We took our 1982 Catalina 38 out for her first sail for 2004. She sailed beautifully but she is rattling a lot when motoring. The vibration seems to coming form under the helm and not from the engine mounts. We have read that this could be caused by the shaft being out of allignment. Any suggestions? Can we fix this ourselves?
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Alignment
Yes you can adjust the alignment yourself. There's lot's of writeups in books and on the net as to how to do it. But I think that it's money well spent if for the first time you hire a mechanic and watch him do it, and ask him questions. I think it's money well spent. Even if he charges you a couple of extra bucks for your questions. Peter
Yes you can adjust the alignment yourself. There's lot's of writeups in books and on the net as to how to do it. But I think that it's money well spent if for the first time you hire a mechanic and watch him do it, and ask him questions. I think it's money well spent. Even if he charges you a couple of extra bucks for your questions. Peter
Have you checked your prop?
Do you have a folding prop? Ff so it could be due wear on the prop. Folding props like Martex need to be returned to the factory every so often to get re-worked. Good Luck.
Do you have a folding prop? Ff so it could be due wear on the prop. Folding props like Martex need to be returned to the factory every so often to get re-worked. Good Luck.
Storing On The Hard
If your boat was stored out of the water for the winter the hull may have shifted a bit from the support blocking. If the vibration improves over time this is probably what happened. During haulout maybe the travel lift strap may have put pressure on the shaft?? On the other hand, if the boat was in the water all that time then another possible consideration could be the zincs may have been eaten away unevenly.
If your boat was stored out of the water for the winter the hull may have shifted a bit from the support blocking. If the vibration improves over time this is probably what happened. During haulout maybe the travel lift strap may have put pressure on the shaft?? On the other hand, if the boat was in the water all that time then another possible consideration could be the zincs may have been eaten away unevenly.
Engine/Shaft Alignment
Catalina makes a big deal in the owners manuals about checking and aligning the shaft once a boat is put in the water, or after you've tuned your rig - seems that the ".003" measurement sticks in my mind. Check your manual and make sure that you've done the alignment procedure it calls for. And if the vibration keeps up, just put up the sails and turn off the motor... Good Luck Tim Brogan April IV C350 #68 Seattle
Catalina makes a big deal in the owners manuals about checking and aligning the shaft once a boat is put in the water, or after you've tuned your rig - seems that the ".003" measurement sticks in my mind. Check your manual and make sure that you've done the alignment procedure it calls for. And if the vibration keeps up, just put up the sails and turn off the motor... Good Luck Tim Brogan April IV C350 #68 Seattle
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