We have a 91 Catalina 36 and just had the boat hauled due to a failed cutlass bearing. We are replacing the shaft as well as the bearing but when the yard went to align the shaft they discovered the strut is not aligned to the neck. It hits on the very top and the new stainless shaft does not flex like the old bronze one. I talked with the original owner of the boat who reassured me that the boat had never hit anything or wrapped a line in the prop causing this and that is has always been that way.
Apparently the strut is glassed way up into the boat and the yard says it is a 36 hour job to fix it. They suggested a possibility of heating the cast bronze strut and trying to get a little adjustment but say it may weaken it. My concern was for the heat that would get transferred to the bottom of the boat?
Has anyone ever had to do this before or what are your thoughts or suggestions on getting this done?
Greg Erickson
Steve M, Greg E, Kevin W
ThreeForAll
1991 C36 Mk I, Hull 1119
Bellevue, WA
Greg,
Take some time to look around the website. Maintenance, Upgrades, and Photos. There are a couple of articles regarding the strut, and how it is constructed. I know there is at least one pic with Gerry Douglas showing the officers how the strut is attached to the hull. I think it's in the ?2006? Factory Tour photos. It should NOT be a 36 hour job to chip out the filler around the strut, re-align it, and then install some filler. If in doubt, call the factory. It is designed and installed so that it can be adjusted without completely cutting it out. It's also my opinion that heat is not the answer.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
[QUOTE=TomSoko;12434]Greg,
Take some time to look around the website. Maintenance, Upgrades, and Photos. There are a couple of articles regarding the strut, and how it is constructed. I know there is at least one pic with Gerry Douglas showing the officers how the strut is attached to the hull. I think it's in the ?2006? Factory Tour photos. [B]It should NOT be a 36 hour job to chip out the filler around the strut, re-align it, and then install some filler.[/B] If in doubt, call the factory. It is designed and installed so that it can be adjusted without completely cutting it out. It's also my opinion that heat is not the answer.[/QUOTE]
Having done this job on an early 2000's Catalina, 36 hours is not completely out of the question. Getting the alignment spot on is tedious without a laser bore scope and can require many days of a few hours here and a few there to get the shim pads just right. The boat ideally needs to be in the slings with pressure off the keel to get the strut to shaft log alignment as close to correct as can be. The strut and shaft must line up dead center in the shaft log and land on the engine so that it can be properly aligned and that a standard stuffing box will not pre-load or side load the shaft which can lead to vibration issues as well...
There are multiple angles to be considered when aligning the strut. Side to side location, angle to the hull port to starboard and fore to aft alignment/attitude with the shaft log. I found ALL THREE angles off in proportion to the shaft log.......Doh'
You then have the fit and face of the coupling re-install of the shaft & prop, fairing the hull around the strut and re-barrier coating it, do a rough out of water alignment (which can lead to the discovery of failed or worn mount etc.). Then when it is in the water and tuned, doing a final in-water alignment and sea trial.
On the one I did the bolts were glassed in, on the inside, and the strut was buried under nearly 6" of hull & deck putty. Working up in the deep hole was a pita for strut alignment and it took multiple fittings over multiple days (about a week between cure times etc.). Many boats have struts that are not properly aligned, and if it is not horrible, replacing a cutlass every few years works for some folks and can be less expensive. The 36 hull may have a less deep strut well..??
-Maine Sail
https://www.marinehowto.com/