Strut Question

Robski97

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2007
1,828
North Bellmore, NY
Boat Info
44DA
Engines
Cummins QSC 8.3's
My strut was unbolted and rotated away from the hull. All the old sealer was removed and the area was cleaned. New Sealer was applied and the strut Rotated back into place. More sealer applied etc. My question was should the shaft be realigned ? The Marina told me no as the shaft wasn't disconnected from the motor. My thoughts are yes because the strut was unbolted and the shaft was just hanging. It didnt occur to me to even ask if the prop was removed until I started typing this..... Lets assume it was . Should I make them check alignment?


Thanx

Rob
 
Depending on the reason for the strut being re-bedded you should be ok without checking for alignment as long as the bolt holes that go thru the hull are a perfect fit for the bolts. By that I mean the bolts fit the holes with out any side to side movement which would cause the strut to move radially and or axially from its original position. I assume you did not strike anything underwater to cause a problem. What happened to your strut?
 
The strut was removed last year as it was damaged by the marina. It was replaced and never leaked. This fall when boat was hauled the bedding had some gaps and didnt look to tight. The marina offered to repair it . So here we are . I havent a clue about the bolt fit. Going to have to ask... thanx for the feedback
 
Good luck, that sounds odd.
Yeah have them double check it all and make sure you don't experience any vibrations.
 
If you haven't had the alignment checked since your initial service check up, then align both sides after the boat is launched and she sits on her own bottom 3-5 days. The boat will be happier and you will know the shafts are aligned.
 
What Frank said. I doubt that they could have placed the strut exactly in the same position. Plus if the alignment is off, not only will you get more vibration, but you may also lose the shaft from flexing.

Best regards,
Frank
 
I too would feel better having them aligned. You know they probably left the prop on and allowed the shaft with the weight of the prop on the end to just hang there. Imagine the torque on the coupling! Not to say that these parts cant take that kinda stress its just not a good idea. The slop in the bolt holes along with thickness of the sealant all play a role in how accurately the shaft is going to mate with the transmission. Better to be safe than sorry.
 
Well... we have an issue!! The marina does not want to check alignment. WTF... ( they are of the opinion they did nothing to compromise the alignment and that it was only just checked in october )

So now i have to go talk to the big boss...

Fun fun... The fact that they caused this whole issue apparently has been forgotten.


Rob
 
Checking alignment is pretty easy and not that time consuming. Fixing it sometimes presents a challenge, but usually nothing too major. Seems like they would want to check alignment rather than have an outside service or surveyor check it???
 
Stupid!............It takes all of 15 minutes to uncouple the shaft, drive it back and slip a feeler gauge in the opening.

As Matt says, getting it aligned can be a pain if the guy doing it isn't experienced. A good guy can do both engines with alignment in about an hour. Not worth waging a war over, but it is worth being sure it gets done due to the poetenital problems a misalignment can cause you in the future.

But, anytime you remove a member of the boat that controls the alignment......i.e. engine, transmission or strut.........the alignment needs to be checked.
 
Their position is that because the engines were aligned in the fall they should be OK. So they should be willing to put in an hour to prove that to be true.
 
Those struts often also have shims under them from the factory. The alignment should always be re-verified after any running gear work like this is done.
Only the tech who removed the original strut would know if there were shims under it or not. (he should know unless they stuck to the old strut and he didn't see them)

Look to see if the shaft is centered in the log (where is enters the hull)(if the boat is cuurently out of the water), then also have the alignment checked while the boat is in the water.

Whose fault? Shared..... You should have it checked periodically anyway. If that side is way off, it is probably the result of an incomplete repair. I would suggest paying for the alignment check on both sides. If the damaged side needs correction, have them cover the re-alignment of that side.
 
Marina is stating its 8 hrs labor to check alignment on both motors.

I told them to do it ... It needs to be done ... well see how it goes...


Does 4 hrs sound out of line ?


Rob
 
To check alingment or to perform alignment....two different things.

Why not call Sea Ray and ask if the manufacturer "Recommends" that alignment be checked if a strut is removed and replaced....that would be interesting to know....
 
Yeah, you could say that 4 hours per engine for checking alignment is out of line!!! Checking the alignment should pay about 1 hour per engine.
 
Yeah, you could say that 4 hours per engine for checking alignment is out of line!!! Checking the alignment should pay about 1 hour per engine.

An hour per engine to check the alignment is reasonable. 8hrs is not. If you need it I can forward the ABYC specs on this. It needs to be done. Don't let them do it until the boat has been floating for a minimum of 24hrs. The longer the better after winter lay up. Frank suggested 3-5 days. I'd set this as the end of the window.
 

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