[Public-List] Engine Alignment

[dan walker]

of course gord, i believe you! i bet roger does not

--- On Wed, 12/30/09, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net> wrote:

> From: Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net>
> Subject: Re: [Public-List] Engine Alignment
> To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
> Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 11:29 PM
> HONESTLY -
> 
> I
> 
> WAS
> 
> NOT
> 
> ABOARD
> 
> THAT
> 
> BOAT!
> 
> 
> The owner of the boat told the story afterward... he is now
> a senior  
> exec of a large bank...
> 
> G
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 30-Dec-09, at 9:55 PM, dan walker wrote:
> 
> > so gord
> > were you at the tiller, or did u dash below??????
> >
> > --- On Tue, 12/29/09, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net>
> wrote:
> >
> >> From: Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net>
> >> Subject: Re: [Public-List] Engine Alignment
> >> To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org
> 
> >> >
> >> Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2009, 6:18 PM
> >> 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
> >>>>
> _______________________________________________
> >>>> These businesses support your
> Association:
> >>>> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> >>>> Please support them.
> >>>>
> _______________________________________________
> >>>> Public-List mailing list
> >>>> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> >>>> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> _______________________________________________
> >>> These businesses support your Association:
> >>> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> >>> Please support them.
> >>>
> _______________________________________________
> >>> Public-List mailing list
> >>> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> >>> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> These businesses support your Association:
> >> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> >> Please support them.
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Public-List mailing list
> >> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> >> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > These businesses support your Association:
> > http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> > Please support them.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Public-List mailing list
> > Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> > http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> 
> _______________________________________________
> These businesses support your Association:
> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> Please support them.
> _______________________________________________
> Public-List mailing list
> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> 


      

 1262272818.0