Just Like New Again
We recently finished the 110′ Intermarine major overhaul with great success. Shafts were removed and the Duramax seal systems were replaced (after over 10,000 hours of use). This was a very tricky job – this is a v-drive configuration and the seals were located directly under the big Cat engines. Fortunately we have a member of our professional team that can work for hours on his stomach in very small spaces.
Heading In and Heading North
This post is actually a bit delayed so we can also report that the crew made a delivery run from Fort Lauderdale to Charleston in 10-12′ seas the whole way (no break in the last week with the low’s and fronts coming across the State).
Transmission Flange Shattered Due to Vibration
Yesterday we had a Leopard 43 Catamaran come into the yard. The owner mentioned his port side had been vibrating for the last 18 months….but it suddenly stopped (tongue in cheek). A quick check in the engine room revealed the bad news – the transmission coupler on his small Yanmar engine was shattered into pieces along with damage to the transmission seal. Further investigation into the components showed a bent prop blade and a misalignment.
It is hard to say what started the sequence of events (the vibration was there prior to the propeller event). Vibrations are a warning sign that components are not working together. Unusual side loads or rotational loads are forced onto bearings, seals & transmissions and, with time, something is going to give way.
Have a qualified running gear specialist look into any small vibration that you feel. Sometimes a small adjustment can save a lot down the road and give you a more comfortable ride.
Cutlass bearings come in a variety of sizes to fit different shafts and bores. However, sometimes we come across an odd requirement. We are involved with updating a Custom Steel Boat that has a Hundested adjust pitch propeller system. The system uses a 100mm OD hollow propeller shaft but the boat had a 5.25 inch bore in the exit tube. Furthermore, the bore was only 8 inches deep and the Hundested rep wanted a full 12 inch bearing. The exit tube stepped down to a bore of about 5 inches deeper in the shaft log.
The problem: Metric 100mm Cutlass bearings do not have an OD for 5.25 inches and we needed to account for the
Custom Cutlass Bearing in Lathe
change in bore to get a full 12″ bearing installed.
The solution: We used a 100mm x 125mm non-metalic bearing. The bearing was wrapped in multiple layers of fiberglass and turned down in our machine shop lathe. The machinist was able to turn the bearing with one bore for 8″ and a step to allow the extra 4″. A nice snug fit installed with epoxy and set screws was the answer.
In two weeks we will assemble the Hundested (which can be a bit of a puzzle) so stay tuned for more info.
During the course of a conversation with a new client we were talking about the benefits of an optical scope alignment when the shafts are removed. The client had heard, as many have, that the best alignments must be made in-the-water. We hear this argument (in vs. out of the water) often and appears to be a chicken-and-egg discussion that creates a lot of confusion.
Based on the discussion I added a new technical article to help others in the future sort through this process.
Port Side Worn Beyond Spec
- Completely shot Thordon – as ugly as it gets
You never know what you will find when you take a boat apart. This boat had Thordon bearings just behind the Duramax seals. There was some suspicion that the bearing went without water cooling a few years ago. The stainless shaft was hot blue in the bearing area. Sure enough the bearing is completely shot. This is all that is left on the “dry” side. The other side is worn beyond spec and needs to be replaced but still has its basic shape – quite a difference. Thordon’s are highly reliable and long-lived, but they need water cooling and a good alignment to do their job.
Sometimes you need to get low
This little Pearson 38 came to us with a growling Aquadrive thrust bearing, after very low hours of use. The problem – the alignment between the shaft coupler and thrust bearing missed by almost 1/2 an inch. Ray put his touch on the optical scope and, with major modifications to the bearing mounts, got the alignment within 0.005. We rebuilt the bearing and she will run smooth and trouble free for many years.
On the hard at Lauderdale Marine Center
This is a well traveled boat that came in for major servicing. She crosses the Atlantic frequently on her own bottom.
Quite a project that started last week with welding a leaking rudder to pulling the props and shafts. Thordon bearings, Duramax seals, Spurs cutters, straighten shafts – all within 2 weeks.
Click to watch the video of a day at High Seas Yacht Service.
Click to watch Marine Industries Association of South Florida video featuring Salty Jobs at High Seas Services.