Vetus stern gear

[bag 'o' bones]

Am I seeing things (or not)?

Your thoughts please............

 

Outside

 

Inside

 

[steelaway]

Am I seeing things (or not)?

Your thoughts please............

 

Outside

 

Inside

 

 

OOOOPS????????????

 

But you'll never have a leaky stern gland!!!!!!!

 

Alex

Edited September 25, 2010 by steelaway

[ditchcrawler]

Am I seeing things (or not)?

Your thoughts please............

 

 

Well I cant see a prop, a lid on the weed hatch, I am not sure if I can see a hole where the pipe is welded on or not

[carlt]

The propshaft can be seen, way down in the swim, in this pic.

 

The weedhatch side is obviously double skinned so it looks like a built in tank, of some kind...

 

Where does the pipe so?

[steelaway]

The propshaft can be seen, way down in the swim, in this pic.

 

The weedhatch side is obviously double skinned so it looks like a built in tank, of some kind...

 

Where does the pipe so?

 

 

If it is double skinned, I cant see how the water level can be high enough (inside the weed hatch) to supply the water valve to the stern gland

[ditchcrawler]

 

The weedhatch side is obviously double skinned so it looks like a built in tank, of some kind...

 

Where does the pipe so?

I did wonder if it was a double skin but I couldn't be sure,just like the prop. I am guessing the pipe goes to the stern gland

[bag 'o' bones]

Its singled skind and yes the numptys who built the thing have forgotten to drill the hole. So we've cruising around without lubrication. The response I get from the builders when I phone them next week will be interesting. The warranty ran out 12 months ago.

[Guest]

This has come up before, I seem to remember on a Liverpool shell. I also heard of one owner who cruised for ages with the valve shut. The guy who fitted mine (6 years ago now)explained that the pipe and valve were little more than a vent, and water doesn't run through it as I first imagined. (Don't shoot the messenger; this is what I was told.) It seems that all the cooling is done at the other end.

 

You should of course have a hole behind the valve and I don't think it will be a big task.

[Canalwatcher]

This has come up before, I seem to remember on a Liverpool shell. I also heard of one owner who cruised for ages with the valve shut. The guy who fitted mine (6 years ago now)explained that the pipe and valve were little more than a vent, and water doesn't run through it as I first imagined. (Don't shoot the messenger; this is what I was told.) It seems that all the cooling is done at the other end.

 

You should of course have a hole behind the valve and I don't think it will be a big task.

 

This makes some sense to me as our pipe enters the weedhatch about 50mm above the waterline (boat at rest). We've cruised for some 1200 engine hours over the last 3 years and no leaks at all from the stern gland - so far

 

Mick

[David Mack]

This makes some sense to me as our pipe enters the weedhatch about 50mm above the waterline (boat at rest). We've cruised for some 1200 engine hours over the last 3 years and no leaks at all from the stern gland - so far

 

Mick

 

Can someone please explain the point of connecting a pipe between the stern tube and the weed hatch. Even if there is a hole, and its below the waterline, there is still not going to be a water flow through the pipe, since both ends connect to the same body of water (the canal). Are you supposed to put a pump in the line? Does anybody do this?

 

David

[bag 'o' bones]

Can someone please explain the point of connecting a pipe between the stern tube and the weed hatch. Even if there is a hole, and its below the waterline, there is still not going to be a water flow through the pipe, since both ends connect to the same body of water (the canal). Are you supposed to put a pump in the line? Does anybody do this?

 

David

 

No idea *how* water lubrication works but all I know is that it seems pointless to connect up a pipe that doesn't go anywhere!

 

This has come up before, I seem to remember on a Liverpool shell. I also heard of one owner who cruised for ages with the valve shut. The guy who fitted mine (6 years ago now)explained that the pipe and valve were little more than a vent, and water doesn't run through it as I first imagined. (Don't shoot the messenger; this is what I was told.) It seems that all the cooling is done at the other end.

 

You should of course have a hole behind the valve and I don't think it will be a big task.

 

Were perfectly capable of drill a hole but the point is when paying thousands on a new boat you would expect the builder to get the basics right!

[ChrisPy]

Can someone please explain the point of connecting a pipe between the stern tube and the weed hatch. Even if there is a hole, and its below the waterline, there is still not going to be a water flow through the pipe, since both ends connect to the same body of water (the canal). Are you supposed to put a pump in the line? Does anybody do this?

 

David

vetus catalogue shows the connection to the stern gear as a 'water inlet'. if the hose is connected just above the waterline in the weed box, when the prop is turning and the water level rises in the weed box there should be enough head to slowly circulate water through the tube and out of the cutless bearing. in theory this will flush out any foreign objects (grit?) that might have migrated into the tube from the rear.

[Guest]

Can someone please explain the point of connecting a pipe between the stern tube and the weed hatch. Even if there is a hole, and its below the waterline, there is still not going to be a water flow through the pipe, since both ends connect to the same body of water (the canal). Are you supposed to put a pump in the line? Does anybody do this?

 

David

Well, it was explained to me that the pipe was a vent,to allow water to enter the stern tube. No pump on mine. I am not totally sure how the Vetus sterngear works on canal boats, but can say it does. Mine is coming up to 2000 hrs and only ever lets a tiny drop though if reversing a lot (always did this from new,I think it is down to the R&D coupling ). Otherwise bone dry; after a 5 week cruise this year I would estimate that there was a couple of tablespoons full in the plastic box that I leave below.

 

I checked the cutlass when slipped in spring which is still fine. Interestingly my previous boat at a similar age/hrs. was showing signs of wear in the conventional sterngear. I wasn't sure about the Vetus sterngear when I bought the shell, but it has grown on me over time (unlike the Vetus/technodrive gearbox.)

 

No idea *how* water lubrication works but all I know is that it seems pointless to connect up a pipe that doesn't go anywhere!

 

 

 

Were perfectly capable of drill a hole but the point is when paying thousands on a new boat you would expect the builder to get the basics right!

Agreed, that was just laziness by someone.

Edited September 26, 2010 by Guest

[ditchcrawler]

vetus catalogue shows the connection to the stern gear as a 'water inlet'. if the hose is connected just above the waterline in the weed box, when the prop is turning and the water level rises in the weed box there should be enough head to slowly circulate water through the tube and out of the cutless bearing. in theory this will flush out any foreign objects (grit?) that might have migrated into the tube from the rear.

Flush it out with gritty water from the weed hatch that the prop has been stirring up.

[Guest]

Flush it out with gritty water from the weed hatch that the prop has been stirring up.

Yes that was always the concern I had about this controversial sterngear. I have not seen any evidence to date that suggests problems caused by grit.

[Amicus]

The main market for this gear is obviously the salt water stuff, where the gland is fed with water tapped off the engine cooling system, the main of which (usually) goes into the exhaust system.

Quite wot one is supposed to do on a keel/skin-tank cooled system I dunno.

 

 

 

edit;

and I suspect Vetus don't kno either

Edited September 26, 2010 by Amicus