[Public-List] Engine Alignment

Tue Dec 29 18:29:43 PST 2009

doggonit Gord you have the best stories, and a real knack for telling them.

J

On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 6:18 PM, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net> wrote:
> Here is a true story...
>
> A wooden Folkboat with an inboard engine (clearly not TOUCH WOOD - she never
> had an inboard) was happily sailing across Toronto Harbour one night many
> years ago.   The fellows sailing the boat thought it would be fun to set the
> 'chute so up it went.
>
> All good things must come to an end, and sure enough after a time the far
> side of the harbour began to loom large.   But what ho, perhaps they did not
> need to douse the chute, perhaps, they reckoned, they might sail through the
> harbour's Western Gap channel under spinnaker.  Oh what Sea Scourges they'd
> be with that tale to tell.  Onwards they went. (have a look at Google Earth
> to see the Western Gap Channel)
>
> Their happiness was somewhat dampened when they got into the channel and
> discovered that they could barely lay it reaching under the spinnaker with
> the pole laid hard against the forestay.  The boat was now doing over 7knts
> and they were being steadily pressed toward the northern (leeward) side of
> the channel.   They decided to lower the chute but found that halyard block
> had jumped its sheave and was jammed.  They could not lower the chute.
> Just as they were digesting this evidence of the developing shipwreck, the
> cross channel ferry to the Toronto Island Airport gave its hoot and shot out
> in front of them.
>
> Thinking swiftly, one of them dove into the cabin and started their Stuart
> Turner gas inboard (called the 'Explosion prone Stuart Turner in Don
> Street's book) Uncharacteristically it started first try.  They slammed it
> into reverse and opened the throttle.  They felt the boat give a violent
> shake and the steering locked.   What had happened was the prop shaft had
> spun back away from the transmission and jammed against the rudder.  Worse,
> the prop had grabbed a line that was trailing in the water and that jumped
> the rudder up almost out of the gudgeons.  The boat was still exceeding hull
> speed.
>
> The guy steering decided it would be better to hit the concrete harbour wall
> than the ferry so he wrenched the tiller as hard as he could to bear away...
> and tore the rudder right off.  Now free of the rudder, the shaft finished
> it's exit and left the boat (luckily still tangled in the sheet).
>
> At this point the first guy dove into the cabin again and scrambled into the
> forepeak.  He grabbed the anchor and threw it up out the forehatch.  It
> cleared the rail and sank, with the anchor line singing out after it at
> about 7knts.
>
> There was nothing more they could do - the boat was sinking, the spinnaker
> was jammed aloft, the ferry and wall were both coming... suddenly the end of
> the anchor line was reached and the boat snapped her head into the wind.
>  She came to rest with her stern within reach of the wall... the ferry
> missed them (likely never saw them, no lights of course).
>
> The owner of the boat rammed a bung into the prop shaft hole while the other
> guy cast off the spinnaker guy.     They opened a couple of beers and
> sighed.
>
> This really happened.
>
> Gord
> #426 Surprise
> On 29-Dec-09, at 6:02 PM, mahseer at kos.net wrote:
>
>> Tom
>>
>> Been there had same problem, not a plesent feeling, I also had the
>> origional bronze shaft.  I had a new bronze shaft made but just before it
>> was ready to be installed I discovered it had been made from bearing
>> bronze and was pourous.  Had the next one made out of stainless steel.
>>
>> John Boor
>> MAHSEER #380
>>
>>
>>> Just thought I would throw in an educational story on engine alignment.
>>>
>>> I bought my Alberg 30 several decades ago, and in its previous life
>>> the engine and shaft had not been realigned, I don't believe. And
>>> every year, into the crane, out of the crane...etc.
>>>
>>> Took the Alberg from St. Andrews, NB down the coast of Maine to
>>> Penobscot Bay, and off North Haven was running the engine since there
>>> was a large following swell and almost no wind. The jerking was the
>>> final straw, I suppose...
>>>
>>> Suddenly the tiller would not work, and when I tried more, the boat
>>> was swirling around in circles. Put up the sails to get some control
>>> (not knowing what else to do), and of course it just made matters
>>> worse, since the Alberg was going in tight circles. Thought a lobster
>>> pot line was grabbed, but that wasn't it.
>>>
>>> Finally decided to take off the steps/engine cover - and with a
>>> flashlight was horrified to see the shaft within a few inches of the
>>> thru-hull.
>>>
>>> Grabbed it with a wrench, and worked it forward. Then happened to
>>> have some brass "snare wire" and used it to get enough friction
>>> around the shaft, and found a way to secure the snare wire.
>>>
>>> Realized it was a definite blessing that the hole between hull and
>>> rudder was small enough that the propeller had fetched up against the
>>> rudder, jamming it initially - but not allowing the shaft to leave!
>>>
>>> Once the shaft was secure, had my wife watch it while I used the late
>>> afternoon breezes to make it across Penobscot Bay and as the final
>>> breath of wind died, made it to one of the outer moorings in Camden
>>> harbor.
>>>
>>> Wayfarer Marine was happy to pull the boat the next morning, and
>>> after almost a week on the dock, I had much time to think about the
>>> matter of engine/shaft alignment. Especially as we were still living
>>> aboard, and everyone going by enjoyed the chance to ask how the
>>> cruising was up there (in the air).
>>>
>>> I realigned yearly from that point.
>>>
>>>
>>> Tom Moffatt
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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>
> _______________________________________________
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> Please support them.
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