Prop Shaft Strut

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John

Has anyone replaced the prop shaft strut on an older Hunter? I have a 78 H30, and when it came out of the water yesterday, I found that the strut had been "repaired" in some fashion ( maybe this is the way it originally came, but mine looks different than some of the pictures I have seen ). There were stainless plates on either side of the original strut, with bolts sandwiching it all together. A few of these bolts were quite corroded, and the joints around all this don't look good ( where it " V's " into the hull). Unfortunately, I was unable to be there a few months back when the boat was hauled for the pre-purchase survey ( I guess IF it was ), and the surveyor made no mention of this. If anyone has put on a new strut, how much did it cost? Thanks, JF
 
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Bill O'Donovan

Good news

Now that you're hauled and on the hard, disconnect the facing plate at the engine and pull the shaft out to see the strut for yourself. There should be advice in the Archives on this site for how-to.
 
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John

Maybe the wrong terminology

I'm not following you Bill. I'm talking about the "arm" that comes down from the hull to hold the shaft ( where the cutlass bearing is ). I can see it right now, as described in the original post. I've seen pevious posts where people have talked about re-doing the backing plates, but I think I'm looking for a completely new "arm". Am I using the wrong name for it?
 
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Bill O'Donovan

Roger that

I understand. In later models, Hunter developed a fully encased strut, as you put it. You should have the yard look at it for reinforcement with the correct steel braces, then cover with fiberglass. God knows you can't afford to have the thing the least bit loose, so ridigity is imperative.
 
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JD Maye

Just A Minute !!

I hooked onto a crab trap line once, and it jerked my Prop Shaft Strut over. It pulled the 2 bolts through and I had 2 small 1/4 inch streams of water coming into my boat. I quickly emptied the lazzerate and whittled a couple of my safety wood plugs down untill I could insert them, then I proceded <sailed>, to the nearest boatyard for repair. The repair guy at the Boatyard said that the strut did EXACTLY like it was designed to do,...Pull the bolts through under stress. He said you dont want a backing plate there, for the reason that a SEVERE strain could pull the backing plate through, THEN you have a 4 inch X 10 inch hole of water to plug. let me know if you here something different.
 
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Sam Lust

I think ......

Based on how I read your post it sounds like a previous owner somehow managed to snap the strut and cobbled up a cheap repair. My first thought would be to go after the guy who claims to have surveyed this boat. God knows what else he missed. Don't be shy about going back at a guy who did a lousy survey. Replacing a strut can be a bit of work but doesn't necessarily have to be. Unfortunately a lot of the alignment of engine - hull opening - strut system is done in the installation of the strut. Put in sinmple terms, the strut is shimmed into place to get it to line up properly with the other components in the chain. These struts are hand cast and differ, so it probably won't be a straight "bolt-in" proposition. The good news however is that any competent shop should be cabable of doing the installation of you're not comfortable with it. The good news is that a replacement should be available from Dahmer Marine Hardware in Keyport, New Jersey. The replacement strut for my Hunter 33 cost $250.00 and included the new cutless bearing. Nice people to deal with. I even found the number for you. 732-264-5799
 
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John

Thanks All....

Much to think about. I'm sure it was a fix, although it looks like someone went to a lot of trouble, The SS "splints" are perfectly fit to the angles. Seems weird to me though, why do that as opposed to replacing the whole thing? Maybe it's not a repair, but a way to increase the rigidity or strength to stop vibration. I will take picture over the weekend so all can see. Luckily, I am re-powering the boat over the winter, so I think this will be something that can be accomodated easily while the other stuff is done. I am concerned now about the validity of the survey, but I see that as nothing but a headache with no outcome ( I don't see the surveyor having the $, or being willing to part with it ). Unfortunately, I had to choose a surveyor randomly from an area I didn't know well. He supposedly is on the board of the society of marine surveyors or something. Do you think my insurance would cover this stuff, and it be their "problem" to follow up on a poor survey?? Just a thought. I'm just happy that it doesn't sound like this is a catastropic thing. Thanks again all.
 
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