Replacing the prop shaft

tcbro

.
Jun 3, 2004
375
Hunter 33.5 Middle River, MD
After unsuccessfully trying to get my prop off with a puller, I tried to re-tighten the nut and the shaft broke just inside the prop hub. I need to replace the shaft.
So, up for discussion;

1. Replace bronze shaft with bronze or stainless steel, advantages/disadvantages?

2. Replace stuffing box with new-fangled dripless unit, pro/cons?

3. Replace hard flanges with elastomeric “shock absorbing” (vibration dampening) unit, advantages/disadvantages?

4. Do I take this opportunity to replace a perfectly good cutlass bearing?

Any input will get serious consideration.

Thanks,
Tom
s/v Orion's Child
Fair winds, blue skies and starry nights
 
Feb 11, 2006
141
Hunter 34 Galveston,Texas
Look at Aquamet for propeller shaft.We had one made years ago.Indestructible.
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,885
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Go with bronze or Aquamet .. 316 stainless is OK, but may have some corrosion issues under the packing.. (I am using a 316 shaft now since it was free) .. Both bronze and Aquamet will be pretty much corrosion free with Aquamet being a slightly better (and more expensive) choice. You'll probably have to get your coupling changed as well..Much easier to do the measuring and stuff for the coupling on the new shaft BEFORE it is installed.
EDIT: check out MaineSail's site for really great info on fitting a prop and coupling to the new shaft.
 
Last edited:
May 13, 2011
420
Hunter 40.5 Legend Jupiter
How old is your boat?

I recently had my strut snap - if your boat is of a decent age it might be worth having a think
 

tcbro

.
Jun 3, 2004
375
Hunter 33.5 Middle River, MD
Going to use a local shop

They have a lot of experience and they are convenient. They pick up and deliver to my marina twice a week. I plan on keeping my traditional stuffing box and will take this opportunity to replace the cutlass bearing. I'm still on the fence regarding the flex coupling. I'll need to figure that out before the shaft is cut as it will change the shaft length slightly.

Redunculous, the boat is a 1992 model. Keep in mind that the boats up here are only in the water for 6 months/yr. The water in the upper Chesapeake isn't really salt water, it's more brackish as we are close to the freshwater river that feeds the bay. I'm not really worried about the strut but thanks for your input.

Tom