Rabbi posted a PDF instruction on a simple modification to saildrives to reduce the risk of the prop falling off. Thanks Rabbi.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1950230
As this was buried in a thread about a prop not fitting on a
Lagoon 380, I have created this fresh thread that will be more easily identifiiable for
saildrive owners.
I completed this easy modification on both my SD20's. The 8mm threaded rod in 316 stainless was only $10 for a metre length from a small
hardware store. After cutting the lengths off, I ground flat surfaces in the middle so a shifter can turn the rod easily. The marina had stainless tube and cut me off 2 small pieces. Then you only need nuts & washers plus Loctite or similar.
One observation I made was the tightening torque for the prop nut. The PDF shows only a small rotation from handtight, and I did not think this felt sufficient (how tight is handtight anyway?). So I torqued a bit tighter.
It was at this point I realised a downside with this modification. When I was removing the props before the mod, I could not undo the cone nuts with my basic tools. They both needed a stronger bar with extension arm for extra leverage. Now with this modification, there is no way to pass such a bar through the cone nut, potentially making
removal more difficult.
Also, the retention system replaces a long Loctited bolt with a washered nyloc nut (in addition to the cone nut) - not sure if this is really better or not.
The
boat gets splashed in a week, so I'm wondering if others have made this modification or have opinions on it.
Linear Mode
Recent Discussions