28TE stern tube construction

[Nancy]

How is the fiberglass stern tube fastened? Does it go through the hull and skeg. Does it connect to the stern bearing housing?

[Nancy]

I'm still hoping to get some input on this question. In order to do some work on the transom, we have an empty bilge - the engine and fuel tank have been removed. This is our big chance to take care of all items that are usually inaccessible. One of those items is the stern tube, which appears to have only been glassed in at the bottom of the boat. Ours had become detached. It's a long fiberglass tube with no support. I'd love to know whether it's supported on other 28's, and if so, how.

[RobS]

Have any pics? Here's T-R's when I had the engine out..

[Nancy]

I don't have a photo of it in the boat. I wasn't there when the engine came out, but it looks like it came out as a unit with the housing. The stern tube didn't seem to be fastened to the hull at all. I can get more specifics from our mechanic as to what he found if it would be helpful.

stern tube-11.22.17-1600.JPG

[Ben423]

The part you're referring to looks like a shaft log. It should be securely glassed into the the hull. The inboard end of it is where the shaft seal, or stuffing box, is attached. On the 28, the aft end of the shaft log terminates at the stern bearing housing (Buck Algonquin #24034, I think). The shaft log is usually made of fiberglass. Most are manufactured by Centek and you can buy them from most chandleries.

[Nancy]

Thanks, Ben. Yes, that is the part. I think the housing is OK. Definitely need a new cutless bearing. (And of course we'll be checking the shaft for straightness.) Our tube was flapping in the breeze. We can certainly glass it in. Interesting that there's no support further inboard.

[RobS]

Nancy as to your concern about "no support further inboard.".. look at pic I posted above from my 28, the tube ends just fwd of the band clamps. There is not much protruding inside the hull - just enough to install your packing gland or seal assembly. And if all is in proper alignment radial loads are a non issue.

Going to be a tad tricky as to installing that shaft log properly aligned without the engine/gear and shaft in place as the driveline is your "jig". Right way would be to drop the engine/gear in place in proper position, reinstall the shaft and then position and align the tube/bearing housing accordingly.

[Sisu22]

So it looks like the consensus is that it is just glassed in where it comes into the bilge (forward) and then bolted to the keel outside the hull?

[Nancy]

Rob,

Our tube is 4' long, and it's entirely inside the hull. There is no floor in our bilge. It just gets progressively deeper at the keel and exits at the housing.

The PSS shaft seal connects at the inboard end of the tube. I've just checked with the mechanic, and the tube is not fastened anywhere except to the stern bearing housing.

Re: the three photos you posted this morning, are those from T-R? They look nothing like our fit-up. If they're from T-R, I'll post photos of our drive train.

[RobS]

Yes sounds like definitely different. Would be good to post some pics. I do recall conversation with someone who mentioned that the earlier 28TEs had problems with the way the shaft log was installed but I never really got into it with him.

Only the first picture I posted was of T-R, the rest were just to show how the shaft is used as the jig to set the tube, those were some re-power pics from Seaboard

[Nancy]

** Warning ** The bilge still has 22 years of filth in it.

The stern tube is 4' long , and the PSS shaft seal connects to the inboard end of it. This is (I use the term loosely) accessible from the storage compartment on the port side of the engine.

We may look for a way to construct some kind of support for the drive shaft or the stern tube. It's a long run for the drive shaft from the transmission to the stern bearing housing with no intermediate strut or support.

shaft seal-07.02.17-1600.JPG

bilge-2-10.03.17-1600.jpg

bilge-26-10.03.17-1600.jpg

rudder & prop-1-081312-1600.JPG

[socalmike]

Yup. That's different from what I had. Mine had a flat bottom just like robs did with the stern tube protruding 4 inches I would say. I believe the keel was filled with fiberglass, securing the stern tube in place. With the engine out, the only guide you have is the stern bearing housing as it is machined to fit inside the stern tube I believe, and bolted to the keel.

[Nancy]

Hmm, very interesting, Mike. Good to sort out another of life's little mysteries.

[Pitou]

I didn't have time to reply earlier today, but I wanted to concur with Mike and Rob that my '02 28TE had the keel filled with fiberglass as Mike has described in his response above and just a short piece of glass shaft log protruding through the glass. The filled keel becomes your support. The filled flat area had a pick-up for the bilge pump located on the mechanical self under the helm seat and a third bilge pump fully aft against the transom because that is where any bilge water will run to when underway without having a hollow keel. I'd strongly consider this retrofit.

Here is a link to the Centek site for for fiberglass replacment shaft logs:
http://www.centekindustries.com/product ... haft-logs/
I used Centek last year for surge tube addition when I did a refit on my exhaust riser. Good products.

The shaft log would then run from the outer edge of the keel where the shaft bearing housing bolts on and through the newly glass filled keel to the shaft seal as in Rob's picture. This set-up solves the support issue and brings your shaft set-up to date with later Albin builds. The updated set-up will also keep your bilge a lot cleaner. This is not as big of a project as it seems, but the gear and most likely engine will have to be placed back in the hull which ever direction you decide to head.

[Nancy]

Very interesting, Kevin. Thank you for all those details. It sounds like the gear and probably the engine would need to be installed before doing fiberglass work in the keel - do I have that right? (It makes sense that they would because how else could the shaft tube be installed in the correct position.) If so, how would the fiberglass be installed in the keel? There is so little access.