Prop Shaft Bearings

[l2ridehd]

Is it possible to use the dingy or hire a local in a larger power boat to tow you out to where you can safely sail. Then work the 150 miles to the haul out location and call in and tell them you need a tow in as your engine is dead and again hire a local to tow you in. Haul out and fix the problem. Probably the cheapest and easiest solution. Another option if your concerned about the sailing is to hire a tow the full 150 miles. Not cheap, but possible.

[Sun and Moon]

It sounds like maybe your propshaft corroded due to oxygen deprivation due to stagnant/polluted/high-sediment water. You certainly risk damaging the cutlass bearing by running the engine. and possibly catostrophic failure of the propshaft with loss of the propeller and emergency containment of water.

Seems like the safe bet is to haul out somehow without running the engine. I suppose it might be possible to replace the shaft in the water. You'll need someone working in the water (ugh) and ready to plug the hole with wax or a wooden plug if things go bad. You really need good visibility, which you seem to say you don't have. You'll also need a good bilge pump standing by. I'd be very reluctant to try this on my boat, and I'm familiar with the parts and process as I've replaced my shaft and cutlass bearing a couple times. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

[GILow]

Just to add my two cents. Some stern tubes I have met are not all that thick walled. If large pieces of the drive shaft have detached due to rust of some sort there is a risk that they could jamb between the shaft and the stern tube and tear the walls of the stern tube if the shaft is turned with enough force. The you'd have a very nasty leak to manage.

Since slipping the boat locally is not an option I'd favour towing the boat with the dink and outboard to open water (after a careful check of the weather forecast) then sailing somewhere you can slip her after making sure the bilge pump is good and you have options to plug gaps should the prop shaft fall out.

Less attractive, given the condition of the water, would be to source a short shaft of the correct diameter and push this in from inside the boat displacing the shaft outwards, if the design of the rudder allows this. Probably need to de mount the engine to do this. I know this is possible on our boat and I have rehearsed it on dry land. Plus I carry the parts to do it made up from the old prop shaft. I'd hate to do have to do it in the water though, even in the clearest and warmest of conditions. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, you are facing a problem that has kept me awake a few nights.

Matt




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[4HMainer]

If you are going to order up some new bearings, it's best if you know the ID (inside diamater) of the bearing carrier (shaft log/stern tube or strut/P bracket)

An easier way to install the new bearings, which some manufacturers of bearings advocate is to bed them on epoxy. The bearing is made to be a clearance fit in the carrier. You can then have a dry run instalation, the bearing can be slid up the shaft and into the carrier and still be turned. Then you simply coat in epoxy and insert, leaving the shaft chocked if you've done it with shaft in place.

Some companies will supply slightly oversized OD bearings which can be sanded or turned down, this helps if you don't know the exact ID of the bearing carrier.

The noise and vibration could very easily be caused by a very worn bearing, you get crustation growth in the waterways if you are in warm waters, which is very abrasive.