alignment

i read the 6pg thread on this alread but i still have a few questins. while looking at the boat today i noticed that the shaft is not centered as it goes through the hull. i am going to check the alignment, but should i get the shaft straight then align the engine? or leave the shaft where it is? also noticed that the strut looks like it is bent. the shaft appears to be true. i will try to get some pics

pulling the two halves will tell the story, it does look a little bent and the shaft off to the side, look closely for any glass repairs while doing the work, but first things first, check the alignment and report your findings

Hey Eric, good to see someone else is trying this for the first time, because I'm still not finished with alighning my motor. I'm ordering a 28mm open end wrench in hopes that this is the size needed to move my up and down motor mounts (sorry about terminalogy), and then I hope I can pull it off with just one of them.

Bobby- It is engine to shaft, my problem seems to be determining where exactly the shaft is perfect and then keeping it there while trying to shuv the motor around. Plus I have struggled with the wrench issue. I also pulled up the stuffing box and slid the rubber hose on the log, up. This gives you something to try and center the shaft in, but I think that it is most important to have the shaft running straight through the strut bearing- this seems to be a lot of a feel thing( for smoothness). Yours looks a bit cocked to me, but I am a first timer also and have yet to pull this off.

Thanks Eric for all the help you provide to us newbies, I would have just dropped it in gear and hoped for the best without you and this awesome web site    THANKS



(updated by moderator for image alignment only)

Bobby, To me, it sure like the strut is bent. Keeping in mind that the alignment starts at the strut and then goes forward, do see what happens when the coupling halves are disconnected. Note in Gregs picture above that he made a block of wood to keep the shaft centered (vertically and horizontally) in the log. Do this and see how the shaft turns in the cutlass bearing (rubber bearing in strut). If the bearing isn't worn and the strut is bent, the shaft will bind. This may be a good time to replace the cutlass bearing and also check to see if the shaft is straight. The best way to check the shaft is out of the boat in V blocks using a dial indicator.

By the way, I think that thing on the back of your boat is called a "tube" and the Ski Tique is a "ski" boat!! If all you do is tube, don't worry about the alignment. Just keep running it as is.

Pete, I'm surprised you didn't comment on the looks of the hull around the strut. There appears to be some burn from a too large of prop probably, as well as a bunch of sealant around teh strunt mounting area. My guess is there has been some damage in that area in the past that was incorrectly repaired.

Ditch the tube.

Summer is coming quick....order a strut, that one is a no good.
-Joe.

bwooton wrote: should i even bother trying this with that strut? should i get a new one and start from there.

Bobby, Find a prop shop and give them a call. Many will use a press to straighten struts. Give it a try first. Some marine oriented shops will too!

Riley wrote: Can't a machine shop repair that strut?

Yes, I should have broadened my term of shops. A shop with a press and a basic means of measuring such as a surface plate, square and tape measure could do it. I was thinking too much marine!!

up and to the port, you got some work to do, the shaft should be centered in the log, your gonna have to kick the engine over to the left and up a touch, but..........it may be your strut kicking the shaft starboard....first things first, remove the shaft and get the strut straightend out, i clamp the struts to the side of my press and and then use a 1.125 bar with the bushings out to try to get the twist out. if you have access try it cause the struts are not cheap. you can use heat to soften it up a bit, but not a rosebud...flash heat it. i havnt lost one yet so good luck on that, re-install and see if it is centered if so start the alignment process.   you have to get this corrected. please let us know at this point your at what the alignment is with the feeler blades

the gap does look bigger on the left side of the coupling

What are these marks on the shaft? Did the shaft rub against the log?

Bobby, Give the press a shot at your strut. Like you said, you have nothing to loose. They usually are bent sideways pretty evenly but as Eric mentioned, sometimes they may have a slight twist. Eric goes after the twist with a bar but I've found that by locating the point of pressure from the ram ether fore or aft that it too will remove a twist. I feel that you have more control of the force in the press than with a bar. It will need to be overbent slightly because there is some spring back.

From the looks of the gap between the coupling halves, it sure looks like the PO moved the engine in a half fast alignment attempt after the strut got bent! At least it may have saved the trans from damage. Do check the output shaft like Eric said. Is there any ATF leakage at the output?

Greg, The marks on the shaft are from the log.

Edit: I was thinking backerds this morning. Eric is correct that with the coupling gap on the port side that it may be all in the strut. The PO didn't do a damn thing except run the boat!!

i am going to take the strut and the shaft to school with me today. i am off work so i will have lots of time to mess with that strut. i am going to check the shaft for trueness and also see how deep those groves are. they are not as bad as they look in the pic. i dont have the money for a new shaft..... but i dont have the money to fix the hull when that one snaps either. catch 22. i will report my findings this afternoon.
eric how deep can those groovs be without causing worry? or is any to much? the coupling is solid on the end of the shaft no play. the trans is not leaking. and seems to spin easily. but i dont have anything to compare to.

oh the po did lots more that just drive the boat. he blew it up left it uncovered with the engine box up. put car tires on the tralier and lost more stupid stuff

glad to help baumanmt. LOL
while trying to pull the strut today i noticed some stress cracks. i got some pics and will post them when i can. i think i just need a new strut. where is the best place to get one? also could not get the coupling off the shaft so needless to say i did not get the shaft out of the boat. but those are NOT grooves in the shaft just slight burn from old packing.

8122pbrainard wrote: Not getting the coupling off the shaft may be a good sign that the boat hasn't been run much with the bent strut and the coupling hasn't fretted .

I was thinking the same thing. Bobby, guessing you have the strut off, take a long look at the inside of the cutlas bearing. The wear inside may give some indication of how long its been run like it is. Hang in there...this was my introduction to inboards and I survived! LOL

Greg B-you may want to be careful what you wish/ask for?!!?