Broken Shaft

[db114]

My port side shaft broke this weekend right after the strut. I was cruising along with no vibration and I pulled into a cove to pick up my mooring. Once my wife grabbed the pickup stick I touch both engines in reverse to back off the mooring. I shut the boat down and relaxed a few hours. I started the boat to leave and when I put the port engine in gear there was no thrust. I opened the engine hatch a saw the shaft turning. I shut the engine down and jumped in the water and sure enough no prop and the shaft was broken. I never hit anything. I searched the site and have seen issues with broken shafts in 32/34's but nothing around 40 feet with diesels. Anyone have any insight on this?

 

[fwebster]

First, hire a diver to retrieve your prop from underneath the boat.

Broken shafts have and do occur, but very infrequently in this sized boat with diesels. When you get the shaft out, if you look at it you will probably see where the broker cross section has a clear line across indicating that at some point in the past, the shaft partially broke, then you finished it off t his weekend with the reverse thrust maneuver. Who knows how or when the shaft initially failed, but in all likelyhood, the prop hit something or the engine is significantly out of alignment....... but this is unlikely because if it were out enough to cause the shaft to whip it would feel like a paint shaker and you would have known it.

Now, before you try to built a case for a claim against Sea Ray or Cummins-Mercruiser, understand that the metalurgical and engineering analysis to prove such a claim will cost more than a shaft. Just have someone locally build a replacement shaft to Sea Ray specs. Don't try to order one from a Sea Ray dealer. The Sea Ray shaft will have to be made and shipped to you via truck....cost about $1900+$250 for crating+ $250 for freight. A local machine shop can reproduce the shaft for roughly 1/2 that or less. That plus a haulout and a couple of hours labor and you are boating again...if you can get your prop back.

Good luck with it..............

 

[mistercomputerman]

Frank has very accurately described the process. Been there, done that.

 

[trit21]

I know of 2 different 40' boats that had the shafts break with no know impact and under normal circumstances. One of the actually was while in the Bahamas and the owner was able to get SeaRay to deeply discount a new larger boat as the damage to the boat was fairly severe. I remember someplace (thought it was this site but maybe not) that there was a know problem with shaft acumet hardness on the 40' with diesels. Again, 2 of my friends both broke shafts in the 40', one with diesel and one with gas 8.1's.