Stern tube damage

[camroll]

Micheal, if you are so inclined I have a fiberglass tube that is 1 1/2" ID , 2" OD and a foot long that I'd be willing to give to you for the cost of shipping it. I don't know if this is something you feel capable of doing or if it is even an appropriate size for that boat. PM me if you want it.
Russ

[Sea Hunt Video]

I have been asked to be John's broker in any offers made to purchase S/V Far Reach. My commission is a modest and reasonable 15%. Offers should be sincere and north of $800,000. As well documented by her current caretaker, he has invested hundreds upon hundreds of hours elevating S/V Far Reach to a true classic Cape Dory 36 with understated yet classic upgrades. John is reluctant to part with the second love of his life (Gayle is his first love) but at the right price (well north of $800,000) I believe he can be persuaded to drag himself away from Far Reach.

[Mike Thompson]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm having the shaft tube replaced right now and I'll write
about id when it's done.

[S/V Ethan Grey]

JD-MDR, jbenagh or Mike Thompson, do you have any more photos of your shaft log replacement? Unfortunately I am in the same predicament and need to get mine repaired. You can email or PM me, or post them here. I’m open on any recommendations, or useful advice on this.

Also, should anyone have any recommendations on whether to replace with fiberglass, bronze, carbon fiber, or ???

Thanks.

[JD-MDR]

Hi David. Everything I have is posted on the thread "Stern tube damage" Unfortunately I wasn't there in San Francisco to watch them. I just had to trust them. First they tried to repair it without taking out the engine. I told them I didn't think so. But they were confident.. They had to redo it with the engine out. I assumed they replaced the FRP tube . I see on the invoice it says repaired..I'm checking on the materials list to see if they bought a new tube. I hope so.
I found it .Yes they replaced the 2" fiberglass tube. I just notice the two knee braces. to support the extended tube. They put a longer tube in so I can access the stuffing box.

[jbenagh]

David,
here's what I have. I didn't get a lot of pictures, sorry.

Here's what it looked like after they pulled the engine and removed all the engine compartment accessories and (I think) cut the tube back:


Here's the after picture:


They added the left-right support to eliminate the long, unsupported tube. Note that they did not leave enough space on the tube to use two clamps although they did put two on but one was just on the hose; this has led to a persistent small drip here that I finally diagnosed last summer and need to fix by cutting into the brace and sanding the tube to get it round again, ugh.
Good luck!
Jeff

[S/V Ethan Grey]

Thanks guys. Do you know if they removed the goop back there and filled the void with fiberglass or just glassed over the goop?

From what I can tell, there is the transom, then a void which is filled with some kind of goop, and then there should be another layer of fiberglass. This inner layer of fiberglass has completely deteriorated around my shaft log to where you can see the goop. What’s weird is that the boat leaks terribly during and right after motoring, but then slowly leaks less and less and within a few days it slows to a steady drip. It never fully quits leaking so I have to constantly pump it out every few days. What doesn’t make sense to me is why the rate of leaking slows over time. Only thing I can think is that since the goop is somewhat viscous, maybe the vibration in the shaft log from the rotation of the propeller opens up space between the log and the goop but over time, the viscous nature of the goop helps reseal it somewhat. Total speculation. I guess I’ll find out soon enough as the boat gets hauled in the next day or two, along with my wallet.
-david

[jbenagh]

David,
on Christine C it was definitely the shaft tube that cracked inside the boat. I forgot to mention that I did a very thorough grinding and reglassing around the exterior of the prop shaft because it looked cracked but it didn't slow the leak (I paid to have a 2nd launch attempt):

Unfortunately there is no way to get in there to inspect it until the engine comes out. We tried mirrors and cameras but there's a lot going on in there. Once they pulled the engine we probed with a blade and some picks and found the crack in the tube. They were worried enough about the "mash" of stuff around the tube that they filled and glassed over that too.
Jeff