Strut Play?

[Delancey]

I have discovered a tiny bit of play in my strut and wonder if any would care to share thoughts on how to correct it? Your insights would be most appreciated.

I'll post a photo of the installation although there is not much to see. The inboard side of the strut is all glasses over with a single bolt through it for a bonding wire. On the outboard side there is a tiny flange of glass that extends down maybe a quarter inch from the hull.

I am in the process of repowering so if I am going to fix, now is the time. Hard to quantify the amount of play, I would say it is very slight.

Whatever I do I would like it to be as minimally invasive as possible. So far my only thought is to try to drill down from the top inside the boat and then inject some unthickened epoxy and hope to fill the void. Any thoughts?

[Delancey]

On the outside.

[skipmac]

If the inside is completely glassed over and you don't want to disturb that then your options will be limited.

It might be good to try to get some kind of measurement on the movement of the strut. Try setting a milk crate, concrete block or something on the ground next to the end of the strut, place a tape measure on top close to the strut and pull the strut back and forth to see how far it goes?

This is strictly a WAG on my part but if it moved much more than say 1/2" side to side I would at the very least start researching the issue more carefully. 1/4" or less I would keep an eye to see if it got worse over time but would probably let it ride.

Did you ever notice any vibration under power?

[chris95040]

Hmmm, how do you think the strut is actually attached to the boat?

If I'm understanding correctly, there are some fasteners buried in glass, so no way to cinch them up? So if theres room for play the only 'easy' option is to fill it? Seems sensible if you still have faith in the fastening. But is this (albeit subtle) play revealing trouble you can't see?

Are you trying to get in the water soon?

I wonder how much work those struts really have to do. In a boatyard, i see some looking beefy, running much further fore and aft than their depth, with pudgy, wide bases to give good side to side bracing too. Others look hardly attached at all.

[colemj]

I have worked on a similar strut setup before. The strut was attached with several bolts, whose nuts and ends were completely buried under glass on the inside. Why this glassover was done is beyond me, but if you cut out the glass, you will probably see the nuts and can tighten them. I don't think this is inside a cabin, so cutting out the interior glass won't be invasive.

The play may be due to the nuts further compressing the glass under them a bit over the years.

Mark

[Delancey]

Thanks for the responses. Here's how it looks on the inside. Going on week two of my haul-out. Wife wants here house back so the pressure is on.

I talked to one of the yard guys.who said they did a similar job that had more play which involved cutting out and re-installing. I'd rather not go there.

With the hull as the fulcrum I would say movement side to side measured at the bottom of the strut is less than .05" and movement fore and aft is less than .025".

If was any more I might consider going all out but with it being so slight I'm thinking to try to inject epoxy followed up by grinding the flange on the outside and laying in a big thick fillet with high density. If it doesn't work I will know when I am done trying.

At least tell me I am correct in thinking this is an issue that needs addressing?

[svHyLyte]

That appears to be similar to a Beneteau strut mount. The typical repair involves digging out the caulking/old glass around the strut/hull interface on the outside and drilling a series of diagonal holes into the "mound on the inside. One makes a "tinker's dam" around the strut on the outside with modeling clay and then injects thickened resin into the drilled holes on the interior, filling any empty spaces within the mound, until one begins to see resin emerging around the strut on the outside. Once that kicks off, one makes a fillet around the strut at the hull with a layer of glass and thickened epoxy. Beneteau has quite detailed instructions n the process. For that, contact Ward or Todd in the parts department at BeneteauUSA.

Good luck...

[Roy M]

A little strut play is like a little pregnancy. Bite the bullet. This type of strut is not solved by adding some goop. My condolences, but the yard is going to have to remove it, secure it and then you will need to realign the engine and shaft. That part that is sticking up into the interior will have to be fully supported or you are going to be revisiting this "repair" again, and it will be costing you far more than doing it right this time.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Roy M

A little strut play is like a little pregnancy. Bite the bullet. This type of strut is not solved by adding some goop. My condolences, but the yard is going to have to remove it, secure it and then you will need to realign the engine and shaft. That part that is sticking up into the interior will have to be fully supported or you are going to be revisiting this "repair" again, and it will be costing you far more than doing it right this time.

+1! There should be zero play here. That strut needs interior gussets.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Roy M

A little strut play is like a little pregnancy. Bite the bullet. This type of strut is not solved by adding some goop. My condolences, but the yard is going to have to remove it, secure it and then you will need to realign the engine and shaft. That part that is sticking up into the interior will have to be fully supported or you are going to be revisiting this "repair" again, and it will be costing you far more than doing it right this time.

If the OP is dealing with a Bene, the foregoing is exactly wrong. I suggest he look at the Beneteau Technical Bulletin on the matter. BTDT...

[Cheechako]

Play would not be good. Injecting wont work as if there is play there is probably water in there. It's not just the hull flexing right?

[Roy M]

Sorry, I don't know much about Beneteau boats (other than CHEEKY RAFIKI). I went in search of a relevant tech bulletin. The Beneteau Owners association had discussions of their ills, but no mention of the tech bulletins. Other sources referred to problems with these boats, but still no elusive tech bulletins. Even the home site for Beneteau didn't provide help. I guess svHyLYte must be privy to the good stuff.

[JPA Cate]

Delancey,

I'm with Roy M and minaret on this one. Failure to deal with the repair properly can have really negative consequences, and I don't think your wife would want to "go there", either. Sorry about the accommodations issue, I know that can be an expense and a hassle, too. For me, ymmv, at the end of the day, it is trust in the boat that is at stake, and your judgment if you get it wrong.

Ann

[sandy stone]

As it happens, I had my boat hauled today to deal with a loose strut - about 1/16" play at the shaft. I got instructions from Beneteau that are pretty much exactly as HyLyte describes - they do recommend blowing compressed air into the holes you drilled in the mound to clean/dry things out before injecting resin. I searched the internet for references without success before contacting Beneteau, but the local dealer (Murray Yacht Sales) was very helpful. Not sure if this applies to the OP's boat or not.

[Roy M]

Pardon me, but, can this get any better?