YeOldeStonecat
Active Member
- Jun 10, 2018
- 332
- Boat Info
- '97 300 DA "Me-Shell"
- Engines
- Twin 5.7 V-Drive
So going into our first winter with current boat ('97 300da with pair-o-5.7 V-Drives)...
*Rudder system. I've yet to find anything for maintenance in the rudders, such as zircon fittings for grease. Next time I have the engine bilge open I'll hang upside down from my toes and really try to get down there. My system is not power assisted...so you do have to be a gorilla to turn while up on plane. I expect the steering to be stiff without power assist, but jeeeze. So...aside from lubricating to help loosen things up, I'm sure some regular maint of the hardware way down there in the back of the bilge is smart. Esp on a 21 year old boat. Most of that hardware looks to be bronze...cuz of that heavy green patina on it. Are there zircs around the back? Recommend any spray to hit it with to help against all that green coating? Hoping to also find some area to lube up under the helm, under the wheel.
*Shaft seals through the hull. I recall during inspection when we bought the boat this past June, the surveyor said they were "dripless..and looked good. Similar question to the rudders...is there a grease fitting on those?
*I plan on having the props "tuned/balanced". When the boat was hauled for inspection, I noticed 1x blade on the port prop was ever so slightly bumped on the leading edge, no harsh marks, but enough of a slide alteration in the curve to notice it. Likely from a soft hit..perhaps a log (since the boat spend much of it's life on the Connecticut river..lots of log debris floating down the river). Looked like standard triple blade props for an inboard. I've heard "Hale" is the place to go around where the boat is (She's in Deep River, Hale is in Old Saybrook I think). If anyone "local" has other recommendations, I'd appreciate them. Has someone had a recent prop tuning done where they can post the approx cost?
*Rudder system. I've yet to find anything for maintenance in the rudders, such as zircon fittings for grease. Next time I have the engine bilge open I'll hang upside down from my toes and really try to get down there. My system is not power assisted...so you do have to be a gorilla to turn while up on plane. I expect the steering to be stiff without power assist, but jeeeze. So...aside from lubricating to help loosen things up, I'm sure some regular maint of the hardware way down there in the back of the bilge is smart. Esp on a 21 year old boat. Most of that hardware looks to be bronze...cuz of that heavy green patina on it. Are there zircs around the back? Recommend any spray to hit it with to help against all that green coating? Hoping to also find some area to lube up under the helm, under the wheel.
*Shaft seals through the hull. I recall during inspection when we bought the boat this past June, the surveyor said they were "dripless..and looked good. Similar question to the rudders...is there a grease fitting on those?
*I plan on having the props "tuned/balanced". When the boat was hauled for inspection, I noticed 1x blade on the port prop was ever so slightly bumped on the leading edge, no harsh marks, but enough of a slide alteration in the curve to notice it. Likely from a soft hit..perhaps a log (since the boat spend much of it's life on the Connecticut river..lots of log debris floating down the river). Looked like standard triple blade props for an inboard. I've heard "Hale" is the place to go around where the boat is (She's in Deep River, Hale is in Old Saybrook I think). If anyone "local" has other recommendations, I'd appreciate them. Has someone had a recent prop tuning done where they can post the approx cost?
