Marinette Boat Forum

Question . For those that have " been there done that".
Changing struts.
Do I need to realign the shafts and engines?
Thanks, Wayne

I would think so. But I'm no expert.

Here is how I do it using the shaft as the alignment tool:
Disconnect shaft from engine. Center the shaft in the shaft log. Position the strut in place over the shaft and in place against the hull. Mark and drill holes. Mount the strut. Align the engine.

Keep in mind that a new strut will almost never line up with the existing holes. Pay close attention to how the shaft sits in the strut bearing. You may have to rotate or move it forward/back from where you think it should go to get nice equal contact between shaft and bearing. If you have to move it more than an inch forward or back then you should probably recheck your strut.

The best way to center the shaft in the log is to pull the gland and hose and use wood shims. However, if you pay close attention, you can use the gland and hose, with some blocks and shims under the coupler, and eyeball the alignment. Pay no attention to the engine coupler until it is time to align the engine.

Thanks, That is not what I wanted to hear. These jobs are always involve more than you expect , B.O. A. T. " bring out another thousand"
Wayne

I always thought it meant "Bust Out another Thousand." Oh well...

Most likely you'll need to shim the new assemble (with stainless shims) to get it square. Not too bad a job (says the guy who doesn't need to do it!) Good luck.

Jeff

Something interesting, the Marinette is the only boat that I have worked on that has a rubber gasket between the strut and hull. All the wooden boats I work on either have wood shims or have the hull hogged out to get the strut right. All the glass boats have plastic, or cast in place epoxy shims. The big boats have jacking bolts to get the strut exactly where you need it, then inject thickened epoxy for shims. Then bed them in sealant. The Marinette just has the gasket with some sealant around the bolts.

Mine did not, so I suspect some P O did that to her. Stainless shims are normally used here.

Jeff

Where did you get your struts? I got mine directly from Marinette, they bolted right into place. Contacted one place that told me they could make them but to try to get them directly from Marinette just for the alignment factor. The father said they had the original jigs, anyone spoke with them lately?

I'm getting them from Marinette. Talked to Tom yesterday. He said his son was getting better.
Wayne