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Ewan.The shaft was ordered by the yard but so I don’t know who it was from. I know I paid shipping from Tampa. The shaft was $737 but I paid more to get it fit, faced and shipped to KW.The work was done by Marine Diesel of Florida Keys on Stock Island. 305-292-2300, Mark de Jong. He is an experienced old salt and expert on the Max-Prop, which I can’t even find in my home port. (Tor, he also is a Yanmar guy). I’m sure I paid all premium pricing because I was broken down in a strange port.
Charliesv/OneEighty, #54Bob. I just had a new shaft installed last week and the invoice says 1 1/2 x 66 ss shaft and (1) Walter style coupling. That’s all. When the shaft got to Key West (via fedex) the mechanic had to cut about an inch off the taper to fit the Max-prop. The old shaft was bronze and had two bends in it from a wrap in a jib sheet. I had just spent two weeks in Cuba and fouled the prop just as I was approaching the Key West sea buoy. I don’t know if that’s lucky or unlucky. Either way it was expensive, and an unexpected week on the hard.Charliesv/OneEighty, #54Are cast aluminum ports stock on 424’s? I’ve heard that the factory put plastic ports on, but my boat has the heavy cast aluminum opening dogged ports that appear old but I don’t know if they were original or upgraded at some time. With cleaning and new seals they are working fine and I have been able to polish them to a near SS shine.Charlies/v OneEighty, hull 54Ewan. I read Tor’s write up last year while my boat was on the hard and checked my keel bottom. It scared me to death. I was about 1/4 inch from taking water. I had a fiberglass pro grind out all the crack in the bottom and re-lay with bi-axel glass the length of the keel from the lead and everything up about 15 inches. I also had the bottom soda blasted to the glass and put several new epoxy barrier coats before the antifouling. Had major blisters. Yes all that was expensive but it feels good knowing I have a sound bottom now. As much as I seem to run aground I may have to do that every few years. I pulled the boat this February just to check it out before crossing the Gulf and everything was holding up well.
We are on our way to Cuba now.CharlieOneEighty #54Chuck: Ooh, that is not good news. I was under the impression that the solenoid would get hot and then cut off, and that cooling would re-set it. Since I bypassed the solenoid I have crossed the Gulf (500miles with lots of engine time) 3 times and have had no problems. That’s why I said “problem solved”. I did, however consider fuel sludge being the problem, but had since dismissed that. When I changed the fuel filters, they were not in bad or dirty shape. I am, however, always in fear of engine quitting just when I need it. I just put 50-60 hours on the engine last week bringing the boat from Gulf Shores to Marathon, and plan to go to Cuba in April. I really don’t want any mechanical issues there. I did just buy a funnel fuel filter for use when I pour in my jerry cans fuel, or when I buy fuel from a foreign marina. Has anyone had good/bad experience with those?
Charlie
sv/OneEighty #54
Chuck: Ooh, that is not good news. I was under the impression
that the solenoid would get hot and then cut off, and that cooling would re-set
it. Since I bypassed the solenoid I have crossed the Gulf (500miles with lots
of engine time) 3 times and have had no problems. That’s why I said
“problem solved”. I did, however consider fuel sludge being the
problem, but had since dismissed that. When I changed the fuel filters, they
were not in bad or dirty shape. I am, however, always in fear of engine
quitting just when I need it. I just put 50-60 hours on the engine last week
bringing the boat from Gulf Shores to Marathon, and plan to go to Cuba in
April. I really don’t want any mechanical issues there. I did just buy a
funnel fuel filter for use when I pour in my jerry cans fuel, or when I buy
fuel from a foreign marina. Has anyone had good/bad experience with those?Charlie
sv/OneEighty #54
You probably have the info you need by now about the fuel solenoid, but I had an experience with mine, and it caused lots of headaches.
Mine worked great until I got out of the US on an Exuma trip in 2013, and then just as I was entering the Bahama Banks at South Riding Rocks (note the name, “rocks”) my engine went dead. I let it sit for about 30 minutes and then when I cranked it, it ran fine….until the next time. On that trip it failed me 3-4 times, each time was totally at random and while motoring into a narrow channel with wind, current and rocks. Unfortunately I didn’t know the cause was the solenoid, so I started trouble shooting everything in the fuel system, especially filters and pumps, and ended up creating an even bigger problem by stripping out a fuel line banjo bolt going to the mechanical fuel pump. Had to fly a new one in to $taniel Cay. I spent weeks fixing things that were never broken. When I got back to Marathon a month later, I went to remove the solenoid and discovered that it had a set-screw that put it in bypass mode. One turn of the screw and all problems solved. It is still installed, but bypassed. I caused myself great pain by not knowing the root cause of the failures, and “fixing” everything else.
Charlie
OneEighty #54Now that you have it out, how difficult would it be to replace the glass, and what would one use? Mine is so scratched I can hardly see through it.
Charlie
OneEighty #54That seems to be low hours for a 35 year old engine, and not extreme for any diesel. Why did you replace it? Just curious. Charlie, OneEighty #54
I love to hear that kind of story. I love it when a plan works out better than you expected…especially when you are far from home-port.
Tor: I agree with your assessment and comment. I was
going to say something myself, but I didn’t know if anyone else was having the
same issues. I am, at times, just getting emails that are a response to something
that I haven’t seen. Emails without context or background become
annoying. I thought maybe I wasn’t doing something that I should be to
see what the messages were about.Charlie
OneEighty, #54
Ewan. Question. How do I get my owner website listed on Living The Dream?CharlieOneEighty #54
