Position of prop Shaft on the hard

[AndyKro]

I've looked at several Hunters in my marina. While on the hard the prop shaft lies on the bottom of the entrance into the boat (not touching). Is this normal, or do I need to go thru a prop shaft alignment. Or when the boat is launched will it return to normal in the center, because the cradle tends to distort the hull shape on the hard.

Thanks.

 

[kloudie1]

There probably is misalignment.. but it could be that the shaft log is not centered in the hull opening.. Once the boat is back in the water, separate the coupling halves and using some kind of measurement, push the shaft coupling down until it hits the log... then push it up until it hits the log.. half way between that distance is where your engine side coupling should be holding the shaft.

 

[Ed A]

ususally if the boat is bunked up properly you dont have that much deflection. your probably looking at the flex in the boat. if the stands are put under the bulkheads you may be able to see a difference. Boats flex and bend on the hard differently than in the water. Thats why alignment on the hard is usually not correct. do it in the water.

 

[Alan]

As long as the shaft doesn't touch the tube it is irrelevant how it looks either in or out of the water. The shaft must be free to rotate without touching any part of the tube. Shaft alignment can ONLY be done with the hull in the water and at least a week after launch. This gives the hull time to re-conform to its designed shape. Same thing applies to rig tuning