Recovering a prop & shaft

Channel Ribs

Channel Ribs

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Mar 2006
Messages
2,533
Location
The island of Alderney
www.alderneymarine.com
Having lost our shaft (and damn nearly the boat too) while coming into Sparkes on Wednesday, we have tried and failed to recover it.

A date has now been set for next weekend, the 10th & 11th of Feb, where we will make an all out effort to get the stern gear reunited. We plan to use a couple of dinghies, nets, hooks, sonar and another diver.

Having studied the GPS data we have narrowed the search down a 120m coridor in the marina aproach channel.

I would welcome any suggestions for finding the shaft. Thanks for all your sympathy and help in previous threads on the matter.
 
As a diver I can tell you that you will not find that an easy task.

From your previous post it seems that your mechanic was to blame for the loss, why not pass the problem back to him and save yourself a great deal of hassle and wasted time?
 
[ QUOTE ]
...your mechanic was to blame for the loss...

[/ QUOTE ]

He is insisting it is not, the only blame would be if he adjusted the the collar to set the engine further forward or aft; or if I could demonstrate that checking the shaft and adding a jubilee clip was in his remit.

The insurance company are being vague and telling me to act as if it is going to be an uninsured loss, so I am doing just that. As I cant addord to replace the shaft and or prop, I will have to sell the inboard and use the money to fit a small outboard.

The search may be futile, but I have hope and I am clinging to it like a limpit right now! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Blimey, is it National Prop Shaft Week?

I hope you recover it, but it would be a big ask of the diver in murky waters, and obviously a navigable channel.

See, if you had a shaft like mine, its magnetic, and can get the Sea Searcher magnet out.......
 
[ QUOTE ]
...but it would be a big ask of the diver...

[/ QUOTE ]

Diver no 2 has an unsurpassed reputation, so keep your fingers crossed for us.

I might try the magnet, just in case it a french engineering special. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
OK so on assumption you are going ahead with diver search I would suggest that if possible you get hold of two divers to assist, nothing to do with safety considerations, more for the practicality that the two will cover at least twice the area and will improve the chances of success by somewhere near a factor of 3 compared to a single bubble blower.
 
[quoteThe insurance company are being vague and telling me to act as if it is going to be an uninsured loss..........

[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry to hear about your problem. Why don't the insurance company want to know??
 
Two things

1 - a creep on a suitable length of rope. The creep is a metal bar with spikes on it somewhat like a Christmas tree. This will entangle the shaft and pick it up.

2 - A 10lb window weight on 6mm rope and drag that behind keep the tension on with your hand and you will 'feel' the bottom.If you bounce over the shaft you will 'feel' and 'hear' it.

Thirdly - yes I know - go see local fisherman and ask him to trawl for it. He will probably pick it up in half an hour, offer him £25 - they're a reasonable bunch. Best of luck
 
[ QUOTE ]
...a metal bar with spikes on it somewhat like a Christmas tree...

[/ QUOTE ]

I know Christmas trees are spikey, but the festive season round your house sounds a bit medieval to me! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Seriously though, thanks for that; I shall knock one up in the week.
 
I don't understand why getting a new shaft is so prohibitively expensive. I have bought a couple of shafts for a couple of boats and I none of them cost me more than £40.00 A length of s/s from a stockist and a bribe of a friendly machine shop to put the taper and thread on the end for the prop. Lots of second hand props about for a few pounds - mind you finding one of the right size, pitch and hand is always a challenge.
 
It is a combination of time as well as money, that and a broad streak of Yorkshireman's frugality - why spend money on a new set when there is a perfectly good shaft and prop within arms reach.

In terms of time, those lovely people at Vetus could send me out a perfectly good stock shaft and prop to match within the week. But see point c above. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Mind you, it has taken me this long to recover from the shock of being quoted 300 quid for a second hand prop and about the same again for a shaft (a quote from the UK Vire dealer!). Scary.
 
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