Man ...ever been thru a streak of bad luck??? This sucks...
...yesterday comming back from a 3 day charter our captain was getting the boat up on plane and he was looking at the gauges ...when he looked forward it was too late!!! Maybe it was a tree log of about 7 inches in diameter ..came up in the back in half!!!
I guess we were going at about 20 knots...
Brand new 4 blade nibrals!!!!
Starboard had vibration and port also but starboard was very noticeable in the low rpm ranges.....
We took the prop out after hard work at night and with the boat in the water and you could see one of the blades was bent... we tried our best to straighten out but will need to have it professionally balanced wich is a bummer because I am in Central America and there are no services here!!!
What do I do??
What else do I need to check??
How do I know if the shaft is bent?? Aquamet 22 1.5 inches...
PLease Help!!! What am I paying for!!!
JC
Hit a log!!!
Moderators: CaptPatrick, mike ohlstein, Bruce
JC, sorry to hear about your bad luck.
I had a bad vibration which turned out to be be a bent shaft. It was found with the boat pulled, but you may be able to sue the same technique in the water.
Put a block of wook between the hull and shaft, then rotate the shaft and measure any changes in distance.
Another way may be to watch the shaft where it goes through the hull, at idle speeds or slightly higher if there's a wobble it may be due to a bent shaft.
You'll also want to check inside and outside the hull for strut damage.
JohnD
I had a bad vibration which turned out to be be a bent shaft. It was found with the boat pulled, but you may be able to sue the same technique in the water.
Put a block of wook between the hull and shaft, then rotate the shaft and measure any changes in distance.
Another way may be to watch the shaft where it goes through the hull, at idle speeds or slightly higher if there's a wobble it may be due to a bent shaft.
You'll also want to check inside and outside the hull for strut damage.
JohnD
For you props, go to www.propscan.com, they have a list of shops using propscan technology around the world. You can probably select a shop and ship the props there. I just used a shop using Prop-scan for the first time and the difference is night and day in comparison to a traditional prop shop. Couldn't believe how smooth the boat was.
As John stated for your shaft, put the boat in gear at idle and look at the stuffing box. If their is wobblein the stuffing box you most likely have a bent shaft. If your props are bent real bad this could also create a slight wobble at the stuffing box but at idle it's more likely to be the shaft.
Good Luck!
As John stated for your shaft, put the boat in gear at idle and look at the stuffing box. If their is wobblein the stuffing box you most likely have a bent shaft. If your props are bent real bad this could also create a slight wobble at the stuffing box but at idle it's more likely to be the shaft.
Good Luck!
Thanks for the immediate help. I will strart checking for shaft misalignment and will probably bite the bullet and get some new props and fix these in a trip to the US. We were 20 miles from port and had to come back so we ran the boat with the vibration back. Could this bend the shaft???
Is straightening the shaft work that needs to be done by a specialist or could be done by a local salvador company specializing in shafts for trucks, etc????
Thanks,
JC
Is straightening the shaft work that needs to be done by a specialist or could be done by a local salvador company specializing in shafts for trucks, etc????
Thanks,
JC
Still the age of blacksmith with propscan. Yes they check out the prop with the probes and find out what needs to be tweaked, but then they go into the back and beat the hell out of the prop and come back and check it again. It is agreat, accurate measuring tool but still need a good talented hand to get the wheel right.
As for checking the shaft, it should not run out more then .005, less then the thickness of two pieces of paper. Not something you will see with the naked eye and a piece of wood. More like rollers and a dial indicator, or a dial indicator clamped to something solid and carefully turn shaft. Either way "dial indicator".
The block of wood method, it will tell you if it is way out or not that bad. It will not tell you if it is good.
I would not use a guy working on truck driveline for anything other then checking your shaft with a "dial Indicator". A few wrong tweaks and you will have a shaft very hard to straighten.
As for checking the shaft, it should not run out more then .005, less then the thickness of two pieces of paper. Not something you will see with the naked eye and a piece of wood. More like rollers and a dial indicator, or a dial indicator clamped to something solid and carefully turn shaft. Either way "dial indicator".
The block of wood method, it will tell you if it is way out or not that bad. It will not tell you if it is good.
I would not use a guy working on truck driveline for anything other then checking your shaft with a "dial Indicator". A few wrong tweaks and you will have a shaft very hard to straighten.
JC,
Sorry to hear about that, it can be a nightmare when you are in remote locations and need skilled repairs like this. Where are you based out of, and what direction are you headed in? A buddy of mine is running one of the boats at Fins and Feathers, or at least what is now the new F&F's in Guatemala, I can contact him to see if he knows anyone in the area. If you are ordering new props from the states, you may want to see if you can have them sent over on Dockwise. They usually have a ship headed to Golfito around Thanksgiving, and there may be a boat headed up your way. If you are headed south, there are some pretty decent yards that could fix them in Costa Rica, in Puntarenas area. Good luck with all that, email me if you have questions, I would love to help out if possible.
Regards,
Patrick Nutt
patricknutt@aol.com
"Time Flies" 1972 B31
Sorry to hear about that, it can be a nightmare when you are in remote locations and need skilled repairs like this. Where are you based out of, and what direction are you headed in? A buddy of mine is running one of the boats at Fins and Feathers, or at least what is now the new F&F's in Guatemala, I can contact him to see if he knows anyone in the area. If you are ordering new props from the states, you may want to see if you can have them sent over on Dockwise. They usually have a ship headed to Golfito around Thanksgiving, and there may be a boat headed up your way. If you are headed south, there are some pretty decent yards that could fix them in Costa Rica, in Puntarenas area. Good luck with all that, email me if you have questions, I would love to help out if possible.
Regards,
Patrick Nutt
patricknutt@aol.com
"Time Flies" 1972 B31
Patrick,
The old fins and Feathers facility is open and I believe using the same name with a Guate owner, and Jim Turners outfit (the one your friend is working for) is using the name in the US. Neither is really functioning like the old Fins and Feathers that was owned by Tim Choate. Which boat is your friend running and who is he? I own and operate a couple boats down there and in Mexico.
JC, there should be several machine shops in El Sal that could check you shaft. I have always found it cheaper to just pick up another set of props and fly them down in my baggage for the price of the plane ticket. They fit in carry on bags, and I never get checked. Shafts are a real pain, but isnt one of the partners with TACA?
Brian
The old fins and Feathers facility is open and I believe using the same name with a Guate owner, and Jim Turners outfit (the one your friend is working for) is using the name in the US. Neither is really functioning like the old Fins and Feathers that was owned by Tim Choate. Which boat is your friend running and who is he? I own and operate a couple boats down there and in Mexico.
JC, there should be several machine shops in El Sal that could check you shaft. I have always found it cheaper to just pick up another set of props and fly them down in my baggage for the price of the plane ticket. They fit in carry on bags, and I never get checked. Shafts are a real pain, but isnt one of the partners with TACA?
Brian
Thanks for your help Patrick and Brian!! I am currently in El Salvador. The info from Guatemala would be great. I am 3.5 hours drive from Guatemala so if necessary I can go there to get them fixed. When I was there I met a guy named Ziggy who is in charge of the maintenance of the boats there...ive been calling and cant get a hold of him to see if he can do it or knows of someone.
I am sure there must be someone with experience as there is a shrimping fleet in the country???
I guess another option would be getting a brand new set of propellers (the ones on there are 2 weeks old!!!) the propellers are:
Hy-Torque 21 X 22 4 blade nibrals....
Whats the price of these tuned and all?? If you know of a good place I could fly to Texas and pick them up next week. We have a tournament on the 8th and then are booked with custumers for the rest of the time... One of the custumers is Tim Choate!! who is going to fish 5 days straight by himself.
I am hoping that the shaft isnt bent... That would be a pain.... There are very good machine shops with qualifyed labor so I am guessing they can be straightened out if that is the case....
Thanks for all the help... this is such a great place.
JC
I am sure there must be someone with experience as there is a shrimping fleet in the country???
I guess another option would be getting a brand new set of propellers (the ones on there are 2 weeks old!!!) the propellers are:
Hy-Torque 21 X 22 4 blade nibrals....
Whats the price of these tuned and all?? If you know of a good place I could fly to Texas and pick them up next week. We have a tournament on the 8th and then are booked with custumers for the rest of the time... One of the custumers is Tim Choate!! who is going to fish 5 days straight by himself.
I am hoping that the shaft isnt bent... That would be a pain.... There are very good machine shops with qualifyed labor so I am guessing they can be straightened out if that is the case....
Thanks for all the help... this is such a great place.
JC
JC,
There is no one in Guatemala that you want to fix your prop. Been there done that and wont do it again. For the shaft, I would just call around the larger machine shops in El Salvador. I use a machine shop in Guatemala City. but they will not have anything different from what is in El Sal. Checking the shaft for being bent will be fairly easy to get done. You just need to let them know the typical specs.
On the props, Frank and Jimmies in Florida is your best bet, and there are two sets on ebay right now.
We were going to head down for the tournament, but I have a gear that is down and we are replacing drive discs also. The guys in Guate might suprise me and get it done in time, but I am not counting on it.
Brian
There is no one in Guatemala that you want to fix your prop. Been there done that and wont do it again. For the shaft, I would just call around the larger machine shops in El Salvador. I use a machine shop in Guatemala City. but they will not have anything different from what is in El Sal. Checking the shaft for being bent will be fairly easy to get done. You just need to let them know the typical specs.
On the props, Frank and Jimmies in Florida is your best bet, and there are two sets on ebay right now.
We were going to head down for the tournament, but I have a gear that is down and we are replacing drive discs also. The guys in Guate might suprise me and get it done in time, but I am not counting on it.
Brian
Sorry to hear about your gear Brian. Hope you get it fixed. I had a 502 bust this year also but is now back and running...warped clutch plates....
How do these props look?? How about price?? I remember we paid something like $$3,800 for 3 props?? How about the brand on ebay?? We have Hy-Torque propellers.
I hope you make it to the tournament Brian..it would be great to meet you in person... if you need me to fix anything up for you here it will be my pleaseure. ....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/R-L-NEW- ... enameZWDVW
I have a dive tank and scuba gear ready... I am going in the water tomorrow... is there anything else I should check???
JC
How do these props look?? How about price?? I remember we paid something like $$3,800 for 3 props?? How about the brand on ebay?? We have Hy-Torque propellers.
I hope you make it to the tournament Brian..it would be great to meet you in person... if you need me to fix anything up for you here it will be my pleaseure. ....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/R-L-NEW- ... enameZWDVW
I have a dive tank and scuba gear ready... I am going in the water tomorrow... is there anything else I should check???
JC
I did the same at the beginning of September.
It hit on the starboard side.
Prop was mildly bent, but I also suffered a bent shaft and a bent strut. It depends where the log hit your boat.
Worst of all it delaminated much of the glass under the strut, and this has to be cut out and rebuilt from scratch.
it is not a minor job. I am in the continental US which makes it much easier for me. Good luck with your repairs.
Dug
It hit on the starboard side.
Prop was mildly bent, but I also suffered a bent shaft and a bent strut. It depends where the log hit your boat.
Worst of all it delaminated much of the glass under the strut, and this has to be cut out and rebuilt from scratch.
it is not a minor job. I am in the continental US which makes it much easier for me. Good luck with your repairs.
Dug
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