Shaft Replacement

[Hydrospud]

Looking for an estimate on a complete prop, shaft, and bearing replacement for a Mainship 400 single engine.
Looking to purchase a boat that failed the second sea trial due to excessive wobbling/vibration. My thought is, find our own mechanic and have it done right!

 

[mvweebles]

I just replaced a 10-foot 1-1/2" shaft. $1800 including shipping. I can't speak to labor as I'm having a bunch of other work being done. By the time your done with new stuffing box (might as well), cutless (around $350 plus install), prop speed, etc. You're probably close to $4k-$5k. I have no idea how much props are.

You do want to track down why you need a new shaft and why its wobbling. There are a lot of reasons for that, some are labor intensive to repair such as strut out of alignment.

Good luck.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

It could be a can of worms, there isn’t really any way to make an intelligent estimate of the cost because the problem could be many different things. The cost of the actual repair may not be the big expense, the big expense may be troubleshooting it and figuring out what the actual problem is. It could be a few thousand dollars to troubleshoot it or it be tens of thousands of dollars depending on how difficult the problem is to find. It may involve trying something and then doing a sea trial multiple times. Sorry to say this but I would make the seller fix it before buying. Whoever does a sea trail will discover the problem so eventually the seller will likely have to fix it sooner or later.

 

[mvweebles]

Sorry to say this but I would make the seller fix it before buying. Whoever does a sea trail will discover the problem so eventually the seller will likely have to fix it sooner or later.

I agree with Comodave. On this one, I'd have it repaired versus a survey credit. The "why" is key on this one. Running gear has a near infinite lifespan if protected from grounding/strikes and corrosion; and serviced regularly.

Peter

 

[Juliet 15]

+1.
If there was a strike hard enough to damage the prop and shaft its possible the coupling, transmission flange were bent, or even the transmission could have been damaged. Have you had a transmission oil sample done? Hopefully he has a history of samples to compare it to.

 

[Comodave]

My concern would be narrowing down the problem. It could be a bent strut, bent shaft, prop out of balance, engine mounts, shaft coupler, shaft or prop key or other things. It may be very expensive to find out.

 

[mike66]

Been trying to find a hull photo. Does the boat have a strut or does the shaft exit the keel? Narrows down the possibilities. Seems like a propscan along with making sure the shaft is in spec and properly fit to the prop and coupler should cover it. Engine/tran alignment to coupler and you're done. Why the doom and gloom? 20k max not doing anything yourself. If the output flange of the transmission dials out of spec, then that needs to be addressed, but also an opportunity for a rebuild. I have an 86 Albin 40 by the way. Lots of stuff not perfect but we love our time on the water. The perfectionists would have had me broke by now, or never buying the boat in the first place.