Sun Odyssey Stern Tube

[wolfram]

Hi All,



So...



Thursday our Sun Odyssey 37 is getting lifted for her first annual winter overhaul in our ownership.



We've got a long job list and two weeks to complete so pressure is on to get through it.



The most pressing concern for myself other than the bottom paint is to investigate the source of a historic leak by the stern tube.



I'm familiar with the set up on the boat and happy stripping it out and replacing whats necessary, however I wanted clarification on the factory install on this particular model.



The leak appears to have come from the aft end of the Volvo seal or the stern tube itself, however, I'cant see whats going on due to an ungodly amount of sealant/putty surrounding the tube...

Both bolts are caked in the stuff and I wanted to know if anyone else has this much applied or if it is a bodge that was used to stem the leak previously.

Image below shows the putty at the base of the Volvo seal.



We've had every thru-hull replaced on the boat and sailed her the length of the UK to return her home after purchase, she didn't skip a beat and took everything in her stride. I am however hyper paranoid about all below the waterline fixtures as we have a very young family of 4 kids sailing with us so am doing as much as I can to mitigate all water ingress risk.

Any and all advice appreciated.

Ta

AC

[capnbrian]

I inspect and lubricate the shaft seal annually and I do not recall seeing any type of putty/sealant like you have pictured.  Don’t believe this was original.  I have no evidence of any leakage from the seal.  

Good luck!

[Charlie-Bravo]

When I launched after purchase, and having had replaced all under water seacocks , hull anode and bolts, and dripless seal,  I went below and discovered a small weep from the stern tube and got lifted back out without escaping the slings.
Pressure really on , as crew were coming to help with the delivery the next day, and the Swanwick yard didn't have any room for me .... so quick thinking and examination from the outside was called for.
My stern tube is inserted from the outside of the boat, a 2 bolt flange was visible, the bolt ends inside the boat looked glassed in, perhaps the 37 is the same as the 35.
No time for tube removal ( not always a quick task ) other fixes were considered.

Reasoning that any repair inside the boat would be subject to water pressure from the outside once afloat and probably fail, I borrowed some Sikaflex , made a good job of drying and cleaning the area outside, and put a good fillet of Sikaflex around the flange and bolt heads, and begged to be left in the slings whilst it set, 
Got lucky, the crane wasn't needed for 6 hours, and on relaunch all seemed well, and now two years on , still holding well with not even a trickle, a bit of a half measure repair on my part perhaps, and given more time and a cradle ,might have pulled it out for a better job .
I have not re done done it yet, and probably won't touch until it gets leaky.

Yours looks like someone tried to seal the leak from inside, it might have slowed the leak for a bit, but water pressure will defeat most efforts. 
I don't think there is a large chance of a sudden gush from this area, it is a well supported tube , bolted through, it has just lost its seal gasket from under the outer flange most likely , but all weeps do irritate and are best sorted out.

Hope you develop a dry dusty bilge.
CB

[mholguin]

Hi guys!

We have the very same situation as Wolfram, only difference our grounding cable got disconnected. 

We even have that soft caulking around the flange. Do you think it is worth stripping? Leakage is minimal at most, but the boat is due to come out this week. Our engine is a Yanmar (original, but not quite sure of the model) with a stock transmission (almost certain it is a KM2P). 

Does anyone with access to the Jeanneau store (Still trying to get in touch with Jeanneau's local rep) can thow me a diagram of parts in that area?

Thanks in advanced,

Marino

[mholguin]

FWIW,  current model number for the Volvo Shaft Seal is 828254.

Marino