Went out for a 3nm
cruise to a nearby bay with my son and wife. We wanted to get there before sunset so ended up motoring. Halfway there the
engine changed tone and a mild vibration set in. Didn't think anything of it and anchored for the night. Next morning after weighing
anchor, put the
boat in
gear and heard a massive clunk and repetitive banging. Immediately shut off the
engine and sailed back to the marina. Upon
inspection at the
dock found out that the
boat needed to be hauled for major
repairs. Here is what we saw:
The Eliche Radice two blade
propeller had
lost one of the blades. The resulting imbalance broke off the p-bracket and bent the shaft. Prop, shaft and the p-bracket needed replacing.
First I ground out the inner structure holding the p-bracket in place.
No
power tools, only hand tools!
New p-bracket from
Beneteau is made of polyester instead of the previous brass one. Bonds better and doesn't need to be caulked in place. Build quality is terrible, its made from CSM and polyester filler. For the
price I paid, I could have made one myself, using the brass one as a template to create a cast.
After inserting the new shaft in place, I created a reference with a thin line that went from starboard toe rail to port toe rail. The nature of the line allows the shaft to self align. Adjusted the line up and down to allow the shaft to turn as freely as possible. Wedged the p bracket in place to prepare for glassing it in.
Took multiple measurements to make sure it was symmetrical. Cut out
plywood to support the p-bracket.
As I was doing this, I wanted to improve the desing by incorporating a drain hole in the bottom of the bracket. Original design resulted in any
water spillage from the transom porthole or the
rudder post to collect aft of the bracket and sloshed around. I incorporated a drinking straw to allow for drainage as I glassed and epoxied everything together.
Also epoxied from the outside, gelcoated (yellow) and finally antifouled.
All in all this took about three weeks and cost €2000 including haul-out and
parts (no labor cost as I did everything myself).
This catastrophic failure could have been prevented if the prop had been checked on a regular basis and the pressure pins holding the blades in place regularly replaced. I noticed the prop manufacturer changed the design to eliminate the pressure pin and replaced it with a set screw, making it easily serviceable.
Check your folding prop when you get a chance!