Shaft removal

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Tim22

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Jun 16, 2014
255
Hunter 310 Ottawa
I opened up the stuffing box today with the idea of re stuffing, but found quite a lot of gummy build up on the shaft and not much space to work with (see attached photo). As a result I would like to disconnect the prop shaft and remove the nut so that I can clean up the shaft and re pack the box. My question is how difficult is it to detach the shaft and re attach it and will it need to be re aligned. The boat is out of the water and the transmission is Kanzaki Km2p.

Thank you
Tim
 

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JoeWhite

JoeWhite

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Mar 6, 2008
1,345
Catalina 1999 C36 MKII #1787 Coyote Point Marina, CA.
It appears that your boat is currently on the hard. If so you have plenty of time to replace the flax. The most important part is not to scratch the shaft where the flax rides on the shaft. you can use car wax to clean the surface of the shaft or WD40 and use soft cloth to wipe what is on the shaft. I would no way try to remove the shaft. The 2 screws that are on the shaft coupling will not come out - instead they will break. Even if you removed them you will not be able to remove the coupling. The only answer is to cut the shaft at the coupling end and pull it out. Trust me I have been there and done that. To avoid scratching the shaft while digging into the nut and remove all the worn out flax - use electrical tape on the shaft several turns so that your tools do not accidentally scratch the surface. Then use cork-screw type tools to pull out the old flax and replace with new ones. Apply Lanacote before you reassemble the nut. That will provide lubrication and keep water from dripping inside.
 
Siamese

Siamese

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Aug 2, 2009
651
Catalina 315 Muskegon
You could check out MaineSail's information on this subject at:
marinehowto.com
Look under PSS Shaft Seal Installation. As part of installing a dripless shaft seal, MaineSail describes shaft removal in great detail. What I took away from his article is that it's a job you want to do right or suffer the consequences.
 
T

Tim22

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Jun 16, 2014
255
Hunter 310 Ottawa
Thanks for the replies. I am persuaded that removing the shaft is probably not the best idea. That being said, I have very little room between the packing nut and the threaded tube to work. In the photo the nut is pushed back as far as possible due to the fibre glass ridge below. The working space is only about half an inch.

Thanks
Tim
 
njlarry

njlarry

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Sep 23, 2009
1,475
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
Why not just cut away some of the glass ridge and reglass afterwards?
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,709
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Tim22 said:
Thanks for the replies. I am persuaded that removing the shaft is probably not the best idea. That being said, I have very little room between the packing nut and the threaded tube to work. In the photo the nut is pushed back as far as possible due to the fibre glass ridge below. The working space is only about half an inch.

Thanks
Tim
Click to expand
Tim,

That is a mile of room compared to many boats. Try and repack Cape Dory 36 or Sabre 34 MK I if you want a real laugh.... You've got plenty of room. Pulling the shaft is the proverbial CAN-O-WORMS....

Tim22 said:
Thanks for the replies. I am persuaded that removing the shaft is probably not the best idea. That being said, I have very little room between the packing nut and the threaded tube to work. In the photo the nut is pushed back as far as possible due to the fibre glass ridge below. The working space is only about half an inch.

Thanks
Tim
Click to expand
Simply remove the coupling bolts to the gear flange, slide it back a few mm's and lift the shaft slightly. The rubber stuffing hose has quite a bit of flex. The nut should then go over the fiberglass stringer...
 
njlarry

njlarry

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Sep 23, 2009
1,475
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
Maine Sail said:
Tim,

That is a mile of room compared to many boats. Try and repack Cape Dory 36 or Sabre 34 MK I if you want a real laugh.... You've got plenty of room. Pulling the shaft is the proverbial CAN-O-WORMS....



Simply remove the coupling bolts to the gear flange, slide it back a few mm's and lift the shaft slightly. The rubber stuffing hose has quite a bit of flex. The nut should then go over the fiberglass stringer...
Click to expand
On second tought.....what he said :redface:
 
T

Tim22

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Jun 16, 2014
255
Hunter 310 Ottawa
Lifting the shaft sounds like a good solution. I'll try it the next time I get to the boat.
Thanks again Maine!

Tim
 
T

Tim22

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Jun 16, 2014
255
Hunter 310 Ottawa
I managed to get the old stuffing out with thanks to a magic tool happily supplied by my dentist. Worked like a charm!
 

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