Just finished a pre-purchase survey for a 1986 Catalina 30 and the survey found the strut to be loose. He applied push and pull pressure on it and there was substantial movement and a popping noice. The fiberglass hull around the strut was cracked and soft meaning there was some water damage. The seller won't budge on the initial agreed price so I'm looking into how much this would cost. Is this a huge deal? Possibly dangerous? Can this be ignored for sometime? Look forward to your responses. Thank you all.
Loose Strut Repair Question
- Thread starter tym2
- Start date
Not really something to ignore, in my opinion. A loose strut can lead to vibration in the drive train, which will only worsen with time...or worse yet could cause a lot of damage to the hull, shaft, prop and even the transmission.
If the boat is still out of the water, now is the time to address it. I would ask the local yard for an estimate to repair the glass and remount the strut before it does something much worse.
Greg
If the boat is still out of the water, now is the time to address it. I would ask the local yard for an estimate to repair the glass and remount the strut before it does something much worse.
Greg
Aye to what Greg says. That would make me scared to run under power at all. Aside from the potential for a calamitous event the repair cost could multiply.
I have quite a bit of experience with the Catalina 30 in San Francisco Bay and the Salish Sea, and consider it to be a great boat, but that must be fixed.
That is a potential deal-killer, for sure. A professional repair is duly required. If the strut bolts can be accessed from inside the hull then that makes the job all the more doable. I had an O'Day 27 with a broken strut but the top end of the strut was embedded into the fiberglass layup. It was going to be a very costly job. It was a 1974 boat, so rather than put thousands toward a strut repair that would be married to an old, tired engine - I pulled the shaft, glassed over the hole, and hung a new outboard onto the vessel. That works with a 27 but isn't a solution for a 30-footer. You'll need to get a quote - but be prepared to move on. I did sell the old engine for $300, though. 
That would be a deal-killer for me unless the PO agreed to get it fixed. Cracked fiberglass around the strut will definitely lead to water damage. Problem will be compounded by normal vibrations caused while motoring, but those cracks might also allow water ingress while sailing or even at the dock. Your deal is likely pending on the result of the survey. Inform the owner that you will get an estimate done and expect him to pay for the repairs. If he doesn't agree, walk away. You're better off having had the expense of the survey and being safe and sound than being at risk if nothing is done, or facing a potential large expense to fix the issue correctly. That is what surveys are for ! Good luck
At least the one's who've lived through it
!Depending on the unsupported shaft length, the prop would start whipping around like an old time car antenna and pretty much destroy the bottom of the hull near the prop.
Loose means tighten the bolts and call it good.
cracked fiberglass means it has been loose for a while.
squishy fiberglass means core damage and thus a safety concern.
This isn’t an impossible repair, but unless the agreed upon price is out of this world then I would pass if there is no movement lower. This will cost thousands to repair professionally, and unless you are well versed in fiberglass repair, I would leave a repair like this to the professionals. If the strut let’s go while under power you could easily sink the boat, the prop will have no issue cuing into the hull, and the strut tearing out will most like leave a hole as well.
oh, and one more thing to note. After the strut is repaired you WILL need to realign the engine.
cracked fiberglass means it has been loose for a while.
squishy fiberglass means core damage and thus a safety concern.
This isn’t an impossible repair, but unless the agreed upon price is out of this world then I would pass if there is no movement lower. This will cost thousands to repair professionally, and unless you are well versed in fiberglass repair, I would leave a repair like this to the professionals. If the strut let’s go while under power you could easily sink the boat, the prop will have no issue cuing into the hull, and the strut tearing out will most like leave a hole as well.
oh, and one more thing to note. After the strut is repaired you WILL need to realign the engine.