early glass and even later glass that much.

I've seen plenty! My 54 and my 77 have washers under the nuts because they didn't have the bolt length correct. In my years at Watercraft Sales in the late 60's and early 70's I saw plenty of CC's with the same issue! It was so crude that I wondered then and still do do today is why??????? Can't they get the bolt length correct? Same is true with rudder ports!!!!

Maybe you were out back at the old factory doing something else?

Sure can tell winter has set in - we are debating trival items.

I withdraw my statements, Jodi is most likely right about a owner repair.

Now back to Mark's project - post some photos!

Finished up this afternoon here is some photos of the finished product - still a little dirty in the bilge I plan on cleaning it up this week, setting alignment, and reinstalling rear floor section

Thanks for all the input