I have a 1983 Hunter 37 with a broken prop strut. it snapped in half while hauling a lobster trap accidentally. I'm considering welding it back together carefully. does the manganese bronze degrade over the years such that this will not be a good idea? I found a new one but it's $500 and will take two weeks to get. our season in Maine here is only 3 weeks.....
Weld broken Strut?
- Thread starter DanMaine
- Start date
Mine snapped a few years ago , it had been on the boat for 23 years. I found that it had been electrolytically degraded .. Usually when they snap instead of bending, the metal is weakened from corrosion and cannot be welded..
this sounds like good advice but how do you know if they have been electrolytically degraded short of snapping?
Our strut broke 2 years ago and we got a new one from SBO. While it's not cheap you know that it's better than one that's been patched. Barring that I would have had my son who is a machinist make one out of stainless steel.
There is another hunter same model as mine on our same dock that had the same problem a year earlier. I'm questioning whether or not the brittleness of the struts was a problem. I was told that our strut was broken due to fatigue not impact.
There is another hunter same model as mine on our same dock that had the same problem a year earlier. I'm questioning whether or not the brittleness of the struts was a problem. I was told that our strut was broken due to fatigue not impact.
Dan,
1 FWIW my strut was fitted with a zinc by the previous owner. Some have expressed doubt as to the value of this but I have maintained the practice. I would be interested in others opinions.
2 Your experience with this problem will be of interest and value to other owners of HC 37's. By now most of us have either replaced, or like me, have 40 year old struts. Please let us know the final details.
Thanks,
John
1 FWIW my strut was fitted with a zinc by the previous owner. Some have expressed doubt as to the value of this but I have maintained the practice. I would be interested in others opinions.
2 Your experience with this problem will be of interest and value to other owners of HC 37's. By now most of us have either replaced, or like me, have 40 year old struts. Please let us know the final details.
Thanks,
John
One of the difficulties here is that you don't likely know what the actual alloy is that your strut is made from. It may be a manganese bronze or it may not be.
Your weld would need to be a structural weld. In addition to all concerns expressed above, to reliably weld this, you'd need to do an analysis of the base alloy to know the actual alloy. You may find that the specific alloy is not even a weldable alloy. By the time you are done with the background work to be certain of successful welding, you will spend more money than the cost of a new strut. On top of that you may have discovered the alloy is not weldable and then you'll be way over budget..... Just my 2 cents worth.
dj