Deadwood fairing

Has anyone with a Willard 30 done anything to modify the deadwood area immediately ahead of the prop?** I am doing some hull work and am considering sculpting away some of the deadwood to give a little better water flow to the prop.* Wondering if anyone has done this and any reason why I should not.* The hull is pretty "blocky" back there and it must be hurting prop(er) performance.*

I guess the question is, does anyone know what is behind that section, is it solid?* Hollow?* Full of flaky iron and cement?

PPPPPP** Prior Planning.....

-- Edited by Capt Dan on Wednesday 14th of October 2009 01:13:52 PM

Dan,

I've run out of time tonight but basicly full of concrete and steel punchings mostly about 3/16s in in size. Mostly concrete. More to follow

Eric Henning

Eric:

Check your private messages

Walt

Dan,
I really wanted to do something about my Nomad but I needed to get the boat home to Alaska. The drag is bad enough I'm sure but even worse (probably) is the turbulence and infeed for the propeller. I think the best solution would be to go twin screw w the propellers tucked in close to the keel then one could add a very nice trailing edge to the keel. I would not recommend cutting away at the existing keel to fair it in. Our stern tube was leaking causing the concrete to get wet w sea water. The rusting and corrosion caused the ballast to expand shoving my lazerette bulkhead fwd about an inch. We had to jack hammer it all out ect ect. NOT good. I'd say just do as I have done and forget it. My boat is quite smooth so I don't think there is much to be gained there and we burn a gallon an hour running fairly hard so it's hard to justify for less fuel burn so what really is there to be gained. I suspect a wide blade propeller will be smoother in the turbulence. Whats your reaction to all of this.

Eric Henning

Thanks Eric,

Just about as I suspected.*

I am concerned about the iron ballast and its expansion.** There have been a lot of problems with this hull and that is surely to rear its ugly head sooner or later.* And I am sure there has been salt water most places.*

This boat I have has a new shaft and new inner shaft bearings including cutlass.* I can see some lower bulkheads that have been torn away by inner pressures caused by the ballast no doubt.

I guess the best plan would be to attack the area at some point and get the ballast out and replace with lead.* I have the boat in a shop right now and wonder if this might be the time to at least go after one area.* That would give me an idea of what I am up against in the future.

I have chipped away some of the ballast under the galley table, at least what I can reach.* First I swept up all I could, then went at it with a hammer and screw driver, chipping away.* I have a hole where the galley table stand is, and two ahead of that bearing floor timber.* Not much room to work.* I think by cutting a hatch out of the sole, I could get all the ballast from that section.

As for the shaft tube area, that can probably be attacked by once again cutting a hatch in the lazzarette area under the cockpit.* At least the part above the shaft.

Are you sure there is ballast below the shaft?

And when the engine comes out in the future I will attack that area.

Thanks for the help.

Dan



-- Edited by Capt Dan on Friday 16th of October 2009 02:03:41 PM

Dan,

You haven't mentioned WBO** ..* Willard Boat Owners. It's on Yahoo groups. There's over 10000 messages over a period of almost 10 years. They have talked about EVERYTHING** ..* and most things several times. Just go on Yahoo Groups and follow the directions and ask to join. They are more technical and less fun than TF but the information on the message board is extensive and comprehensive. Let me know when you get to thoughts about engines. I've been through the repowering and decision making.

Eric Henning

Thanks again Eric,

I will try WBO

As for engines, I had been leaning toward a Kubota block base but just learned that thru the company I work for, I may be able to get a Yanmar at Dealer cost.

My first thought would be to look at the smallest 4 cylinder they make.

Dan

Dan,

It's too big and powerful. 4JH** ..* 55hp. 3JH is 40hp. About right but (believe it or not) still more than we need. The smallest 4cyl that I know of is a 33hp Klassen. It's a Mitsubishi engine. I have the 37hp version of that block. You can get the same engines marineized by Vetus. I like the steel manifold on the Klassen myself. I actually think the 3GM30 (27hp) would provide enough power and they have a bullet proof reputation. I was going to get the 3JH but I had a 3cyl in my last boat and wanted a 4. The standard Willard has a Perkins rated at 36hp but they over proped them (250 rpm down) where they only produced 32 or 33hp. In over 10000 posts on the WBO no one has ever complained about having too little power. That and w a 37hp engine in my own boat (seeing that it is a bit more than I need) convinces me that 30hp is probably all that is needed. The GM30 would probably work fine too. One would just go a tad bit slower. It's amazing how little one slows down when reducing throttle. You could get a Klassen for the wholesale cost of a Yanmar. Choices choices. More later.

Eric Henning

Eric,

I finally got around to doing some serious chipping and removal of concrete and punchings.* I have excavated over 500 pounds worth under my lower galley sole area and another 200 from the lazzarette.* i had to cut some access holes in the sole but they will be easily covered.* I got down as far as the shaft tube in the laz and have gone no further there.* I have gotten down to very sound concrete and the tube looks fine.* I will put lead in there loose for this year as needed for trim.

As for the lower area just ahead of the stuffing box, where I removed the 500 pounds I am still a work in progress.* I am down to very solid stuff but at this point I need to make a choice.*

I can go for it all but it is getting increasingly hard to reach.* If I do get it all out, I may clean up the area, coat with epoxy then pour new cement in over lead pigs. So far the inside of the hull looks very good, save for the areas where the bulkheads have been pushed around as in your boat. I have only seen an issue of that at the very top of the bulkheads, so it does not seem too serious.** The most dangerous would be the two floors that hold the shaft bearings, but I have stabilized each of them, and re-mounted them as well when I removed the shaft to install a PSS dripless stuffing box relacement.

If I don't go for it all the cement I will try and dry it out as much as possible, then pour system three git rot epoxy in between the cement and hull to try and fill any voids there are down in the unseen, and seal up any exposed punchings.* As I said, it looks real good down there. I would then pour new cement on to of the old and embed lead pigs in that, trying to match the amount of weight that I removed.* I think that would last pretty well and not have the problems associated with the steel punchings and their eventual expansion.* And the top of the cement could probably at least several inches lower due to the higher weight per volume of the lead.* In the end I would have my ballast a bit lower in the bilge which would please me.

Another year I will go after the aft section and cut into the hull below the shaft tube just to make sure there are no issues there.* At that point I will give serious thot to trimming up the fat deadwood to give the prop a little cleaner entry.* But so far I have seen no obvious problems, like cracking or water damage.* And I have gotten real good looks at both ends of the tube.* So far so good.

Dan in Maine