Advice on Shaft-Condition. check pic

[pantarhei]

Hi guys,

I am looking at a boat to buy. During the inspections I found a 'crack' in the anti-fouling and I am not sure what to make out of this? Is it severe or just a peeling part of the anti-fouling?

Picture attached.

For me it seems to be a crack that could be caused by a not aligned or bent rotating shaft.

[Suijin]

Impossible to say from the photo. Could possibly be a crack or the end of some fairing compound on the strut.

I would certainly check for any runout in the shaft and alignment on any prepurchase inspection. A new shaft is not cheap.

[Sailmonkey]

Spin the shaft by hand. If there is enough movement to work the crack you will have an answer.....or not depending on the exactitude of the question

[sailah]

From where I'm sitting it looks like someone reinforced the strut and what you are seeing is the poor job of fairing it in. The end of the tape is clearly visible on the hull. The question is why they did that. A dial indicator is cheap and will tell you if you have runout on the shaft.

[pantarhei]

Originally Posted by sailah

From where I'm sitting it looks like someone reinforced the strut and what you are seeing is the poor job of fairing it in. The end of the tape is clearly visible on the hull. The question is why they did that. A dial indicator is cheap and will tell you if you have runout on the shaft.

Thanks for this feedback. I agree, the tape is clearly sticking out on the hull. I asked the owner about it. I will post the answer here. I am just disappointed that he has not mentioned this repair earlier when I saw the boat.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by pantarhei

Thanks for this feedback. I agree, the tape is clearly sticking out on the hull. I asked the owner about it. I will post the answer here. I am just disappointed that he has not mentioned this repair earlier when I saw the boat.

I'd venture that it wasn't mentioned because it doesn't look like a repair. If you look where the strut meets the hull, you can very clearly see what looks like the outline of the base of the strut. To me this indicates that its a bolted on strut. This is both good an bad. Good because it should be easily serviceable, but Bad because its very likely the builder dump a blob of "snot" on top of the bolts on the inside.(I honestly don't know why they do this, its just unnecessary!) have a look on the inside for either a blob of resin or 4 bolts.

On the outside it just looks like a poor fairing job used to cover the bolt heads. As long as it doesn't wiggle There should be nothing to worry about. When you check. grab the strut and shake. Grabbing by the prop could be misleading if the cutless bearing is worn and there is some play.

All just maintenance items if your a competent DIY'er.

[JimsCAL]

If its just a crack in some fairing compound, then it's a non-issue. If it's a crack in the strut itself, it's a big issue. You will need to find out which it is.

I would not expect a seller to tell a potential buyer about every issue the boat has without prompting during a first inspection. He does have the obligation to answer any questions truthfully when asked however. What has he said about this issue?

[mvmojo]

Not a major job to grind out the crack to see the actual strut and then re-glass if there's no problem. If all else OK on the boat, make this a condition of sale where once the strut is exposed, you have the right to reject the purchase if there is any damage. You can then negotiate repairs, price reductions, etc.

[pantarhei]

Originally Posted by JimsCAL

If its just a crack in some fairing compound, then it's a non-issue. If it's a crack in the strut itself, it's a big issue. You will need to find out which it is.

I would not expect a seller to tell a potential buyer about every issue the boat has without prompting during a first inspection. He does have the obligation to answer any questions truthfully when asked however. What has he said about this issue?

I consider the seller as a very truthful sailor and gentleman. So his answer is, he is not aware about any damage to the strut but he will look at it closer now when he launches the boat next week.
I am grateful for your input here, in the end, the diagnosis is hard to tell by a picture. Next week I visit the boat again and get a little physical with the strut, check the bolts inside and see if they are covered with raisin or the screws are visible.