VP outdrive bellows post

[mbird]

Glad it's progressing well!

With regard changing exhaust bellows etc., I didn't bother either as they looked in good condition and are muc hless critical than the drive bellows. Similarly I didn't changed the pick-up tubes either as these are near impossible to do in my engine bay and would have resulted in having to remove an engine I suspect. They have to be withdrawn from inside due to the swaged end.

One point to note, carefully check the fitting where the pickup pipe joins onto the drive. The earlier ones are metal, but the later ones, like mine, are plastic and very easy to break. We cracked them on both my drives simply laying the drive down wrong and had to replace them.

Lastly, the plastic bushes for the pivot pins should always be replaced as a matter of course.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the quick replies again.

Yes, Antares wins the observation prize, it's a 1/4" square drive socket pushing against the tilt pin from the inside, and a large 1/2" square drive socket over the pin being driven out.

Very fidly to get started, (holding three things at once), but once it was tight it drove the pin out nice and smooth.

Not all of my socket sets are that shiny, it's just that I've amassed such a collection over the years that some are newer than others...

My pick up tube fitting on the drive is metal, but not corroded, maybe it's already been replaced.

I haven't fathomed out how the pickup tube connects at the shield end yet. I hear what you're saying, and it seems to go through the shield itself, but how can it then be a watertight seal ? On the inside it's a thick stainless steel riser tube bolted onto a flange. Do you mean that the inner end of the pickup tube is in a recess behind the flange ?

Lucky I had a spare prop set, I guess this was the cause of the vibration at 5mph. What with that and the play in the tilt bushes and the steering helmet bush, keeping a straight wake was even more difficult than usual for an outdrive.

I guess I'll get a few quotes on having this set repaired. I was lucky with the spare set, I got them off Ebay during the winter for £150....

[mbird]

I haven't fathomed out how the pickup tube connects at the shield end yet. I hear what you're saying, and it seems to go through the shield itself, but how can it then be a watertight seal ? On the inside it's a thick stainless steel riser tube bolted onto a flange. Do you mean that the inner end of the pickup tube is in a recess behind the flange ?

That's my understanding yes. The tube pushes through from inside and then in clamped in place by the metal riser, though I have not seen it with my own eyes.

With regard to the prop refurb, Steel Developments are very good IMHO, but I also know of someone who recommends a chap in Caister in Norfolk. LEt me know if you want his contact details at all.

[Guest]

I always prefer to go on a recommendation, rather than blind.

Is it this one ?

Propeller Repairs 33, West Road NR30 5AX Caister-on-sea 01493 377993

If so I'll give him a ring and see how much. It's a bit like having a spare tyre on a car. Now that I know I can change it afloat, I don't want to carry a flat tyre around with me..

[pks1702]

Caister is clearly logistically much better for you but Steel Developments really know what they are doing.

I have had really good service from them.

http://www.steeldevelopments.co.uk/Prop_Repairs.html

[mbird]

The mobile number I have is 07747692181 and the chaps name is Pat Payne. A friend who's judgment I respect had a couple of stainless props repaired by him a few weeks back and was very pleased with both the service and cost. He is also a stainless fabricator. I'm not sure if he deals with ally props though, so that might be worth asking!

I haven't personally used him, but did send all 4 of Serenity's ally props off to Steel Developments last year and, same as Perry, was very happy with the service they provided too. It's just a bit of a pain boxing up 4 props!!

[Guest]

I have to admit I hadn't actually looked at Steel Developments website, and seen that it's all nicely explained with standard prices (up to a certain size anyway). I had assumed the process might be complicated by the need to get an estimate first, and that's not the case.

Quite reasonable too (a very pleasant surprise), assuming my duoprops would be charged as two 14.1/8" - 16" diameter @ £38.50 each plus vat giving £101.40 including return postage.

Thanks for the info.

[Guest]

Well, it's all finished now, and back on the boat.

Plan A worked fine for refitting the leg single-handed as well, with the addition of using a plank and pivot to rest it on. This allowed minute height adjustments of the 44 kg to line up the pins before tapping them in.

After stripping the paint from the leg and the shield, I gave it three coats of Interprotect epoxy, and two of Trilux antifoul, which was close to the original VP factory colour.

I'm trying magnesium anodes, as 99% of the time I'm well up river from the salt.

I changed the UJs in the Gimbal bearing as well, as there was quite a bit of sideways play, and they were 22 years old. Only £28 each from keypart, so they seemed quite cheap compared with the damned Volvo rubber exhaust flap, which was £46 ! (just for the rubber bit)

I also had to change the steering helmet bushes on mine, as there was quite a bit of slack, probably never been changed from new.

It all went quite well really, despite being something of a daunting task to begin with, so many thanks to the various very useful bits of advice from people on here and other Internet sources. I have numerous receipts from previous owners who had paid out quite large sums in the past for bellows replacements and servicing, but none of the mechanics seemed to have checked any further...

[Swordfish]

That's a very nice looking job. I'm sure it will now give you confidence for future use of the boat, a clean and freshly painted drive does make future maintenance much easier.

How do you find the steering fin in use ? I tried the single fin type and found it caused excessive steering load problems.

[Guest]

How do you find the steering fin in use ? I tried the single fin type and found it caused excessive steering load problems.

I always fit a "Ruddersafe" to my outboard or outdrive boats.

It transforms the handling at displacement speeds.

They seem quite expensive at first, but they're extremely well made, and they are the only type that has an automatic lifting mechanism, so that the blades lift out of the slipstream of the prop at higher speeds, so have no influence when planing.

Each time I've fitted one, the boat has then handled like a displacement boat with a rudder, making course corrections far fewer and with much less wheel movement. You can even take a photo or eat a sandwich without veering into the bank !

It makes docking much more precise too, forwards or backwards, because you still have steerage, even with the engine in neutral.