My Adventure Today.... (Following from Yeesterday)

[JordanBoon]

Yesterday i managed to get my engine working on Muscadet, So i decided to go out in the Solent, releuctently with pressure from friends (Never do it again)

Left Southsea Marina and was traveling down the chanel and heard the weather report of everything getting worse, decided to turn around and get back into the Marina, when i stopped getting drive from the engine. I managed to drop anchor and tie onto a nearby vessel.

Called to get help from southsea marina and they came out to help, i initially thought my engine did not have enough power.

Untill this morning where i wanted to go and fix the engine found the boat full of water...
#

The Prop Shaft and Prop had come incredibly loose... PROBLEM

So now the boat is out for the night and looking like a bit of a problem with it..

Any kind words of sympathy are greatfully recieved.

Jordan Boon

 

[Searush]

To offer any practical advice we need to know what "loose" means.

If wobbling around, it could be worn cutless bearing, bent shaft or something like stuffing gland needs restuffing & greasing.

If moving back & forth, then it's gear box thrust bearings, any gearbox-shaft coupling or flexible doughnut that may be there.

Most boats require a squirt or two of grease in the stuffing box after a period of motoring anyway, if your shaft is slightly bent or mis-aligned & not been greased or run for sometime, that could be enough to start enough of a leak to get your floorboards almost awash in 24hrs.

You need someone with a bit of experience to look at it, beside the engineer you pay, cos it will probably be in the engineer's own interests to replace quite a lot of stuff.

 

[JordanBoon]

LOOSE: Would have fallen straight onto the sea bed if the rudder was not there. There was a small leak for a long while with the stuffing box drip at a time not a big problem. But the engine had not been run for 7 months or so

 

[Chrissie]

Hi Jordan

Could be lots of things, good its out now, sending you a pm.

 

[Searush]

So the propshaft separated from the gearbox? How was it fastened? Flexible coupling or solid one? Do you now what failed?

 

[dylanwinter]

Bumma

had probs with the slugs back end last summer

if some-one had walked up and offered to take it off my hands for freemans I would have gladly accepted

The back end is now watertight again and I am back in love with the slug

but it did cost me 6 weeks sailing and a not inconsiderable amount of money

however it was the gearbox parting company from the coupling - the key broke up and I was taking in lots of water - and I holed the boat on the same day....which was a bit sad
there is a film of taking a cutlass bearing apart here

films 74 to 79 here

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/category/2010-video-logs/


D

 

[bobgoode]

Sounds like a real FUBAR...but no-one died and nothing got smashed. Sounds to me like you handled a tricky situation in a seaman like way.

 

[Wansworth]

just out of interest is that the ex ocean racer Muscadet designed by peter Nicholson?

 

[JordanBoon]

So the propshaft separated from the gearbox? How was it fastened? Flexible coupling or solid one? Do you now what failed?

The gear box is fassened to the prop shaft with 6 bolts clamping it in place, after much debate our thoughs were as follows.

- Lack of packing and worn packing on shaft had lead to the shaft being able to move more freely

- the more viggarassly it moved the bolts became looser

-allowing the shaft to fall out of the boat.

How does this sound to you?

 

[Fantasie 19]

Any kind words of sympathy are greatfully recieved.

Jordan Boon

Shi*ty situation but you got everyone home OK, no damage done to the boat or anyone else... it could have happened at any time, and the outcomes could have been very different... well done....

 

[Searush]

The gear box is fassened to the prop shaft with 6 bolts clamping it in place, after much debate our thoughs were as follows.

- Lack of packing and worn packing on shaft had lead to the shaft being able to move more freely

- the more viggarassly it moved the bolts became looser

-allowing the shaft to fall out of the boat.

How does this sound to you?

Sounds fairly typical. Things to check when you put it back together again;

Is engine in line with propshaft? They should fit together via the clamp without any forcing.

Is the propshaft straight? Turn by hand before connecting to G-Box shaft.

Are engine mounts OK? Try lifting the corners of the engine with a bar - but gently, try not to break anything!

Check that the stuffing box is packed right, not too tight or loose - feel the temp after running for a while. There is good info on restuffing elsewhere on this forum.

Good luck, and Fantasie is right, you dealt with the situation very well.

 

[Seajet]

I knew someone - a right smartar*e which made it much more enjoyable - who home built a 26' boat, on an early trip when he selected reverse the prop shaft shot backwards; the only thing keeping it in the boat was the skeg, though I'm not convinced that was what David Sadler had in mind when he designed it.

I wasn't overjoyed though when he raced up alongside my boat and tied up tightly, to support his sinking masterpiece !

Close calls are just nature's learning process, and as others have said, you got the boat and crew back which is all anyone can ask.

 

[JordanBoon]

So boat is out of water, I have replaced the whole prop system from a new cutlass bearing that was very tired and took 6 hours to dig out and have replaced the old gland with a new volvo self lubricating gland.

Hopefully all should be up and running and back in the water by Friday.

 

[sarabande]

if you haven't done this already, it's worth fitting a jubilee clip just for'd pf the stern gland, to discourage the propshaft from going walkies again.

oh, an d have a wooden bung handy tied nearby....