1982 Marine Trader Europe drive shaft

[drinkenbuddie]

Ok this might not be known but got to try. My Marine Trader 1982 Europe was taking on water and I couldn't find where. I added lots of bright LEDs down in the engine room and found it. Was seaping right up through the glass under the shower pan. So it's right over the packing gland. This just what I'm thinking. Have it out on the hard to figure it out. Just have to get a Propeller puller and I'll have the shaft out of there. Checked the bottom no cracks. Is there a tube that runs from the cutlass to the packing? Maybe that broke in the keal. Two bolts fell or rusted off the plate that bolts to the bottom of the boat. I busted the other two easily I might add. I have lots of pictures. Need to fix this. I was going to epoxy the floor but that's not the problem. Think the tube that runs from the back to the packing might have broke. Who knows?.....

 

[Capt Jack]

I would suspect the weak/broken bolts could be at least some of the problem. I just had my boat on the hard and had small leaks around swim platform bolts. All of them were either seriously corroded or snapped when I put a wrench on them. Rebedded new stainless bolts and leak solved. You might get lucky too

John

 

[drinkenbuddie]

So is there a pipe in there that the shaft spins in and needs to keep water tight?

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Once I pull the Propeller off and the shaft is out maybe I can use one of those small cameras to see.

 

[jacquesm]

In most cases, there is shaft tube.
It's a fiberglass tube that goes from the cutlass bearing to the packing gland, sticks out a little bit each side. When building the boat, that tube is aligned then heavily fiberglassed around at least at each end. With a single engine, sometimes, glass and resin is poured all around the tube.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Mine looks metal but I'll look when I pull the shaft. So it's supposed to keep the water in the tube and not in the keel. I think water was coming up into the keel too. So maybe I have to cut it open and fix the fiberglass tube?

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. db. I think some shaft tubes were indeed metal. A possible fix may be to source a fiberglass tube with the OD very slightly smaller than the ID of your metal tube and glue the fiberglass tube into the potentially leaking metal tube IF you have the shaft clearance. A new "liner" as it were...

 

[drinkenbuddie]

That sucks. So I have to fix my tube.

 

[motion30]

Mine was brass and had pin holes. Had a new one machined. All good

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Do you have a marine trader? So you took the inter plate off and took off the rudder to remove the whole assembly ?

 

[motion30]

Yes marine trader
There was a hole in the rudder that allowed the prop shaft to pass through. Remove the bolts and unscrew the Cutlass bearing carrier off the keel and then unscrew the sten tube which is threaded into the fixture the held the shaft packing

 

[FF]

"With a single engine, sometimes, glass and resin is poured all around the tube."

Some simply filled the space with concrete.

 

[motion30]

Yes the one I had was filler with grey stones and resin

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Yes the one I had was filler with grey stones and resin

Yes mine is full of grey stones too. Don't think much resin though. Lots of oil in there too. Guess it's just like yours. To get that tube out you have to pull the rudder? To big around to fit through the hole in the rudder. Just trying to find out as much as I can. I have pictures but don't know if I can post them. Might help someone later on.

 

[motion30]

I never pulled the rudder. I forget if the tube came out from the inside or out. It was not very long. 40 inches maybe

 

[alormaria]

Don't fear pulling the rudder. It's not that hard. Take lots of pictures of the quadrant and steering gear. Remembering how to put it together can be tough. The pictures make it all clear.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Mine has hydraulic steering so not to tough.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Think there's a rotted hole in my tube so yes the rudder has to come off. You can look in the end and see where the water is coming out of not to much up from the rudder end.

 

[yo]

Hey DB have you seen the shaft log (tube) yet? Is it metal or fiber glass? I've seen both worked on.

mike

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Metal. And looks to be leaking not far from the rudder end. Can see the water coming in.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

metal. And looks to be leaking not far from the rudder end. Can see the water coming in.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Tube must have rotted out. I will let everyone fallow this. I'll have to take the tube out. Looks to be screwed to the ends.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Pull the rudder to get the tube out.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Pull the rudder to get the tube out.

Well haven't done it yet. Got a pipe camera to check it out. Can't believe that others trawlers don't have water in there keel. Crazy thing and what a pain.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Almost feel like filling it up with epoxy?

 

[Xsbank]

If that tube rotted out and the bolts fell off, make sure you are properly bonded, anodes in good shape etc. Any sign of 'pink' in your wheel or rudder? The repair looks straightforward as far as I can see from the photos - pull the tube and fill the bolt holes with something, build a replacement tube and put a larger plate on the inside; redrill the holes. Make sure your fab shop adds a bonding lug. Or use a fibreglass tube and glass it to the hull. The pipe doesn't support the shaft so I would do fibreglass.

 

[chriscritchett]

Or use a fibreglass tube and glass it to the hull. The pipe doesn't support the shaft so I would do fibreglass.

I second this. Any new FRP (fiberglass) boat would use an FRP shaft tube. They likely used metal back then because FRP tube wasn't so readily available, nor the glues as trustworthy.

Just make sure to get a tube with inner & outer dimensions that will accept a new cutless bearing on the aft end and shaft seal (packing gland) hose on the inner end. Machining is not a big deal if the dimensions aren't available, but obviously easier all around if things fit right out of the box.

Best of luck, this sounds like a pain but it's certainly do-able.

 

[Xsbank]

Metal or bronze will outlast you too, the last one lasted 30(?) years. My preference is fibreglass.

 

[drinkenbuddie]

Metal or bronze will outlast you too, the last one lasted 30(?) years. My preference is fibreglass.

What I was thinking. Not pull it out of there and filling the keel up with epoxy. Then water can't get in there again. I was even thinking instead of breaking the keel bolts off a drilling them and installing new ones. Cutting the floor open that way you could epoxy the top and cut the tube and sleeve it so I didn't have to break the keel bolts to get the shaft log out. Is it just filled up down there with rocks and hollow and are the rocks going to fill in when I pull out the shaft log?

 

[drinkenbuddie]

What I was thinking. Not pull it out of there and filling the keel up with epoxy. Then water can't get in there again. I was even thinking instead of breaking the keel bolts off a drilling them and installing new ones. Cutting the floor open that way you could epoxy the top and cut the tube and sleeve it so I didn't have to break the keel bolts to get the shaft log out. Is it just filled up down there with rocks and hollow and are the rocks going to fill in when I pull out the shaft log?

I'm glassing up the decks from the leaking teak. Been raining every day and the teak decks were leaking and adding water in the bilge. That's not happening now and it's drying up. I hope.