Back to zincs again

[Rich (P303)]

I have had 2 seasons with the boat... and prop zinc was missing on haul-out. I have a previous recent post.

I have a 1" shaft and have been using a Camp C-3 dough-nut. When installed... the faces of each half of the dough-nut touched, however were secure.

Eager to try something else that might stay on the shaft... and hoping I don't have a DC leak, I put on a Camp X-3 streamline that had more surface contact with the shaft. However when I tightened it up, the halves did not come together. I would estimate the gap between the two halves to be about the width of a credit card. Can't get it any tighter.

Appears to be the right size... Is this normal?

P.S. ... very sad to see the boat in the back yard.:cry:

 

[sailingdog]

Did you tap the zincs with a hammer to seat them?? You really need to seat them so they're making decent contact with the shaft, and on larger zincs, it can take a pretty good whack to do so. Tightening up with just the screws usually won't do it.

As for a DC leak, I do have instructions on how to find one. If you want them, let me know and I'll post them.

 

[Hermit Scott]

wrong size

It's tough to say with out looking at it, but I would have to guess that zinc is for a bigger shaft, maybe 1 1/8, if that's a size for shafts or 1 1/4. IF the halves touch and are not tight on the shaft it will not do it's job.

 

[Rich (P303)]

SDog...

Yes... I whacked them with opposing hammers at the same time... they are as tight as it will get. You posted the DC for me in a previous post. Thanks

 

[sailingdog]

Hermit-

Rich has a space between the halves of the zinc...not between the zinc and the shaft. The zincs are probably the right size...

Rich-

I think they should be fine. Many times, zincs are made so that they won't quite touch when tightened down completely, to help insure that they're getting a proper fit on the shaft.

 

[Warren Milberg]

My guess is that you were using 25 mm zincs rather than 1 inch zincs. I made that mistake once as the store was out of I inch zincs and the 25 mm zinc sure looked the same. It, too, did not fit.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I really must take exception to the use of a hammer to firmly seat zincs on a shaft.

For the first two years I had our boat, I used to use a hammer to seat the zincs and after one year in service, the zincs were usually gone. I believe it was none other than "Nigel" himself who recommended using a large C clamp to alternately crush the zincs and tighten the screws. I cannot find the reference now to save my soul.

Ever since using this method, I have never lost a zinc yet.

If you suspect you are really having electrical problems in your marina, you may want to think about using two or more zincs. I can remember some years in which I had nothing left but the screws and a cavity ridden zinc shell left, but at least the were not thrown off.

PS ........... boats belong on the water before a 15 knt wind, not sitting in your backyard.

 

[Rich (P303)]

Yes Ralph...

I guess you could run into trouble with a hammer... especially with the cutless bearing. Two hammers opposing with some light taps at the same time couldn't be too bad.

I like the C clamp idea... makes total sense to me.

I only have room for 1 streamline zinc... may 2 dough-nuts.

Rich

 

[sailingdog]

We are talking about using a fairly small hammer—12-16 oz.—to tap on a fairly malleable zinc on a shaft that is 1" in diameter.. I think you'd need to hit the zinc really hard to get the cutless bearing to notice—far harder than is required to seat the zinc.

 

[Hermit Scott]

zinc

saildog, you are right, I misread his post.