rope on prop disaster

[Billjratt]

Thamesway marine products who make the gearboxes, also came up trumps:
Part no TM 12406/B2. Price including bolt and nuts Vat and carriage £ 134.60.
Available from stock.
ASAP have accepted the order and I'll get bolts locally, nothing much in price differential.

 

[Spyro]

Good result Bill, Are you aware of any more damage or has Sandy not got his hands on it yet?

 

[Billjratt]

Here's the culprit.
A pox on old mooring ropes left dangling from pontoons!

Luckily our club has a drying grid, and even as I write, the gelcoat is curing, and hopefully the postman is scurrying up-country with my coupling.
So it's possible we could be mobile by high tide tomorrow PM
Fingers crossed.

 

[Kylora]

Glad to hear that the damage is much less than you might have imagined - assume that the shaft has remained straight.

The prop must run very close to the rudder at the best of times - doesn't take much rearward movement before it would jam.

Drying grid makes the job a bit cheaper!

Ash

 

[Spyro]

Great news! The rudder doesn't look too bad, fingers crossed there's no more damage. See what I meant about the paint colour.

 

[Billjratt]

The shaft is shafted!!
When I got inside after having fixed the outside, the coupling described a circle of nearly an inch dia per rev....
Took all day to get the coupling off and the feather is still stuck.
But I have a friend who will kiss it all better if I can get it to his workshop.
I am luckier than most in this predicament.
Always look on the bright side of life, te tum etc.

 

[aquaplane]

You are lucky, in the loose meaning of the word, that you have a mate that can "kiss it better". My old man has just had to lay out the thick end of £1000 for a new propshaft for his Jeaneau Espace 1000, another floating conservatory. I think that was down to wear on the shaft as opposed to bends in it though.

 

[Carolwildbird]

Hmm.. I'm just off this morning to collect a new prop shaft (plus new deep sea seal, and rope cutter) for my bowman- the lot is costing me (for parts) nowhere near £1000! For the record,and in case anyone else is in need: C&O engineering in Newton Abbot- great old fashioned engineering company who specialise in shafts/ props/ seals etc.
http://www.coengineering.co.uk/

 

[sailorman]

An Ambassador Rope cutter just love that stuff

 

[Billjratt]

Well, so far, we have dropped the rudder into a tidal mud-hole and liberated the bendy shaft, which is now up in the engineering shop. The bronze bolts for the rudder shoe had to be ground free, and were a bit pink so they will be replaced with stainless. ASAP still haven't delivered, but that's not a stopper as yet. Just about to go down there and will find out just how well my seals and plugs worked during the last high tide.......

 

[Billjratt]

Can't move fast enough! No sooner on way to marina this morning than phone rang to say shaft was ready for collection. went on to boat to check water level looked Ok from above, but pump ran for 90 secs, so a little there. Both engine and rudder seals were dry so lower rudder bearing must be leaky.

This is where we've been for over a week -T.C.C. scrubbing berth - and the help I've had from the guys over this time is huge.

and showing the "hole" method of rudder removal/replacement.

Shaft in place, rudder re-hung, but no flex drive or propellor... Next tide back to berth and pretend to be a cottage until the rest of the stuff is fitted.

 

[Billjratt]

On the move again! - ish...
Found http://www.propeller-repair.co.uk/contact.html
this guy in Paisley.
Checked and polished the prop while SWMBO waited, for free!
but beware, use the mobile number to contact him until the website is fixed.
Fitted the flexdrive and motored to berth. Unfortunately the engine didn't appreciated being jammed up during the first propshaft removal attempt, so I now have to repair it!
Anyway, I'm glad the worst is over.

 

[Billjratt]

Time flies when you're having fun...this thread has dropped to page 10 of the index - a busy time of year.
Still suffering, but have a little info that may help anyone in the same predicament:
testing the repaired drive showed a little movement at the stuffing box, but an engineer checked it and says no cause for concern. It runs cool, and doesn't drip too much.
Did have a major shock hearing knocking noise from outside the boat (while standing on pontoon) with boat in forward drive. This turned out to be gearbox noise transmitted down the shaft and radiated to the water by the prop blades - very loud and alarming. The TMP box is hydraulically clutched, and the engine idle revs were too low. Set to 640rpm and it seems better. set gear selector to centre=neutral as the support bracket had been bent during the previous engine-wrestling session. Now continuing other engineroom improvements. Hopefully this is the last entry I will make on this topic as I've had enough.