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Alpha One Lower Unit

J

JohnJones427

New member
I have a chunk missing on the lower unit where the hydrofoil fin thingy-ma-jiggy bolts on. Can I weld it or braze it with torch and rod while it’s on the boat? Obviously it should be removed, but I don’t know what I’m doing enough to tear the lower unit apart safely and quickly. I do know how to weld, braze, solder though.
 
JohnJones427 said:
I have a chunk missing on the lower unit where the hydrofoil fin thingy-ma-jiggy bolts on. Can I weld it or braze it with torch and rod while it’s on the boat? Obviously it should be removed, but I don’t know what I’m doing enough to tear the lower unit apart safely and quickly. I do know how to weld, braze, solder though.
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Very common for welding shops or prop shops to tig these back togther on the boat with out disassembly.

Ditch the hydrofoil. That’s why it broke.
 
the casting breaks as it isn't thick enough to handle the load the 'fin' puts on it when the boat is moving...
 
wndsofchng06 said:
Interesting! Thanks. I would have never thought of that
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Mako has it. The cav plate is not made for that kind of load. The hydrofoil manufacturers leave that out of the sales pitch.

I had a cheap plastic two piece (two bolt holes on each side of the plate) foil on my alpha gen one years ago. It definitely helped planning until it snapped the cav plate at the bolt holes...

I found the same performance benefits - hole shot and stern lift going to an inexpensive aluminum Michigan Votex 4 blade prop
 
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