Bent propshaft support

[davidknell]

Hi all -

Some advice if I may. We've an SO43DS with an out-of-alignment propellor shaft - the thing which drops out of the hull just forward of the propellor and carries a bearing through which the shaft goes is bent maybe half an inch to port. It's called the "shaft seat" in the owner's manual. As a result, the shaft's been rubbing lightly on one one side of the hole where it comes out through the hull; there's no sign of any leakage round the stern gland. I'm not yet sure if the shaft's still true.

I'm tempted to nudge it gently back into line with the aid of a lump hammer and, possibly, a blowtorch to try to stop it work-hardening. It appears to be bronze, and so shouldn't offer too much resistance.

Any and all comments or advice, as usual, much appreciated.

--Dave

[MalcolmP]

Dave

I am presuming you are talking about the P bracket - take a look at following:

www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/Pbracketrepair.html

If this is 1/2 inch out then your prop can't be in alignment and I would expect some serious vibration issues when under way

I really don't think a hammer with or without heating is a good idea and is only likely to cause more problems

Has the boat been used by others? maybe a rope has been snagged?

[davidknell]

There certainly was a rope snagged last year; it's noteworthy that this happened some hundreds of miles from home, quite a lot of which was motored. There wasn't any noticeable change in vibration after the incident (and I was looking out for it) and she spent several of the following months in the water with no apparent leakage.

So I guess I'm luckier than the other chap - but I'll get my screwdriver out and take the rear cabin apart to get down to the hull to see if there's anything apparent there.

Thanks for the pointer - very much appreciated.

--Dave

[Amun Ra]

Dave,

PM sent. Your situation sounds very familiar! I motored X channel and did all sorts for 6 months before discovering the source of leak. I was lucky that my prop shaft was definitely not bent - it was the application of torque that was opening the seal where the P bracket entered the hull which gave me a water ingress. It's an insidious failure, because had the sealant given up I would have had a permanent leak and quite a substantial one at that. There was quite a gathering in the boatyard when the chap doing the work discovered that!!

Best wishes

Julian