Fitting a prop protector

[Miker]

I have a circular bladed prop protector which I went for because of the ease of fitting. The gap behind the prop is insufficient for the Ambassador or the Hayles. I am thinking of changing to the scissors type but am not too keen on having to fit a spacer.
What is involved undoing the prop shaft and disturbing the shaft seal which at the moment is as dry as a bone? I am a great believer in not touching anything that is not broken.

 

[tristan]

There should be no problem with fitting a spacer provided the cutlass bearing is in good condition and there is adequate clearance aft of the prop (look for at least 1 1/2"). This will allow for flex on the engine mounts etc.
As for the stern seal, as long as it has been correctly maintained, and there is no wear on the contact area of the shaft, then don't worry about disturbing it as the seal gets disturbed by rotation during normal operation (on a tangent - many marine engineers like to see 1 drip every 5 secs (approx) from the stern seal to ensure that it is not over-tight, and it is being properly cooled).
Hope this helps.

P.S. Drawing (pulling back) the shaft is no problem, just undo the bolts holding the two couplings together and pull on the prop (you will probably have to twist it at the same time). Then insert the spacer, push the shaft back up, align the holes, and fit the new bolts - job done.

 

[pvb]

As Tristan says, it's not a problem. I fitted a Stripper from Ambassador, and used a spacer which they supplied. The only difficulty I encountered was undoing the bolts holding the prop shaft coupling to the gearbox flange. These bolts had Allen-key type hex sockets. I found that Halfords sell big Allen keys fitted to regular square-drive sockets, so I could use a normal racheted socket driver to undo the bolts.

Before pushing the propshaft back to take the spacer, it's worth cleaning the area which is going to disappear into the stern gland. I polished it carefully with chrome cleaner.

 

[Miker]

Thanks for the advice.

I shall have a go at undoing the prop shaft before I purchase an Ambassador
cutter. I've got until next March before I get back in the water.