URGENT HELP.. prop seal

[janmar]

Hi ... can someone please give us some advice... quickly.
we are on a remote island in croatia.
prop got caught in a rope. I went down to take a look and managed to get most of the rope off... however there is a piece that appears to be jammed into the rubber seal where the prop enters the boat and a small part of that seal is torn. Water is not entering the boat last time i checked and prop seems to turn ok.
QUESTION;...DO I TAKE THE REST OF THE ROPE OUT TO CHECK THE STATE OF THE SEAL AND HOPE IT DOESNT LEAK? OR LEAVE IT?... HOW THICK ARE THESE SEALS AND WILL A SMALL RIP AFFECT THE WATER TIGHTNESS ? ... CAN WE CARRY ON MOVINGWITH THE ROPE IN PLACE OR WILL THE ROPE EVENTUALLY CAUSE A LEAK WHILE AT SEA?
PROBLEM;... NO LIFTING FACILITIES ANYWHERE NEAR US SO NO WAY OF PULLING HER OUT OF THE WATER!!
if anybody out there has any advice it is very welcome.

Thanks Marc..

 

[jgurley]

Not familiar with 393, but I've never seen a shaft with a rubber part on the outside. The stuffing box is usually well insulated from the outside world. Maybe someone with specific experience with an Oceanis will chime in. If no ones corrects me, take the last bit of rope off. I'm guessing what you think is a seal is just more debris.

 

[BigEasy]

The rubber piece that the shaft extends thru outside the skeg is the cutlass bearing.
I would leave the remaining line and torn rubber as is. Make sure that the two set screws that retain the cutlass bearing in place are still tight. Make sure the prop shaft is not bent by checking for excessive vibration with the transmission in gear. Finally, I would take it easy on the RPM's and not accelerate too quickly nor accelerate too hard in reverse. The shaft seal inside the boat should prevent any water from entering the boat. The downside of the remaining line in the cutlass bearing is that you may score the prop shaft and may have to replace it. If you remove the line and further damage the cutlass bearing, the vibration may be so severe that you will not be able motor. Haul it out as soon as possible for replacement of the cutlass bearing. You can order a replacement from Beneteau in advance, so you will have it available as soon as you haul out.
Had the same thing happen a few years ago with a 393. The guys that chartered the boat before us had wrapped a dinghy painter around the prop, damaging the cutlass bearing. We were able to use the boat for our charter using the above precautions. The owners were going to haul out after our charter to replace the cutlass bearing and check out the shaft.
Hope everything works out for you.

 

[janmar]

Hi BIG EASY...
Thanks for the advice... what you say makes sense...
do want to haul it out but need to get there...
have chatted to a beneteau tech... he seems to think 'dont worry seal is about 100mm deep ... remove as much rope as possible just keep going till winter then sort it' ...water wont enter.
prefer your take on things .... better safe ... hope rope doesnt work its way deeper!
thanks ....
marc. from Janmar..

The rubber piece that the shaft extends thru outside the skeg is the cutlass bearing.
I would leave the remaining line and torn rubber as is. Make sure that the two set screws that retain the cutlass bearing in place are still tight. Make sure the prop shaft is not bent by checking for excessive vibration with the transmission in gear. Finally, I would take it easy on the RPM's and not accelerate too quickly nor accelerate too hard in reverse. The shaft seal inside the boat should prevent any water from entering the boat. The downside of the remaining line in the cutlass bearing is that you may score the prop shaft and may have to replace it. If you remove the line and further damage the cutlass bearing, the vibration may be so severe that you will not be able motor. Haul it out as soon as possible for replacement of the cutlass bearing. You can order a replacement from Beneteau in advance, so you will have it available as soon as you haul out.
Had the same thing happen a few years ago with a 393. The guys that chartered the boat before us had wrapped a dinghy painter around the prop, damaging the cutlass bearing. We were able to use the boat for our charter using the above precautions. The owners were going to haul out after our charter to replace the cutlass bearing and check out the shaft.
Hope everything works out for you.

 

[BigEasy]

Marc,
There is one other consideration that I failed to mention. On most Beneteaus there is a raw water intake nipple that fits onto the stern tube (inside the boat), just behind the rubber shaft seal/boot (inside the boat, behind the transmission). The rubber cutlass bearing (outside the boat) has internal serrations that run lengthwise thru the bearing. Water flows thru the raw water intake, around the shaft seal, thru the shaft tube, around the shaft and finally out thru the cutlass bearing. The idea is to provide cooling to the shaft seal, shaft, and cutlass bearing. If the cutlass bearing is jammed with rope, you may not get sufficient water flow thru the system to keep things cooled. Just keep an eye on the shaft seal periodically while motoring for long periods to make sure it isn't overheating. Again, lack of cooling could also result in a scored / burned shaft. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[janmar]

thanks again big easy...

yes was chatting with someone last night and he said the same thing.... rope needs to come out to allow water flow to cool. have been told worst scenario is possible vibration of the propshaft resulting in a haul out to replace it.
tried this morning but its really jammed in there.
will take a break and have another go. think i picked it up in reverse and am thinking maybe putting the transmission in forward (the opposite direction) to maybe loosen it a bit.
think the rope has gone in about 10 to 20mm hope no more!
scuba tank is now on my must have list!
cheers big easy...