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Bent prop shaft

J

jansen

Contributing Member
Hit a submerged log and bent the prop shaft at the end. Some damage to prop too. Should I try to get shaft fixed or replace it? It's on my 29' Seabird sportfisher with twin VP 2041p-a and HS transmissions. About a 60" shaft.
 
Pull the shaft out and send it to the prop shop. They will inspect it and let you know what can be done with it.


A full engine and strut alignment is in your future.
 
Straightening shafts so that they stay straight is a very tricky task. If it is quite badly bent I would consider going straight for a replacement, but if only a minor bend then it might be worth trying to get it straightened.
 
Brought it to Dog River Marine and Rudy said it would have to be replaced due to the memory effect on a bend as big as on ours. Maybe I can get an alignment out of the insurance coverage too.
 
replaced bent shaft with good used one we pulled from a salvage boat. Had it cut and key groove cut. Support was bent too, straightened in 12 ton press. Aligned with lazer and bedded support. Running smooth again.
 
Did they check what material the used shaft was? There is a massive difference in the various shaft material strengths and a diameter that might be fine with one material is a wet noodle by comparison in another material.
 
No, we didn't check the material, but it came out of a SeaRay boat and we could see it was stainless and straight. It is working great. We could have bought a new one made of possible superior material for over $600 but chose to save some money on this. Hope we are ok for years to come.
 
There are lots of versions of 'stainless' and some are much stronger than others. HP, torque, propeller size, and gearbox ratios all come into the calculations. You are probably fine, but if your hp was at the upper end for your model boat then the old shaft may have been a superior material rather than 316 stainless that is usually the cheapest option.
 
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