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Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on the photo and the issues below. My Mk 1 is on the slip being antifouled.

If you look closely at the prop blade on the right it has a few mm's missing, possibly from when I snagged a mooring rope last year. There is also some play in the propellor shaft, about 3-4 mm (i.e. the prop shaft can be lifted about 3-4mm).

I would appreciate the thoughts of anyone about; 1/ Whether the amount of prop damage is significant and needs to be addressed now or whether the slight imbalance will simply cause some vibration and 2/ Whether the amount of play in the prop shaft is normal for this type of boat or if it may indicate a failed bearing?

Also, I asked the guys at the marina I am at to re-pack the stern gland while it is out of the water. I am told that to do this the entire engine must be removed from the engine blocks and brought into the cabin as the access is too limited and would be about a days labour. The access is tight, but this seems pretty extreme to me!

Thanks in advance...

Hi Bruce

I did Egret II stern tube myself, and yes you have to move the engine forward for the reasons you mentioned .
Looking at your prop from the photo and being a Mk 1 I would have a good guess it's a Porter prop.Personally, if it was me I would take the prop off take it to Porters at Parramatta and let them advise you. My original 2 bladed prop (Porter)had damage and chips in it and shook the living daylights out of Egret II and anybody in her. Porters trimmed it and cleaned it up and adjusted the pitch etc but ,I changed to a 3 bladed prop to help stop the cavitation. They would have the stern tube material you only need about 100mm for the job .I would guess the stern tube has worn uneven too? and that will need replacing other wise repacking the gland will be useless.

Removing the prop you will have to move the engine forward also, but don't unbolt it until you do the following.Remove the split pin then the nut .(this is how I did it ) from the tail shaft .I had to get the primus burner out and heat the prop to get it to let go .Tip: cut 2 x2 timber folding wedges and place them between the back of the prop and the back of the keel and tap (hit smash ,bash) gently on the folding wedges til the prop lets go .Then you can move your engine .

Hope this helps and didn't scare you.

Cheers Bear

Bruce, I don't have personal experience with Top Hat props, but I do with inboard ski boat props.

Whilst the diesel won't spin as fast, the principles are the same. The small variation in weight with the prop damage will cause a small amount of vibration. This may not be evident in the cockpit, or even at the engine, but it will be causing damage to the stern gland and could be the reason there is a slight amount of lift in the shaft.

Do as Bear suggests and get the prop sorted before you put her back in. It may be expensive now, but still cheaper than hauling out again if you strike a problem later.

Cheers,
Michael.

Thanks Bear & Michael.

Unfortunately I have not found the marina I slipped the boat at very helpful. Everytime I asked them to do something to the boat it was all too hard and I was warned off with hype about costs getting out of hand (pretend it doesn't exist and put it back in the water!). With my boat surrounded by million dollar+ power cruisers, maybe they didn't want to work on something old and small. They didn't even want to get into removing a handful of blisters on the hull for fear of what they might find underneath and what it might cost me (aren't they in business to make money?) Weird.

As I result and with the boat only being out for a short time, my work commitments etc, I decided to cut my losses, look for another business interested in my money and put the boat back into the water anti-fouled, but with the prop as is, the stern gland still needing repacking/replacing and some blisters needing grinding/filling etc. Not very satisfactory is an understatement. Would appreciate any recommendations on who does this type of maintenance in the Pittwater/Hawksbury area well.

Cheers,

Bruce

Hello Hatters
Bruce , Mk1 Top Hats are a million bucks ! Always remember original is the best and Mk1's are the prettiest of them all


BEAR

Well I must admit, despite the hassles, I won't be putting an outboard on it anytime soon