Knocking
Hello Rick,Thanks for the letter. Even with the shaft in complete alignment and cutlass bearings in good order, the shaft at certain Rpm's may still have the capability of contacting the stern tube. If the shaft is bronze it's flex rate is higher then a 316, Aquamet or equivalent material. This could very easily allow the shaft to whip in an elliptical manner causing stern tube contact. If the cutlass bearing was worn out you would most likely see vibration and knocking at all ranges of Rpm's and not just isolated Rpm's. I would guess that if you could measure the load on the running gear you would find that at the point it begins to knock, the running gear loads are highest. The higher the loads the more likely the shaft will flex in it’s midsection. I had a similar problem on my sailboat and could not figure it out. It was not until I was cleaning the hull underwater that I shook the shaft and duplicated the noise, which allowed me to then determine it was the shaft coming in contact with the stern tube. This forced me to replace the shafting material from 316 to Aquamet 22. No more contact for me. Sincerely, Kevin L. Woody