1986 36 Albin Trawler water leak by shaft log.

[Great White]

I have noticed a slight water leak from the limber holes in the bulkhead which has the shaft log and seal bolted to it. The water appears to be coming from that bulkhead as there is no water aft of the limber holes but water does come forward from the holes. Has anyone removed the shaft log that is bolted to the bulkhead with four bolts? If so is there a shaft tube that runs through the keel that may be leaking water? The seal and shaft is cooled by water from the exhaust riser and I thought may be the source.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks, Ken

[psneeld]

The answer is yes...at least I think so....the shaft log is usually stainless...threaded on to the inside and prop side cutlass bearing carriers.

I have been told everything from not too bad to scrap the boat in trying to fix (remove) the tube. The smarter bunch seems to think you can coat the tube with epoxy or reline it with a thinner tube and epoxy.

I sent a camera up mine and it looked pretty good...but a couple of pinholes will leak like a bandit and are hard to see.

[jleonard]

Shaft log colonoscopy eh? Good idea I think i,ll get one scheduled.
Really its a good idea.

[Great White]

Thanks for the replies. I also spoke to Terry today and I now understand what is in there. The bad side is if it is my stern tube that is leaking I am not sure if there is much I can do unless the leak is within reach when I change the cutlass bearings. Has anyone out there had any luck in replacing or repairing a stern tube??

Thanks to all

[psneeld]

Thanks for the replies. I also spoke to Terry today and I now understand what is in there. The bad side is if it is my stern tube that is leaking I am not sure if there is much I can do unless the leak is within reach when I change the cutlass bearings. Has anyone out there had any luck in replacing or repairing a stern tube??

Thanks to all

I talked to a boat yard in New Hampshire that did a 36 Albin a few years back...they said it took a month of hydraulic pressure and constant adjustments to get the whole rotted stainless tube out...others have cut away their keel to do it more rapidly. The yard said they would never do one again.

I'm sure that's where a nagging leak I have is coming from...well...almost sure...and my keel was full of water when I ground through a bad spot when reglassing my bottom last year.

I doubt I would ever attempt removing mine unless I was on the hard for a year anyway...there's really not much in the way that it affects the boat in the long run...and actually the hollow keel full of water may help stability.

Talking to other boat yard pros....we all considered lining the tube with a coating of thickened epoxy or even sliding a premade thin tube of epoxy/glass into the existing one like a replaceable liner. If you have shaft whip it may wear out in less than a year so it may be all for naught unless you made it with some intermediate bearings.

[Great White]

Scott,
Thanks for the reply. Looks like I will have to live with my little leak.. I agree that it appears to be more work than it is worth.

Ken

[psneeld]

Scott,
Thanks for the reply. Looks like I will have to live with my little leak.. I agree that it appears to be more work than it is worth.

Ken

That's pretty much the thoughts of many of us who have looked into the repair...

[rebuckley]

Simply one other spot that water gets into these sponges....

[Captn_Dwt]

If you have shaft whip it may wear out in less than a year so it may be all for naught unless you made it with some intermediate bearings.[/quote]

Please explain what "shaft whip" is??

[mike66]

The shaft flexes as it turns and would rub up against the new lining.

[jleonard]

Why couldn't one make a special deep hole saw and bore out the old tube? Take a standard hole saw, cut it and add a length of tube by welding, then bore out the old tube.
Maybe I'm not understanding the issue.

[meridian]

The tube is about 7 feet long. I saw a 36' that the owner dug out the old tube from above. Took a long time as it is set in cement.

[jleonard]

The tube is about 7 feet long. I saw a 36' that the owner dug out the old tube from above. Took a long time as it is set in cement.

Oh. It's no where near that long on my 40. I'm guessing 8 to 12 inches??

[psneeld]

The tube is about 7 feet long. I saw a 36' that the owner dug out the old tube from above. Took a long time as it is set in cement.

Oh. It's no where near that long on my 40. I'm guessing 8 to 12 inches??

Jay...there is a bronze stuffing box on the inside of the boat with a cutlass bearing (I think...maybe not) and a bronze fitting on the back of the keel that slips over 2 studs threaded into the keel and holds the second cutlass bearing....between the 2 is either a stainless tube threaded onto the 2 bronze fitting or a bronze tube (again I can't confirm but think the other material was bronze but it could have been glass).

On my boat that interior tube has to be 6-8 feet as my shaft was a tad longer.

When that tube leaks...supposedly water finds it's way along the keel filler (concrete or a resin sand combo on many boats) cracks voids...etc and finds it's way in my case into the hollow keel or up into the bilge.

[jleonard]

I sit corrected! I checked mine today and it IS around 6 feet.
That said, I think if I had to do this job I would grind into the keel area from one side. Grind out whatever was necessary to remove the tube, etc., replace it maybe with fiberglass, then glass the keel back together.