Drive Shaft Removal
- Thread starter DanMaine
- Start date
If you mean the propeller shaft, you have to disconnect the shaft from the transmission coupler, then remove the propeller then pull it out. Some times you have to remove the rudder. Easier said than done. So the question is why are you trying to remove the propeller shaft. If it is worn out you may have to cut it into a few pieces and pull out. The hardest part is to disconnect the coupler. Let us know what you decide.
There is some good information here
When I replace the cutlass bearing on my previous boat I separated the coupling then used a socket against the shaft, inside the coupling, and slowly screwed the coupling back together with longer screws until the socket forced the shaft out. This is NOT an approved method but I didn't have much room to work with could not fit a coupling press in the space. It worked fine in my case but there wasn't much corrosion so it came out reasonably easy. As the article above says, never ever use a slide hammer.
Hopefully you will not need to drop the rudder, that adds a lot of extra work. Some shafts are slightly offset to clear the rudder (and also to offset prop walk).
A New Prop Shaft - Marine How To
Originally Published 2014 Cutlass Bearing Removal Every now and then a boats propeller shafting need to be replaced. A replacement can be necessary due to corrosion, bending, wear at the stuffing box, wear a the cutlass bearing or a poorly installed/machined shaft to begin with.
marinehowto.com
When I replace the cutlass bearing on my previous boat I separated the coupling then used a socket against the shaft, inside the coupling, and slowly screwed the coupling back together with longer screws until the socket forced the shaft out. This is NOT an approved method but I didn't have much room to work with could not fit a coupling press in the space. It worked fine in my case but there wasn't much corrosion so it came out reasonably easy. As the article above says, never ever use a slide hammer.
Hopefully you will not need to drop the rudder, that adds a lot of extra work. Some shafts are slightly offset to clear the rudder (and also to offset prop walk).
Good article -thanks! I should back up a bit. Originally, I wrapped/hauled a lobster trap up which broke my strut. Ugh! I replaced the strut adding more bolts and 5200. It's solid!... however, a tad crooked now I see, maybe 1/32" over 4". The shaft turns with some resistance - 5 ftlbs? Dry. That said, I ran it half a season with the new strut and cutlass bearing without a problem. Should i rebed this? I measured .005 runout center of shaft (24" between supports). I'd like to remove it to do a better job but it's sounding daunting. I had installed a heavy, 2 blade folding prop which vibrated a lot. It hung out a long way making for a nasty low frequency resonance. My shaft seems too long. I'd like to shorten it to stiffen up the system. I've also purchased a Maxi 3 blade prop which looks like it will have less mass hanging out - lower moment of inertia. I'm thinking of cutting off an inch of shaft. I don't find how to press the coupling back on anywhere. I don't see an easy way to remove the rudder. So that's where I am. Thanks for
the thoughts!
the thoughts!
I replaced the propeller shaft on my old H37C. You definitely need to remove the rudder to get the shaft out. The usual way to do it yourself is to dig a hole beneath the rudder, remove the quadrant, etc. and lower the rudder into the hole until the rudder shaft clears the hull. Of course this can also be done by lifting the boat with a Travelift. With the rudder out, you can deal with the propeller shaft, strut, alignment, etc. The bronze strut can be gently 'levered' to get the shaft aligned. It should be centered in the stern tube when the transmission flange is made up and should not bind in the cutless bearing. The Mainesail article is a very good reference.
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