URGENT HELP.. prop seal

[janmar]

Hi am in a remote part of the croatia islands. There are no lifting facilities here.
Rope caught around prop and jammed into rubber seal where prop enters the hull. Have managed to remove most of the rope it but there is a small amount left tightly still in the seal... a small part of the seal has come away... the prop turns ok...
Question;... How deep do these seals go... it is a BENETEAU OCEANIS 393 ... do we remove the rest of the rope and hope the seal remains watertight? OR leave the small piece of rope in and hope it doesnt damage the seal any further?.....
Anybody with any practical advice is welcome!!

Thanks Marc.

 

[ISABELLA5]

Well I'm not familiar with the BENETEAU OCEANIS but it sounds like the rope is in the shaft log tube. I'm not aware of a "seal" on the aft end of the shalt log. The next seal is your shaft stuffing box which is inboard. Of course I could be wrong as my wife freely points out..

 

[sailaway78]

That is right

Unless that boat has a strange shaft seal, the previous post is correct. The rope is apparently in the tube. There is not a seal in the tube. Look inside where the shaft comes through, and you should see it there. I hope I don't offend, but what are you doing this far from civilization, or any kind of boat services, without more knowledge about your boat.

 

[Skipper]

Maybe he's referring to the cutlass bearing,which will likely be rubber-lined. There's no aft shaft support on those boats, the shaft exits the hull from a small skeg.

So, yes the cutlass bearing is not a seal. However, you do not want to damage it or leave damaging material inside it.

Is it a charter boat?

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Jan,

Sorry to hear of your trouble. Omitting haulout facilities, he's my suggestion.

The rope is wound around your shaft in the tube & tightened down. On my C30, my tube is short, maybe 4"-6" long. I must assume by the size of your boat, yours may be longer.

If I had your conundrum, first of all, the rope is wet, this will act as a lubricant against the shaft. Hopefully you have some scuba equip. that has an air supply.

I would try running the engine idle speed. Toggle back-n-forth between neutral & reverse for just a few seconds at a time. This may loosen the wrap grip somewhat. Maybe giving you access to a piece of rope. Try using needle nose pliers to pull out.

It may take numerous throttling & attempts at grabbing some rope to pull out. But, it may do the trick.

Let us know.....

CR

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Jan,

Another thought if there is not enough clearance to use needle nose pliers, think about this.

I have to assume it's a small size rope probably used for traps. If it is the fiber type etc. it may not pose a problem. Everything is wet, that cuts down on friction. Are you able to run your shaft in forward, if so, I can't see you creating any additional damage to the tube. If you shaft is bronze, it may score alittle, depending on the rope/material.

You should also get in touch with BENETEAU yacht technical support for their suggestions.

http://www.beneteauusa.com/content/search?SearchText=support&x=20&y=12

CR

 

[Gunni]

Dobar dan Marc: This is a cutlass bearing that is damaged, not a seal. But it must pass water to lubricate, or it will stop centering your propeller shaft. Suggest slow powering as necessary, mostly sail to port for repair. Sretno!

 

[Ray Bowles]

I have used very small diameter stiff wire to remove such material before. The wire must be stiff. Hold the wire in a pair of pliers or better yet in a vice. Bend no more than 3/16 inch or 4mm of the end of the wire into a right angle (90 to 100 degrees). About 5 to 6 inches or 150mm down from your end you can bend a handle on the wire.
You slip the small hook up into the recess and hook the line and pull it out.
Good Luck
Ray

 

[sailaway78]

Tiny fish hook

A tiny fish hook, if you could straighten it out might work to get it out. Or if you can find such a thing there, one of the little hook things used to attach a fly rod leader to line.

 

[capta]

If this is a synthetic line of any sort, it has probably melted onto the shaft and may have caused your cutlass bearing (what you are mistakenly calling a prop seal) to spin in the tube. The cutlass bearing is normally black rubber encased in a brass tube and the rubber can separate from the brass fairly easily.
This bearing supports and keeps the shaft running true, minimizing vibration and wear. Most likely you will notice a gradual increase in vibration as you use the engine and it will become critical in time. This vibration will also cause the stuffing box (packing gland) inside the boat, to leak more and more, so it must be tightened to limit water ingress to normal, just a few drops a minute, unless you have a dripless gland. Pay attention to this, as it could sink your boat.
I would recommend you use your engine as little as possible and get to a haul out facility as soon as is practical. Good luck.

 

[janmar]

Urgent help...propshaft

Hi all....
Thanks to all of you for your help...
This has been a steep learning curve.
Have been able to remove most of the rope ... with the help of divers from another island ... impossible with just a mask.
The rope worked its way about and inch into the cutlass bearing... god knows how..
Impossible to get it all out ... divers were under for about and hour & a half.
anyway just to let you all know im grateful for you comments .... and will now try to get her to a yard. Prop spins ok... will keep an eye on vibration and any heating of the prop from inside.
cheers ..Janmar..
Marc.