Listen to Pete!
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31215
Printed Date: November-18-2024 at 2:44am
Topic: Listen to Pete!
Posted By: rfarkash
Subject: Listen to Pete!
Date Posted: August-15-2013 at 7:14pm
So a few weeks ago on vacation, hit a rock that bent the prop pretty good. When we got home, I put on my spare prop, had to re-align engine/strut to allow prop to spin easily with 2 fingers (less than .003" runout). Shaft appeared to be OK, but after a quick 5 min run on the lake, determined it was bent due to the vibrations/noise.
Ordered new ARE shaft and started dissassembling drive train to prepare for install and to have strut double checked.
Prior to the hit, alignment was spot on (within .001", 1 finger prop spin). Also, last year (approx 30 engine hours ago) I removed the shaft to install new strut bearings, and removing the flange took every bit of strength I had. Was acutally concerned I was going to break bolts or bend the flange it was on so tight.
Anyways, after about 30 combined mins of running at headway speed (to get back to dock after hit) and to test out shaft (5-20 mph for a few mins), removing the flange this time was like butter. 2 bolts with minimum effort to remove.
My takeaway from this is that a misaligned engine/bent shaft can fret a shaft in very little time. Had I kept running in this condition for another few hours am pretty convinced bad things would have happened. I had always thought in the back of my mind that Pete was a bit conservative with his fixation (fetish?) on alignmnet, but am now a firm believer!
If you haven't checked alignment lately, do it now.
Thx
Ron
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Ron 1989 Ski Nautique
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Replies:
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: August-15-2013 at 7:37pm
Ron,
Thanks for the complement. Being a mechanical engineer, I know how important shaft alignment is. Solid couplings on shafts are an engineers nightmare but since day one of our inboards, it's always been done that way.
Glad to hear you got yours back together. Yes, the ARE system is fantastic!
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54 Atom
/diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique
64 X55 Dunphy
Keep it original, Pete
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