After cruising in the North Channel with no problems (a great adventure) on our way back to home port in Grand Haven we experienced a vibration and had to slow down. I went into the nearest port and had the boat lifted thinking we probably snagged a fishing net which are common in the area. Well it turns out the shaft is slightly bent right at the propeller. There is no damage to the propeller and there were no indications we hit anything. So what makes a shaft just bend like that? Has anyone else had a similar experience?
3860 Shaft Bent
- Thread starter PJS
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2003
- RO Number
- 12212
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- 12,188
you have to haul out up there to check for lines or nets ? water is too cold to get in ? yikes...
if the vibration came suddenly, you had to have hit something, may a log ? lucky it didn't hit the prop, might have just bounced off the shaft. when you say near the prop, you mean just ahead of the strut, right ? no damage to the strut either, all bolts tights?
if the vibration came suddenly, you had to have hit something, may a log ? lucky it didn't hit the prop, might have just bounced off the shaft. when you say near the prop, you mean just ahead of the strut, right ? no damage to the strut either, all bolts tights?
HI I have a 3860 and last year I made a trip with
the cruise club over to the Island (West End).
Then to Orchid Bay Bahamas. I took a few people
to Hope Town . On the way back with people on board the boat was going about 25 knots. Then
the boat shook the boat bad. Then aloud bang that scared the hell out of us.Then the boat was dead in the water. I jumped in and went under to see that the shaft broke off right at the strut.I had the boat towed to West Palm Beach Fla to have it fixed.The alighnment was off.That whole thing cost
$18,000.00 to be fixed. I called Regal and they
said too bad I have 300 hours and its a 2003 model.This is only a 1/4 of my problems with this year and model. So have your shaft looked at and the bearing in the struts to see if there are any play in them.
the cruise club over to the Island (West End).
Then to Orchid Bay Bahamas. I took a few people
to Hope Town . On the way back with people on board the boat was going about 25 knots. Then
the boat shook the boat bad. Then aloud bang that scared the hell out of us.Then the boat was dead in the water. I jumped in and went under to see that the shaft broke off right at the strut.I had the boat towed to West Palm Beach Fla to have it fixed.The alighnment was off.That whole thing cost
$18,000.00 to be fixed. I called Regal and they
said too bad I have 300 hours and its a 2003 model.This is only a 1/4 of my problems with this year and model. So have your shaft looked at and the bearing in the struts to see if there are any play in them.
Part of regular spring maintenance should be shaft alignment once the boat is placed in the water. This is of particular importance if boat is hauled and dry stored during the winter.
Also be certain to check cutlass bearings along with proper water flow thru dripless packing shaft while the boat is on blocks. A small amount of sand and mud can easily restrict the flow of water thru the hoses.
Also be certain to check cutlass bearings along with proper water flow thru dripless packing shaft while the boat is on blocks. A small amount of sand and mud can easily restrict the flow of water thru the hoses.
You are right about spring maintenance and the shaft. On the other hand in sunny florida the boat
sits in the water 24/7 12 months , the only time
the boat comes out is for a bottom paint job.Thats
about every two years. Thats when all that maintenance is done. I have a diver that goes down to scrap and change zinc and check anything
that look out of place.
Bodners 3860
sits in the water 24/7 12 months , the only time
the boat comes out is for a bottom paint job.Thats
about every two years. Thats when all that maintenance is done. I have a diver that goes down to scrap and change zinc and check anything
that look out of place.
Bodners 3860
A couple of follow-up questions if you don't mind Bodners. Do you think you hit something? Or are you saying an alignment problem caused the shaft to bend and break? I do have my alignment checked regularly. Since I don't believe I hit anything I did ask if this could have been caused by an alignment problem. The consensus answer was no that the alignment would not go bad suddenly unless the mounting bolts were loose, and they were all still tight. I can't help but wonder if the shaft was just weak for some reason and just gave out. Also, Bodners did you replace your shaft with an OEM part or have one custom made?
I had the shaft check out at the west Palm marina
they told me that it was a stress crack were the
key goes to the prop. The different color of the metal were the hair line crack and the fresh break.They seen no sigh of any damage any were. Ive been having problems with this port side
from day one. Ive changed out the dripless seal
twice on the port side.Once just over a 150 hour
and then again about 300 hr give or take. I called
the place that build them and told me they should last about 5 years under normal use.Plus the cutless bearing was worn. I was told by the marine
that he never seen a bearing wear so fast. He has charter boats go out every day and he changes then out once a year. So thats when they went looked into the alignment.It was off a 1/4 of an inch. As for the shaft it came from the Regal plant with two new props because they change the style. The boat runs great now.
they told me that it was a stress crack were the
key goes to the prop. The different color of the metal were the hair line crack and the fresh break.They seen no sigh of any damage any were. Ive been having problems with this port side
from day one. Ive changed out the dripless seal
twice on the port side.Once just over a 150 hour
and then again about 300 hr give or take. I called
the place that build them and told me they should last about 5 years under normal use.Plus the cutless bearing was worn. I was told by the marine
that he never seen a bearing wear so fast. He has charter boats go out every day and he changes then out once a year. So thats when they went looked into the alignment.It was off a 1/4 of an inch. As for the shaft it came from the Regal plant with two new props because they change the style. The boat runs great now.
My keyway does look unusual. At the stern end of the prop the keyway is perfectly aligned between shaft and prop. At the forward end of the prop you can see that the keyway is offset by a good 1/3 as if the shaft twisted inside the prop. My props are 22-23. What size are the new props you put on?
The new props are 22x 22.5 .Thats the new size that they are useing.
Looking back to your first question , it sounds like the same thing happened to me but I was running at 25 knot, it took 4 seconds and it was over. I think you should have both shafts check out for a piece of mind.I dont know what year you have .If its a 2003 maybe they receive a bad shipment.I can thank God that the prop didnt come up thru the hull with it turning over 3000 RPM.It would be sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
I wish you well in your finding. Its a great boat, we love it.
Looking back to your first question , it sounds like the same thing happened to me but I was running at 25 knot, it took 4 seconds and it was over. I think you should have both shafts check out for a piece of mind.I dont know what year you have .If its a 2003 maybe they receive a bad shipment.I can thank God that the prop didnt come up thru the hull with it turning over 3000 RPM.It would be sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
I wish you well in your finding. Its a great boat, we love it.
PJS
the failure of the shaft can be due to many things. to rule out impact you may want to have the old shaft examined. if the key was not properly installed and or the props not seated correctly you could have had the wheels bearing on the key/keyway instead of seated on the shaft. if there was an impact you have to bear in mind you would not neccesarily hear it. at full load the stress on the shaft to drive the boat is very high, even a small impact under that load can be enough to make a shaft snap.
the failure of the shaft can be due to many things. to rule out impact you may want to have the old shaft examined. if the key was not properly installed and or the props not seated correctly you could have had the wheels bearing on the key/keyway instead of seated on the shaft. if there was an impact you have to bear in mind you would not neccesarily hear it. at full load the stress on the shaft to drive the boat is very high, even a small impact under that load can be enough to make a shaft snap.
Vic
Most boaters who hear my story believe I must have hit something. In addition to not hearing or feeling any impact, my prop appears to be in perfect shape. That is what suprised me. I would've thought an impact that could twist the shaft would have caused at least some damage to the prop. The shaft is bent right at the prop. This seemed very unusual to me. Do you hear of this kind of problem fairly often?
Most boaters who hear my story believe I must have hit something. In addition to not hearing or feeling any impact, my prop appears to be in perfect shape. That is what suprised me. I would've thought an impact that could twist the shaft would have caused at least some damage to the prop. The shaft is bent right at the prop. This seemed very unusual to me. Do you hear of this kind of problem fairly often?
PJS
I have had some friends hit things in the water and had the shaft snap at the wheel. there is always a chance that the shaft had a structural defect in it at the shaft end, but that would be unlikely compared to hitting a submerged object like a large fish, turtle or clump of fishing net. it is also possible that you picked up a large line and severed it as you bent the shaft.
if you have not done so already, i would have the wheels sent to a prop shop for an inspection. i would bet there may be at least one blade that is going to be off pitch now even if there is no visible damage.
I have had some friends hit things in the water and had the shaft snap at the wheel. there is always a chance that the shaft had a structural defect in it at the shaft end, but that would be unlikely compared to hitting a submerged object like a large fish, turtle or clump of fishing net. it is also possible that you picked up a large line and severed it as you bent the shaft.
if you have not done so already, i would have the wheels sent to a prop shop for an inspection. i would bet there may be at least one blade that is going to be off pitch now even if there is no visible damage.
Update. The port shaft was changed out today. Prop was in perfect shape. The shaft had a break (90% through it) in the area covered by the prop. In the opinion of my mechanic it was a defective shaft. He saved it. I contacted Regal to inform them and offered them the opportunity to see the broken shaft. Hopefully they will take a serious look to determine if any other potentially dangerous shafts are in other customer's boats.
PJS;
if you can demonstrate that the shaft had a structural defect, i would think that regal would be able to help you get a replacement shaft. if the boat is out of warranty, i would ask them to contact the vendor and see if they will get you a new shaft. out of warranty will leave you without labor and haulout costs. i think its worth asking for, even if you keep the new one as a spare. just my 2 cents.
good luck!
if you can demonstrate that the shaft had a structural defect, i would think that regal would be able to help you get a replacement shaft. if the boat is out of warranty, i would ask them to contact the vendor and see if they will get you a new shaft. out of warranty will leave you without labor and haulout costs. i think its worth asking for, even if you keep the new one as a spare. just my 2 cents.
good luck!
I don't have a clue how I would demonstrate a structural defect other than to show them the broken shaft which I have offered to do. The $$ involved are not large enough for me to waste my time arguing about. I'm back to enjoying my boat. I'll leave it to Regal to decide if they want to investigate the problem further or not.
PJS
Dont waste your time with Regal.All they are going to tell you is the boat is out of warranty
and if you have extended coverage with Volvo extended protection take it up with them.If they do you are lucky.I know it happen to me. I been around and around with them . The dont care.There is only one year warrenty they told me.To bad .Some thing else you might look into is you collector pipes on you engines. IN late model 2002 they had a problem with them blowing off causing water damage in the engine room. The old style did not have a lip at the end of the pipe that goes into the rubber hose. The clams that were on their did not hold the pipe very well while under full power. The back pressure would build and blow the pipes off.It happened to me twice, and it also happened to a couple we knew in our cruise club.It happened to us just months after we bought the boat.Brand new. The new pipes have a lip on them so if the pipes do slide the clams will catch on the lip . Maybe you have the new style I dont know ,if not look in to it. You dont want this to happen. My engine room is a mess. Regal said its fine. I have rust every were. The other couple he is a laywer. So the gave him a new boat .Me Theyre just pushing me around .
Dont waste your time with Regal.All they are going to tell you is the boat is out of warranty
and if you have extended coverage with Volvo extended protection take it up with them.If they do you are lucky.I know it happen to me. I been around and around with them . The dont care.There is only one year warrenty they told me.To bad .Some thing else you might look into is you collector pipes on you engines. IN late model 2002 they had a problem with them blowing off causing water damage in the engine room. The old style did not have a lip at the end of the pipe that goes into the rubber hose. The clams that were on their did not hold the pipe very well while under full power. The back pressure would build and blow the pipes off.It happened to me twice, and it also happened to a couple we knew in our cruise club.It happened to us just months after we bought the boat.Brand new. The new pipes have a lip on them so if the pipes do slide the clams will catch on the lip . Maybe you have the new style I dont know ,if not look in to it. You dont want this to happen. My engine room is a mess. Regal said its fine. I have rust every were. The other couple he is a laywer. So the gave him a new boat .Me Theyre just pushing me around .
Something tells me there is much more to this story than you are letting on bodners. My experience and that of many others is Regal will regularly step up to the plate and make things right. If you really feel the other guy got better treatment than ask him to represent you.
I actually did have the same problem with the exhaust tubes coming apart during the first season I had the boat. However, I noticed something was wrong because the bilge pump came on, shut the engine down and was able to patch it back together to stop the spray till we got back to port (it took multiple attempts and lots of duct tape). Regal expedited new parts to the dealer and it was fixed within two days. I didn't miss a weekend on the water. While I would rather not have had to experience the problem, I thought Regal and the dealer did a good job of getting it fixed. I don't have a rust problem but we are in fresh water. After they replaced the tubing I put marks on it at the edge of the rubber hose and to this day I check it regularly for any sign that the hose is backing off the tube. I can't imagine anyone getting a replacement boat due to this defect alone.