Damaged propshaft or propellor

[Narrowboat Communicator]

I may be paranoid but recently I had a car tyre stall my engine! It took 3 attempts of starting engine and giving it some revs and putting it into reverse (we have lister ha2) to get it off, we were lucky. We have no weed hatch and in the 5 years we have our boat putting it into reverse always done the trick. But now I keep thinking I may have damaged or weakend something down below. The boat feels the same and we have always had a slight tiller judder on full steam since we had her, but now I have convinced myself something's not right. What are the chances or consequences of attaning Damage from such events??

[Guest]

I may be paranoid but recently I had a car tyre stall my engine! It took 3 attempts of starting engine and giving it some revs and putting it into reverse (we have lister ha2) to get it off, we were lucky. We have no weed hatch and in the 5 years we have our boat putting it into reverse always done the trick. But now I keep thinking I may have damaged or weakend something down below. The boat feels the same and we have always had a slight tiller judder on full steam since we had her, but now I have convinced myself something's not right. What are the chances or consequences of attaning Damage from such events??

I bent the tips of our prop when the boat was a brand new shell by getting a similar item around the prop. They have remained bent for 8 years and nothing has been affected. I have intended getting the prop repaired on several occasions, but never got around to it.

[Narrowboat Communicator]

I bent the tips of our prop when the boat was a brand new shell by getting a similar item around the prop. They have remained bent for 8 years and nothing has been affected. I have intended getting the prop repaired on several occasions, but never got around to it.

 

 

When we had the boat out 2 years ago they said the prop had some dinks but nothing to worrie about, perhaps that may cause our tiller to vibrate a little. Our prop is 20 years old and I expect it's had worse in the past.

Could you tell you had bent tips?

[Guest]

When we had the boat out 2 years ago they said the prop had some dinks but nothing to worrie about, perhaps that may cause our tiller to vibrate a little. Our prop is 20 years old and I expect it's had worse in the past.

Could you tell you had bent tips?

No, I only saw the damage the first time she was hauled out for blacking, until then I was unaware of it. My boat too has always had rudder judder, even before this happened. It was no worse afterwards.

[the grinch]

i had it happen twice, first on the GU at camp hill in the ice and 2nd on the bow back rivers. (photo of that one on its way to you)

the beauty of the stern gear is that it is connected through 2 lorry universal joints just check that all the adapter plate bolts are tight and that none have sheared there are 8 of each UJ from memory.

the alignment of engine is not important and isn't in line with the prop shaft which has a cutlass bearing at the front end anyway

 

 

kev

 

catweasel rudder judder can also be caused by a loose fitting skeg cup so not necessarily the fault of a dinged prop

[Narrowboat Communicator]

No, I only saw the damage the first time she was hauled out for blacking, until then I was unaware of it. My boat too has always had rudder judder, even before this happened. It was no worse afterwards.

 

That's good then, at least I know if im out crusing now and it's fine things won't get any worse even if there was some damage. I take our boat out most weekends but not any long distance really, were having a 16 day cruise up the rivers (or down) in August and just wanted to make sure my boat was ok

 

Cheers

[the grinch]

surprised that there is juddder as the bar of the rudder is a fairly tight fit into the bottom skeg cup (you would need to cut something to remove the rudder as when she was built the rudder wouldn't go up the tube and we resorted to dropping the boat on the rudder which was forced up the tube by the boats weight and then dropped into the cup. from memory there is about 3" of clearance under the counter to the top of the rudder

the skeg is a 4" box tube section and unlikely to bend.

 

kev

[Narrowboat Communicator]

i had it happen twice, first on the GU at camp hill in the ice and 2nd on the bow back rivers. (photo of that one on its way to you)

the beauty of the stern gear is that it is connected through 2 lorry universal joints just check that all the adapter plate bolts are tight and that none have sheared there are 8 of each UJ from memory.

the alignment of engine is not important and isn't in line with the prop shaft which has a cutlass bearing at the front end anyway

 

 

kev

 

catweasel rudder judder can also be caused by a loose fitting skeg cup so not necessarily the fault of a dinged prop

 

Lol, Kevin the universal joints are huge!! I had the floor up ( the slats above the prop shaft ) and ran engine in gear and there is a ever do slight wobble to it, but can't say I noticed what it was like before. Like you said, communicator has over sized universal joints.

I always get paranoide about mechanical things before we go away. Last year I brought a London taxi to go to the south of France, and I took 2000 pounds worth of spares with me, I still have them as I never needed them!!

 

i had it happen twice, first on the GU at camp hill in the ice and 2nd on the bow back rivers. (photo of that one on its way to you)

the beauty of the stern gear is that it is connected through 2 lorry universal joints just check that all the adapter plate bolts are tight and that none have sheared there are 8 of each UJ from memory.

the alignment of engine is not important and isn't in line with the prop shaft which has a cutlass bearing at the front end anyway

 

 

kev

 

catweasel rudder judder can also be caused by a loose fitting skeg cup so not necessarily the fault of a dinged prop

 

Lol, Kevin the universal joints are huge!! I had the floor up ( the slats above the prop shaft ) and ran engine in gear and there is a ever do slight wobble to it, but can't say I noticed what it was like before. Like you said, communicator has over sized universal joints.

I always get paranoide about mechanical things before we go away. Last year I brought a London taxi to go to the south of France, and I took 2000 pounds worth of spares with me, I still have them as I never needed them!!

 

i had it happen twice, first on the GU at camp hill in the ice and 2nd on the bow back rivers. (photo of that one on its way to you)

the beauty of the stern gear is that it is connected through 2 lorry universal joints just check that all the adapter plate bolts are tight and that none have sheared there are 8 of each UJ from memory.

the alignment of engine is not important and isn't in line with the prop shaft which has a cutlass bearing at the front end anyway

 

 

kev

 

catweasel rudder judder can also be caused by a loose fitting skeg cup so not necessarily the fault of a dinged prop

 

Lol, Kevin the universal joints are huge!! I had the floor up ( the slats above the prop shaft ) and ran engine in gear and there is a ever do slight wobble to it, but can't say I noticed what it was like before. Like you said, communicator has over sized universal joints.

I always get paranoide about mechanical things before we go away. Last year I brought a London taxi to go to the south of France, and I took 2000 pounds worth of spares with me, I still have them as I never needed them!!

[Guest]

i had it happen twice, first on the GU at camp hill in the ice and 2nd on the bow back rivers. (photo of that one on its way to you)

the beauty of the stern gear is that it is connected through 2 lorry universal joints just check that all the adapter plate bolts are tight and that none have sheared there are 8 of each UJ from memory.

the alignment of engine is not important and isn't in line with the prop shaft which has a cutlass bearing at the front end anyway

 

 

kev

catweasel rudder judder can also be caused by a loose fitting skeg cup so not necessarily the fault of a dinged prop

Exactly right in my case. It was a poor fit from new. I am having a new bottom cup made and next time out I will stitch it on.

[Narrowboat Communicator]

surprised that there is juddder as the bar of the rudder is a fairly tight fit into the bottom skeg cup (you would need to cut something to remove the rudder as when she was built the rudder wouldn't go up the tube and we resorted to dropping the boat on the rudder which was forced up the tube by the boats weight and then dropped into the cup. from memory there is about 3" of clearance under the counter to the top of the rudder

the skeg is a 4" box tube section and unlikely to bend.

 

kev

 

Perhaps it isn't judder it's just how it is? It is the only boat I have ever handled. It's nothing major but since the tyre incident it's got me thinking...... But when the tyre was around the prop it felt really odd, almost like some one was holding my arm and moving it.

[the grinch]

the tyre i screwed onto the prop at camphill was an exact fit! had to drain the whole pound between the top lock and the next down! (done at 8pm after bowhauling through the ice for 1/4 mile!) the main shaft always flexs a wander of about 1/8" is quite normal as the UJ don't run 100% parallel as they are not square but slightly rectangular.

 

Lister Air cooled engine will take a conciderable amount of abuse and still go on the most likely reason for taking a few turns to run again is due to the engine flooding with fuel when stopped so suddenly.

 

lifting the fuel override button would make it worse if the engine is hot, also worth decompressing the cylinders and turning over a few times before trying to restart.