Mayday Mayday Mayday

[Bergovoy]

Originally Posted by zeehag

now boys...
\ nothing is gonnabe jury rigged--is all gonna be legit and correct. ....

i amnot taking any chances--

i was talking about sailing her with the shaft seal still leaking...

how you get it fixed, or what they do, I am not sure... i have no clue how it's supposed to be...

Im not sure if what the 'corporate' repair yard was planning, and or if the mexi place is doing it the same way, for cheaper, or if they are doing something different?

if they are doing it differently, then i would suggest finding someone locally to price the work doing it the same way as the 'mexi' place will do it, otherwise you are comparing apples to oranges...

i.e. if corporate says $7k, for doing it ne way, and mexi place says $2k for doing it another way, then you will have no idea if you saved money or not...

kinda like going to a garage in pasadean, and they estimate to replace a fuel pump, and the place in long beach prices it replace a fuel filter...

its cheaper to replace the fuel filter but it isnt the same thing...maybe you could find a place in pasadena to replce the fuel filter for cheaper then long beach...

find amechanic... an unemployed one... look in the work wated section... find an unemployed scuba diver...

or sail with somone on bilge watch... and hope the leak rate doesnt increase unexpectedly...

again, i am a doom and gloom type of person and have a low tolerance to risk... and maybe that detracts from the run and or exhiliration...

[meburma]

Well, I met with zee in person yesterday and I tell you the lady won't sail that thing if she truly feels like it would put any of us in danger. No sir.

I feel quite confident in her judgement on this matter, she's certainly been living with it longer than any of us and she does know her boat.

[Bergovoy]

as a 'friend' of mine would say...

'it's all good'...

hehehehehe

[Jon4399]

I can agree with Bergogoy on part of his comments. But I believe the issue is that the SD yard will not consider another alternative. Then the alternative may be as effective, professional, and safe at the SD yard alternative, but lower cost.

It seems to me that zee has two problems. The first is the packing gland or shaft seal. The second is the fact that the bronze LOG tube has corroded (perhaps through electrolysis), and is porous to the point of failure and leaking or worse. I've thought of two different temp fixes for the shaft. The first would be radiator tape wrapped around the whole tube. The second is gutter repair tape, which is adhesive rubber sheet about 4 inches wide, which could be wrapped around the tube. Seems like that would add a significant level of safety to the sail down.

[joey69]

Since it is easy to get to,Build a FORM around it with plywood and pour liquid foam or epoxy around it to seal it off.If you wrap it real good with the duct tape first,you shouldn't have to do anything else to it.That would fix it permanently.

[joey69]

The only thing the box is for is a CENTER SUPPORT so that the drive shaft doesn't flop around at high revolutions inside the hull and bend itself.It should have been designed better,I worked in a lot of machine shops.If I could,I would take it all out and put a split bearing on the shaft and mount it to a collar.Also shorten the tube to about 6" where it goes through the hull and seal it off.

[joey69]

This is what you need........ DODGE Mounted Ball Bearings EZ Kleen you would still have to pull the shaft, install this and bolt it to the cross support.Then just seal off the tube as stated earlier.

[Jon4399]

Or this one.
Kilian "No-Rust" Housed Bearing Units from Kilian Manufacturing Corp.

Think a flange mount is needed. It there a chance that the tube which goes through the cross member, could leak out the front of the cross member? The other problem I see with cutting the tube back and glassing is that the gland hose, (with the clamps) is generally too small ID to fit over the glased tube. How is this addressed?

[Bergovoy]

Originally Posted by Jon4399

I can agree with Bergogoy on part of his comments.....

careful... people judge you by the people you hang with... hehehehehe

i guess to try to be short and sweet about it, I strongly urge you to get another estimate... even under good situations and normal types of repairs it is always good to get a couple estimates.. but with something like this where you are needing someone to 'think outside the box', i think it important to find someone or at least try to find someone to give estimates on these different methods of repairs...

I would hope there are several boat yards in the area, and probably many mobile mechanics that could look at and make suggestions...

(I wouldn't hire someone who isn't licensed/insured for something like this btw) but, I would use him to come up with ideas so you can present a licensed shop with these alternate 'fixes'...

And as long as these fixes are legitimate and there arent any other reason for doing these repairs,, then you should be able to get 'comparable' estimates, based upon doing the same fix....

[Charlie]

Okay I think I have figured out a way to do this in the water. Lets here waht you guys think of this plan.

Assumption 1: The Shaft log is in good shape somewhere aft of the main beam.

Assumption 2: There is enough play to slide the prop shaft back three or four inches

Step 1: Find the following parts: 1) a bearing to support the shaft at the main beam with some adjustment to it, 2) a traditional stuffing box and hose, and 3) a fabricated SS plate to cover enlarged hole on the main beam and to mount the bearing on.

Step 2: Drill holes thru the main beam so that you can get the stuffing box and hose thru the main beam from the forward side of the beam ( drill holes like the rotary dial on the old phones with the holes big enough to fit a sawzall blade. Use the sawzall to finish the cutting.

Step 3: have a diver wrap the outside of the shaft with an ace bandage

Step 4: Use a pipe cutter or cable saw to cut the log in pieces short enough to be able to slide off the front end of the shaft.

Step 5: Slide the hose, then the stuffing box, then the SS plate, over the shaft and set them correctly.

Step 6: install Stuffing box then move shaft back in place. This should stop all leaking.

Step 7: Install SS plate then bearing. Make sure that alignment is perfect.

Step 8: Fill hole in Main beam with epoxy (I don't know what kind)

Step 9: Kick back with the alcoholic beverage of your choice.

Should work. Won't leave you in any worse shape then you are now

[zeehag]

shaft log is at exit of the boat hull to the sea
packing gland is in front of the beam-- on the engine and tranny side,,, so should be easy to change out and i have 4 inches of space between rudder and prop. so can theoretically move shaft 4 inches. diver should be standing by under boat with plugging stuff.....so should be ok.????
and with fiberglassing of the tube, i will have flexibility to use more different types of systems?/ or will that make a difference other than making the thing have continued integrity?

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by zeehag

shaft log is at exit of the boat hull to the sea
packing gland is in front of the beam-- on the engine and tranny side,,, so should be easy to change out and i have 4 inches of space between rudder and prop. so can theoretically move shaft 4 inches. diver should be standing by under boat with plugging stuff.....so should be ok.????
and with fiberglassing of the tube, i will have flexibility to use more different types of systems?/ or will that make a difference other than making the thing have continued integrity?

But the problem is that the shaft log is threaded into the combination packing gland bearing. If the log is suspect then you will have to glass it or replace it or cut it back to where it is still in good condition. Whichever one of these you do you can't just replace the packing gland in the same spot. forward of the main beam. You will either have to replace the log and redo it the way it is now or cut the log and redo it so that there are two different pieces. One, a bearing, to support the shaft and the second a stuffing box to cool the shaft. From the sounds of it the method I propose above would be cheaper but if you can't get the shaft to move inside the log it won't work so that may be the first test.

[zeehag]

CORRECT--oops--- charlie--you are correct, yes the shaft tube must be cut back--i will glass it until we get to mexico, and that way there will be no doubt about that part, i did find a new bronze tube for this-- 35 in of bronze, 2 inch in chula vista-- they also have shafts there- may get me one for this to take to mexico, if they arent 3000 dollars...
some leaky teaky folks did the cut back then place pss dripless. others glassed the tube and added lasdrop system.
i wouldnt consider taking this boat anywhere if this leak were worse .
right now and for the past 4 yrs i have known this boat, i havent seen more than the 3 yr old on crack after drinking a case of budweiser.
pumping only every 2-3 hours for 10 min isnt really bad-is a 500gmh pump.--is time to consider repairs, as i have--- i have been convinced we will be ok.
i do have countermeasures for just in case. toilet wax seal ring works geat-i have some inside and he out side placed ones go away with shaft turning.

[Bergovoy]

10 minutes of pump time at 500gph is about 100gallons of water... over 2-3 hours...

I guess that isnt bad... I am sure a rogue wave or good bow wave will get you way more then that in one wave...

i will figure out 'perspective' by experience and whatever i can pick up here...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Bergovoy

10 minutes of pump time at 500gph is about 100gallons of water... over 2-3 hours...
I guess that isnt bad...

I agree.

A 5GPH pump is about the smallest electric bilge pump on the market, and might be expected to actually produce something like 200 - 300 GPH as installed.
Accordingly, Zeehag is describing an inflow of about 15 GPH; which could be evacuated with a minute or two of hand pumping per hour, with a manual Whale Gusher pump.