Coupler - Velvet Drive to Shaft - '77 Nautique

We were fixing the leaks in the exhaust hoses and patching the holes in the fiber glass "mufflers (tubes)" and pulled one of the plugs out of the coupler from the Velvet Drive to the propeller shaft. It was dry and had some rust in there. We are not sure if it needs grease or something inside.

I have attached a picture.



This is on a '77 Ski Nautique.

Thanks.
T.
[IMG]uploads/12606/Coupler_Question.jpg

Tad,

Welcome to the site. I have never seen a coupler like that. Curious to hear what the others have to say?

I think its one of these,don't think you need to add grease check the rubbers bushes on the four bolts.

Federal coupler

Perfect. Seeing that makes me feel that we are ok with what we have.

You asked for information on the boat. I purchased in 1997 for $5,000 from someone whose wife was making him sell it so they could buy an entertainment center. I never could understand selling a boat not to upgrade but to buy furniture??? I think I would have traded in the wife.... He had the boat for quite a few years up near Janesville at a summer house on the river. Before him I do not know. I thought I heard something about a ski team, but I doubt it as the boat does not look that beat up. Probably just owned by someone on a ski team.

It has sat for the last 5 years as I upgraded boats. My oldest son now wants his own boat so I brought it out of storage and we are putting a tower on it. Leave it to a kid to not understand it is a SKI boat.

Attached are some pictures of us putting a tower on the boat. The boat will be on the river in the Rockford area this summer.

Thanks.
T.

The boat looks like it's in pretty good shape. I hate to see the tower on it though!

Eric (our resident trans expert and rebuilder) will be along soon and I have a hunch he's going to "poo poo" that coupling half. I'd be inclined to get it off and go stock too. Have you checked the alignment? Of course with the flex in that coupling, it's going to be hard.

Brian,
It's a 77 so the black windshield frame is original.

its a Federal coupling, yank it and buy a split type, federals are for mis alignment, the used car salesman that sells them will tell you they are great, ive never in my life said to someone we better put a Federal on there because what you are trying to obtain is perfect alignment without it, its not needed if everything is correct....just a Band aid

i think those federals run in the 400.00 dollar range to

The fiberglass on the driver's side stringer in the back was cracked away from the wood. The wood itself feels good when you poke it with at knife (we could only reach the top wood). So we poured a bunch of West System epoxy down the crack, which was pretty much the length of the back portion of the stringer, screwed the fiberglass back to the the wood and fiberglassed cloth on top of the crack to seal it.

I have not idea how to check alignment and what I should be doing about coupling, is there anywhere someone wrote about it? I would guess that coupling has been in there over 20 years. The guy I bought it from was not mechanical at all.

Thanks for your help!

T.