Has anyone had this happen to their boat? If so, what did you do to repair it? Sorry for not attaching the picture the first one I tried was too large
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1989 Beneteau 35S5 Skeg dropped down on
- Thread starter KGarvey
- Start date
If this is the boat: FIRST 35S5 (BENETEAU) - sailboatdata it would seem that the skeg is essentially a short (perhaps 8" high at the rudderpost?) and quite solid extension of the keel between the keel and the rudderpost. It would be hard to image how it could separate from the hull and "drop down". Please post a photo of what you are describing.
Pictured is the bronze casting that hold the cutlass bearing, which supports the shaft. That is not a "skeg".
Alarming image , and a somewhat rare "failure point" in my personal experience.
The picture shows that the fitting has somehow come loose from the glass work inside the boat. And will lower the shaft enough to likely abraid the shaft alley. The alignment of the engine will be off, now, also.
IMHO, that casting originally had 2 or 3 cross pins thru it and the whole part was seated in poly resin mush and cloth on the inside, after the strut was centered in the shaft alley.
I would first get well acquainted with the bilge immediately above the "Shaft Strut" and determine what came loose. There may be a raised "lump" of glass resin over the top of the strut, very roughly a foot by a foot and a half. Exploratory Grinding into the lump will require Time, Money, and (reasonable) Skill and... "any two will do."
That's one mantra of amateur boat repair, BTW.
You are about to get intimate with the original engineering and construction of your vessel. Do not overly stress out, though, as this can happen to a very small % of boats, no matter where or by who produced. i.e. the Universe did not single you out, personally...
Best of luck!
Alarming image , and a somewhat rare "failure point" in my personal experience.
The picture shows that the fitting has somehow come loose from the glass work inside the boat. And will lower the shaft enough to likely abraid the shaft alley. The alignment of the engine will be off, now, also.
IMHO, that casting originally had 2 or 3 cross pins thru it and the whole part was seated in poly resin mush and cloth on the inside, after the strut was centered in the shaft alley.
I would first get well acquainted with the bilge immediately above the "Shaft Strut" and determine what came loose. There may be a raised "lump" of glass resin over the top of the strut, very roughly a foot by a foot and a half. Exploratory Grinding into the lump will require Time, Money, and (reasonable) Skill and... "any two will do."
That's one mantra of amateur boat repair, BTW.
You are about to get intimate with the original engineering and construction of your vessel. Do not overly stress out, though, as this can happen to a very small % of boats, no matter where or by who produced. i.e. the Universe did not single you out, personally...
Best of luck!
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The picture shows a strut.
First step is to inspect inside the hull where the strut is anchored. Pictures of that area will help.
In general struts come in 2 flavors, ones with a flange and straight or universal struts.
Universal Strut Sailboat Strut
Your boat likely has a universal strut. As part of the repair process it should be dropped and thoroughly cleaned. This will require removing the prop shaft, which may require dropping the rudder. A universal strut is held in place by fiberglass and resin. Notice the deep grooves where the bonding material will go.
The trickiest part of the repair will be getting strut aligned with the engine, there must be a straight line through the center of the cutless bearing through the shaft tube to the center of the flange on the transmission. That entails getting the strut aligned in all dimensions; it must be on the centerline and not twisted left or right, at the proper height, and vertical.
As you might be guessing by now this will be a time consuming process, there is no quick and dirty solution. It might be a good idea to go talk to Darren at RCR in Buffalo about this job. He's a pretty reasonable guy and the yard is pretty competent.
First step is to inspect inside the hull where the strut is anchored. Pictures of that area will help.
In general struts come in 2 flavors, ones with a flange and straight or universal struts.
Universal Strut Sailboat Strut
Your boat likely has a universal strut. As part of the repair process it should be dropped and thoroughly cleaned. This will require removing the prop shaft, which may require dropping the rudder. A universal strut is held in place by fiberglass and resin. Notice the deep grooves where the bonding material will go.
The trickiest part of the repair will be getting strut aligned with the engine, there must be a straight line through the center of the cutless bearing through the shaft tube to the center of the flange on the transmission. That entails getting the strut aligned in all dimensions; it must be on the centerline and not twisted left or right, at the proper height, and vertical.
As you might be guessing by now this will be a time consuming process, there is no quick and dirty solution. It might be a good idea to go talk to Darren at RCR in Buffalo about this job. He's a pretty reasonable guy and the yard is pretty competent.
Ah - nomenclature issue - that's a strut, not a skeg... But you know that now...
A couple questions - How long have you owned this boat? Who did the repair shown in the red circle below?
In addition to what's been said above - I'd suggest you also take some photos showing where this shaft goes into the boat - where it goes through the hull into the engine room. Take photos both from the outside and the inside.
If this were my boat, I'd pull the prop, remove the flange to the engine, pull the shaft and take shaft, and flange to a machine shop to see if it's bent. If going through this, you might as well take that flange with the shaft as if the shaft is at all bent, they can probably straighten it and then mount the flange and make sure it's also true to the shaft. You'll also have to see if there are any locations on the shaft that have suffered damage. Best case scenario - it's all fine. Worst case scenario - you need a new shaft in addition to rebuilding the strut attachment.
This problem has been going on for some time as that previous repair indicates. You may or may not have to drop the rudder - it depends if after pulling the prop, if the shaft will slide by the rudder on one side or the other. Boats are often set up so you can do that, but not always.
This is not a trivial issue. You are essentially rebuilding the entire drive train. I would advise against just trying to shove that strut back up and calling it a day. There are far too many things that could be a consequence of that strut dropping down....
dj
A couple questions - How long have you owned this boat? Who did the repair shown in the red circle below?
In addition to what's been said above - I'd suggest you also take some photos showing where this shaft goes into the boat - where it goes through the hull into the engine room. Take photos both from the outside and the inside.
If this were my boat, I'd pull the prop, remove the flange to the engine, pull the shaft and take shaft, and flange to a machine shop to see if it's bent. If going through this, you might as well take that flange with the shaft as if the shaft is at all bent, they can probably straighten it and then mount the flange and make sure it's also true to the shaft. You'll also have to see if there are any locations on the shaft that have suffered damage. Best case scenario - it's all fine. Worst case scenario - you need a new shaft in addition to rebuilding the strut attachment.
This problem has been going on for some time as that previous repair indicates. You may or may not have to drop the rudder - it depends if after pulling the prop, if the shaft will slide by the rudder on one side or the other. Boats are often set up so you can do that, but not always.
This is not a trivial issue. You are essentially rebuilding the entire drive train. I would advise against just trying to shove that strut back up and calling it a day. There are far too many things that could be a consequence of that strut dropping down....
dj
Maybe this post will help clear things up a bit.
And maybe it will ad to confusion.
And maybe it will ad to confusion.
Propeller Shaft Bracket on 35S5
Hello All, I was wondering if anyone has experienced their propeller shaft bracket dropping down as seen the attached picture. If so, please let me know what you did to repair it. I believe some fiberglass cloth and resin will keep in back in place, however, if you have a suggestion please let...
forums.sailboatowners.com
Good find.
So, was that the same boat 2 years ago, with the strut coming down but not as far down as it is now? In any case I don’t think this is just a “push it up and throw some glass on it” kind of job. The inside needs to be inspected to see what may have come apart there. The strut shouldn’t just fall out without some kind of glass damage. The shaft needs to be checked for run-out, and the engine alignment needs to be checked and likely adjusted. While you’re at it the cutlass should probably be replaced.
