Hit a log Strut / prop / maybe shaft too

Sorry in advance for rambling ~ Very sleep deprived.

Well ~ All businesses make mistakes. What seperates the good from the bad is how they are corrected. I try not to condemn them before givin them a chance to make it right BUT so far this is not going well.

    I contacted Murphy's and sent them email + pics. Upon calling for review the guy says their is no way we damaged your strut but you can send it back to us and we will check it out and make repairs. If it turns out we did it then we will cover it but "we don't use a tool that will do that". He also went on to say it looked like pitting and that it was their before. But in my tears of sorrow upon disassembly I cleaned the strut removing the caulk and polished it up with a 3m pad and brass-o before sending it out. I know the damage was not there. Also I beleive a true tell all is that bore distortion of this degree would have damaged the cutlass bearing if the shaft had been in place when that strike occured. The bearing shows no such sign.   

So they want me to send it to them and drop another $24 in round trip shipping and roll the dice on $55 in repairs. Or drive 80 miles one way and they will fix it while I wait.


On a more positive note ~ The parts boat came thu and I got the entire underwater gear assembly (Tracking fins / log / shaft / strut / prop / and rudder for $250).

Not bad Strut and rudder are good, but 2 of the 3 tracking fins + prop have damage. Prop shaft looks ok but is still unknown.    

I was able to pick up some free Dixie interior wood trim patterns and then discovered them using the motor box upsidedown as an outdoor trash can. I left my # and asked them to give me a call when they were ready to empty the trash. Also promised to catch back up another day when her husband the boat collector is their. While he is the Captian her knowledge and skill of boat repair was amazing. They had a cool collection of old GlasPars and she was cleaning up her SeaFair Sedan to haul to a Glasspar owners event at Topsail Island NC this weekend. Definatly some cool older folks that brightend up an otherwise dreadfully ugly day..
                  

8122pbrainard wrote: Michael, It's great you got the other parts but it's always nice to have spares. On the bent tracking fins, are you going to send them to Murphy's for straightening?

   One black eye is enough...
I'll buy my buddy in the machine shop another case of Corona before I send anything back down to Murphy. I'm gonna stop by the local Mom and Pop prop shop this morning after work. They are a Mercury OB race tuing facility ~ My original concern was lack of experience with inboards. After this mess they can't do any worse   

Unfortunatly my matching cast replacment strut has a different hole pattern. I'll need to get the holes filled so I can fit and redrill.

one thing i can add, brass or bronze very similar to cast iron is very tough to straighten, its more of a powder than a grain and cracks very easily.

eric lavine wrote: one thing i can add, brass or bronze very similar to cast iron is very tough to straighten, its more of a powder than a grain and cracks very easily.

Drilling this stuff sux

My plan to have the prop shop weld up the holes went well But setting the strut in place and redrilling the strut has 2 major flaws.

1. Ni-bral is about the most difficult stuff to drill I've ever run across. Cast iron and concrete drill easier. Looking back now maybe I'd have been better off to fill the old holes in the hull and re-drill the thru hull holes.


2. It is hard as hell to hold the strut in place (shaft mounted to trans thru strut + jack + blocks + ratchet strap + wife under boat watching for any strut shift. Not working too well ~ Hull is much softer and drill wants to walk + I am having trouble holding the drill straight.

Finally got the strut to the shop so Dave could cut the new holes to the old pattern with the end mill. Picked up a 12" 1/2" drill bit extension to work the 60 deg. counter sink bit around the shaft bore.

Finished up Wednesday night and haven't been able to work on the boat again yet. Got bored tonight so I cleaned u the strut some.











Worked it from 36 grit to 1000 grit and then polished it up with brasso. Not perfect but much cleaner and gave me somthing to do while I couldn't turn wrenches. Any suggestions for preservation, I assume it will green up and tarnish quick. All but the 36 grit was by hand.

Michael,
Even with the Orbit gum, you'll be tasting bronze for at least one or two days after the polishing!!

Don't worry to much about the hole in the hull. As long as the shaft isn't touching, your good. Worry more about hot the strut is aligned with the log. It too can be off slightly because the rubber hose between it and the packing gland will compensate some. Since you pretty much starting from scratch with bolting on the strut, The best way is to find a piece of tubing just under size of the strut bore (no cutlass - 1&1/4"?). Slip it through the strut and the log and shim/elongate the holes in the hull if needed. Stainless flat washers work great for shims but don't go past 1 washer per bolt. If two are needed then I'd start rebuilding/filling the strut base pad with filled epoxy. Plastic wrap the base, add the epoxy then start tightening the bolts. Keep checking the piece of tubing for the alignment. Pull the strut after it cures and then bed it in 5200.

My obsession with centering the shaft in the log / thru hull assembly has bitten me. Now with everything set up and aligned engine is off to port up front / shaft is off to starboard at the rudder. This was necessary due to the thru hull being factory drill off center to starboard side.    

Shaft alignment is good (trans to shaft) so I'll give it a try. My concern is the engine is slid over just about too far PORT on the front adjustment.      

I know the packing gland (flex mounted) will give and log center is not a necessity but starting with strut alignment from scratch with a new strut and differen holes the shaft log was my only solid point of refrence.

NOW next time I remount the strut I'll NOW know EXACTLY where I need to be.