Not the title most people would select for a post about their boat being tied disabled to a marina dock with another grand plus of repair cost looming. Maybe it’s my irrepressible positivity that accounts for the high view numbers of my posts.
I powered over to Eastport (next to Annapolis) last Friday and then spent the weekend doing something rare for me, being crew. Story here on Jimm’s blog:
http://chesapeaketidings.com/2012/04/22/about-tax-day/
I left early this morning to get across the bay before the wind got up to the full force forecast and backed around to the southwest. It was a nice run down the bay, motorsailing on a beam reach with about half the jib out really hauling. Cold low clouds were scudding over a bay with a lot of white on it and it was spitting rain. I was thinking how nice it was to feel confident about the engine again as handling sails alone in those conditions would have been more fun than I felt like after a weekend of partying.
I sailed under jib alone up the Miles River and around Tilghman Point. Reaching down towards St. Michaels I suddenly felt and heard a bang. I thought for an instant I had run aground but the sounder showed over 20 feet. There was nothing visible in the water. Maybe it was just a wave catching the counter just right but I’ve never felt one like that before.
I started the engine about a mile later and noticed that there a bit more vibration than usual. I’d just started thinking about it when there was a very loud crash and the engine started vibrating wildly. I shut down and checked what I could see inside and for any stuffing box leakage but everything looked fine except for a jacket drain hose that had fallen off the engine from the shaking.
I started the engine again and cautiously brought up the power. It felt exactly like when I’ve picked up a big snarl of rope, heavy vibration and about a quarter the normal power for any RPM. I sailed as close as I could and motored the last quarter mile at idle which kept the vibration just below alarming.
I’ve needed to get new shaft zincs installed anyway so I decided to let a diver clear the prop. The first one I called was sick but gave me the name of another. He was still in his wet suit from another job and just 15 minutes away so standing at the town dock to help me tie up when I limped over from the anchorage.
The diver went down, came right back up, and said, “Have you got a spare prop?”
I was stunned. I never would have believed a one bladed prop could propel a boat even that well. The strains on the strut and shaft must have been enormous. If this had happened 5-10 miles out and I had thought I was just dealing with a rope snarl, I hate to think what might have happened. I’ve limped to a harbor with those before.
I called H&H Propeller to have them look up the diameter and pitch and asked about delivery time in case I couldn’t find a prop locally. Five weeks.
Kastel Brothers just down the road have one in stock and just need a day to re-pitch and machine it. The pilot bore is for a larger shaft but they will put a nylon bushing in it intended for that use. The bushing will be a little more forgiving than metal so the prop won’t need to be lapped to the shaft and the diver will be able to put it back on. I should be underway again by the end of the week.
I’m now tied to the St. Michaels Marina dock. The diver and I were able to just pull the boat 100 feet down the pier that the marina shares with the town dock and I’m all set for the next few days in one of the nicest places on the Chesapeake to be stuck. I’ve been wondering when I could commit to being in one place long enough to refinish my wheel before all that beautiful rope work gets too worn so that conundrum is solved.
Thinking about some of the places this blade could have come off in the last few thousand miles gave me the idea for the title of this post.
I powered over to Eastport (next to Annapolis) last Friday and then spent the weekend doing something rare for me, being crew. Story here on Jimm’s blog:
http://chesapeaketidings.com/2012/04/22/about-tax-day/
I left early this morning to get across the bay before the wind got up to the full force forecast and backed around to the southwest. It was a nice run down the bay, motorsailing on a beam reach with about half the jib out really hauling. Cold low clouds were scudding over a bay with a lot of white on it and it was spitting rain. I was thinking how nice it was to feel confident about the engine again as handling sails alone in those conditions would have been more fun than I felt like after a weekend of partying.
I sailed under jib alone up the Miles River and around Tilghman Point. Reaching down towards St. Michaels I suddenly felt and heard a bang. I thought for an instant I had run aground but the sounder showed over 20 feet. There was nothing visible in the water. Maybe it was just a wave catching the counter just right but I’ve never felt one like that before.
I started the engine about a mile later and noticed that there a bit more vibration than usual. I’d just started thinking about it when there was a very loud crash and the engine started vibrating wildly. I shut down and checked what I could see inside and for any stuffing box leakage but everything looked fine except for a jacket drain hose that had fallen off the engine from the shaking.
I started the engine again and cautiously brought up the power. It felt exactly like when I’ve picked up a big snarl of rope, heavy vibration and about a quarter the normal power for any RPM. I sailed as close as I could and motored the last quarter mile at idle which kept the vibration just below alarming.
I’ve needed to get new shaft zincs installed anyway so I decided to let a diver clear the prop. The first one I called was sick but gave me the name of another. He was still in his wet suit from another job and just 15 minutes away so standing at the town dock to help me tie up when I limped over from the anchorage.
The diver went down, came right back up, and said, “Have you got a spare prop?”
I was stunned. I never would have believed a one bladed prop could propel a boat even that well. The strains on the strut and shaft must have been enormous. If this had happened 5-10 miles out and I had thought I was just dealing with a rope snarl, I hate to think what might have happened. I’ve limped to a harbor with those before.
I called H&H Propeller to have them look up the diameter and pitch and asked about delivery time in case I couldn’t find a prop locally. Five weeks.
Kastel Brothers just down the road have one in stock and just need a day to re-pitch and machine it. The pilot bore is for a larger shaft but they will put a nylon bushing in it intended for that use. The bushing will be a little more forgiving than metal so the prop won’t need to be lapped to the shaft and the diver will be able to put it back on. I should be underway again by the end of the week.
I’m now tied to the St. Michaels Marina dock. The diver and I were able to just pull the boat 100 feet down the pier that the marina shares with the town dock and I’m all set for the next few days in one of the nicest places on the Chesapeake to be stuck. I’ve been wondering when I could commit to being in one place long enough to refinish my wheel before all that beautiful rope work gets too worn so that conundrum is solved.
Thinking about some of the places this blade could have come off in the last few thousand miles gave me the idea for the title of this post.
