Strut and Driveshaft for '85 2001
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Buy and Sell
Forum Name: Boat Parts Wanted
Forum Discription: Parts wanted only
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29681
Printed Date: November-17-2024 at 5:33pm
Topic: Strut and Driveshaft for '85 2001
Posted By: Twothousandone
Subject: Strut and Driveshaft for '85 2001
Date Posted: April-29-2013 at 4:00pm
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I'm looking for a strut for a 1985 Ski Nautique 2001. Might be interested in a shaft assembly for the right price as well. Thanks |
Replies:
Posted By: phatsat67
Date Posted: May-01-2013 at 12:49am
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Got new if you can't find one. ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: May-01-2013 at 6:53am
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Tyler, I assume you took the previous recommendation and checked to see if the strut could be straightened. Did they say it was beyond that point? ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Twothousandone
Date Posted: May-02-2013 at 1:59am
| Good news, my strut should be done this week. I have an experienced machinist friend who worked with some welders at his shop to put it back into shape. Just waiting on my cutlass bearing to come and I'll throw it back together and see how she rolls. |
Posted By: ArtCozier
Date Posted: May-02-2013 at 11:00am
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Just a heads-up in case you run into problems. Of course I haven't seen your strut so I don't know what exactly was done to it to repair it. Sometimes if you straighten or weld on a strut it will change the angle between the base of the strut and the barrel. You might have to shim one end or the other between the strut and the hull to make the shaft hit the center of the shaft log where it goes thru the bottom of the boat. 3/8" stainless washers will do as shims, although CC does not condone or approve of this fix! ------------- "Art" |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: May-02-2013 at 9:19pm
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Art, Thank's for bringing up the procedure of strut alignment and the use of shims. I always suggest to anyone going through this to take a look at http://www.correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21279&title=shaft-strut-alignment-video" rel="nofollow - the alignment 101 video. Alignment always starts at the strut and then you go forward. I got a big laugh out of you stating in jest that CC doesn't approve of the shimming fix!  How's that saying go? "Do as I say and not as I do" ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: ArtCozier
Date Posted: May-02-2013 at 11:05pm
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Pete, that remark really wasn't in jest! Some years ago, Walt caught wind that we were shimming struts in the repair shop at Southeast. We had been finding shims under struts in boats that were coming in for repairs, meaning that Production had been shimming them, and of course we told him so. He went absolutely nuclear. Stormed up to Production, chewed out everyone who had ever touched a strut, and gave orders that it was not to be done and that anyone caught shimming a strut would be fired on the spot. It caused a lot of trial-and-error fitting of struts! In more recent years, we have gotten things down to where it really is never called for. The new processes and materials have virtually stopped pre-release in the molds. Art ------------- "Art" |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: May-03-2013 at 6:42am
It's great that production techniques improved to the point that shimming isn't needed. I thought your statement was in jest due to all the strut shimming I have found in the older days of CC going back to when I was at Watercraft Sales in the late 60's early 70's. BTW, I do not see anything wrong with shimming a strut. I do like the SS slotted shims since you aren't stuck with the thickness of a SS washer plus, bolt removal isn't needed for trial fitting the alignment.  ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
ArtCozier wrote:Posted By: Twothousandone
Date Posted: May-03-2013 at 9:45pm
| My strut is back. It was almost 7/8 inch out!!! He really worked it out and it is sixty thousands of an inch from straight (left to right) Do you guys think this will be fine with vibration and such? |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: May-03-2013 at 10:13pm
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You can accommodate a surprising amount of variation in the strut itself by shimming and tweaking things when you install it. Just gotta get the shaft through the log cleanly. Then align the powertrain to it. .006" is nothing when it comes to strut straightness. Probably straighter than when it was originally cast. That being said, there are plenty of opportunities to screw up the alignment even with a perfectly straight strut! ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 7:04am
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Tyler, It sounds like he got the strut dialed in damn close. As Tim mentioned, probably closer than cast and machined. Bolt it up and see how the shaft lines up with the log center when the shaft runs concentric (is "happy") to the cutlass bearing. Don't be surprised if some shimming is still needed. I've mentioned it many times but a misaligned strut will NOT cause vibration since the shaft is binding in the cutlass. A aligned strut with a worn sloppy cutlass will cause vibration. After trial fitting and the alignment is good, I suggest bedding the strut in 3M 4200. NO silicone!!! ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Twothousandone
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 12:11pm
| I've read some people use 5200? Also should I cover the entire base with sealant or just where the bolts go through? |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 12:16pm
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5200 is fine as well. Bed the entire base. ------------- |
Posted By: ArtCozier
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 12:25pm
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I agree for the most part. TR, if you read his post again, you will see that he says it's out by .060" not .006. I assume that it's .060 in the length of the barrel. Sixty thousandths is quite a bit. I agree that if you have to skew the base of the strut a bit where it mounts to the hull, just so the barrel of the strut points directly at the center of the shaft log, you are good. Even if you have to enlarge the mounting holes a bit, and/or grind a bit off the sides of the base to allow it to fit into the recess in the bottom, it will be OK. We make a neat gadget at the factory for aligning struts. It's a 1" (or 1-1/8") diameter shaft stub about 10" long with a laser pointer buried in the front end. You stick it inside the cutless bearing and it puts a laser dot on the hull where the strut is pointed. Unfortunately, they are not available outside the factory! Pete is absolutely correct about the lack of vibration from a misalighned strut and also about the 4200. Stay away from the 5200 in case you ever have to take it off again! ------------- "Art" |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 12:52pm
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Ah yes, .060 is more significant (almost 1/16") but that can be compensated for by shimming or grinding the base. I've had no problem removing 5200 even after just a few months, but 4200 works as well. ------------- |
Posted By: ArtCozier
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 1:04pm
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Agree completely, TR. Maybe 3M has changed the formulation on the 5200. It was becoming unpopular due to its high adhesion quality. We used it in the factory for a while, and when we shipped boats on our own trucks, we often had to remove running gear to make a full load fit. On many occasions, we ripped out gelcoat and laminate many times getting struts and fins off of the boats. It's a real bummer to be loading a boat for shipping and suddenly have go rebuild a strut recess. Plus, our rules dictate that after repair, the running gear must go back on and the boat be re-watertested. Of course we soon quit buying it and went with 4200. ------------- "Art" |
Posted By: Twothousandone
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 4:05pm
| If I need to enlarge the holes or grind the base would I just use stainless bolts instead of the countersunk bolts they use to work with the new "slotted" holes? |
Posted By: ArtCozier
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 5:07pm
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You are not going to have to slot the bolts much if at all. It depends on what direction the strut is "off." If you have to rotate the strut in its horizontal plane to line it up, you may have to slot the holes a bit. My choice would be to slot the holes in the hull as opposed to those in the strut. All you need is a 3/8" round rough-cut file to slot the holes slightly. You could then use heavy-duty washers of a larger outside diameter against the hull on the inside to help avoid leaks. If the strut is "off" in its vertical plane, that is to say, the angle between the barrel and the base has been changed, then you might only need to use a shim under one end or the other of the strut to correct it. ------------- "Art" |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: May-04-2013 at 10:06pm
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Confirming what Art said, elongate the holes in the hull and, it doesn't take much if you need a port/starboard alignment shift. Keep the flat head bolts. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Twothousandone
Date Posted: May-07-2013 at 11:41pm
| i drilled out the set screws in the strut. should i replace them with stainless bolts? |
Posted By: ArtCozier
Date Posted: May-08-2013 at 12:02am
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Are you talking about the set screws that hold the cutless bearing in the barrel of the strut? You can use the stainless screws and then grind them off, but a setscrew has a particular shape on the end of it that is essentially a raised circle that is slightly sharp so that it bites into the item that it is supposed to hold in place. Any decent hardware store should have stainless Allen head setscrews that would be better than common fastening screws. Art ------------- "Art" |
Posted By: Twothousandone
Date Posted: May-09-2013 at 1:09am
| I bought a vesconite cutlass, should I still use set screws? |
Posted By: ArtCozier
Date Posted: May-09-2013 at 10:04am
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I'm not familiar with the term vesconite, but I assume that is a bearing in which the shell is a composite material instead of brass. Yes, I would still use the setscrews; just be careful not to tighten them to the point where they deform the shell of the bearing. It would be good to use some Loctite or other brand of threadlocker on the threads. Alternatively, if you don't have any threadlocker, after you grind the screws flush with the outer surface of the strut, you can "stake" them by taking a sharp center punch and give them a light punch mark at the juncture between the strut metal and the screw. While I'm here, I might as well pick on you a bit. A "cutlass" is a sword-like weapon that the fighters carried in the olden days. A "cutless" bearing is what a boat shaft is supported in. Or you can just say "strut bushing" and we will all know what you are talking about! ------------- "Art" |
Posted By: Twothousandone
Date Posted: May-09-2013 at 11:14pm
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Haha thanks Art, but I prefer chicken "Cutlets" for my strut
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