J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Prop Shaft Strut replacement

So OK we add another season to the original repair of fiberglassing the strut into the bottom ... no sign of any change.

Just as you had trouble with Vic, mine started leaking again about a month after fairing. I think the vibration cracked the fairing.

I plan to take some pictures and do up some drawings as I'd really like to know the inner guts of how that strut is mounted to the molded recess. The bolts are not visible on the inside, just a square piece of epoxy that the cabin liner abuts. I hope to put it on the hard and remount it but I'd like to know what I am going to find when I start grinding off the backing first.

Scott,

I noticed some cracks around mine when I had Red-Five on the hard last spring. I assumed the damage was from excessive vibration from my prop, which was not always unfolding. I had the yard touch-up the glass work around the strut and replaced the prop as part of the work that was done last year. She's back on the hard for hull paint right now and I checked out the strut on Tuesday. No further problems this year. Maybe the cracking is a symptom of excessive prop/shaft vibration? Have you checked shaft alignment? How's your prop?

Dom, Is the glass right over the base of the strut, or is your strut base completely exposed?

Debating a new Martec prop rather than sending mine in just to see if it can be rebuilt only to find out it isn't worth it. My prop really has trouble unfolding without a wild burst of reverse.

I put in quite a bit of effort aligning my engine last year so the shaft alignment should be good unless the shaft itself isn't true.

Scott,

It's pretty smooth right up to the strut but I'm not sure if it's glass or fairing compound.

There is a guide on the prop on the Martec site in terms of rebuild-ability. The wildcard is the electrolysis factor. How pink is the prop?

The difference in cost between a rebuild and a new prop is about $300. Just enough to make your think long and hard about getting a new one. Sending the prop down to them to find out cost more in yard storage than UPS charges. So it might be best to just order the new one so you don't have to pull the boat out, wait the 10-14 days or so for the whole process of shipping your old prop down, refurbishment and shipping back north.

The strut on my boat - Hull 25 is bent and needs to be replaced. Apparently the dimensions of the strut change depend on when the boat was built. Long shot request but does anyone know of any early version prop strut aviailably possibly from a boat that has been parted out?

Phil - Try contacting Ted on this link for a boat that was parted out.

You also may want to see if the existing strut could be used to make a mold for a new one to be cast. This place will do bronze castings.

Thanks Bill, I also sent an-mail to the guy in Chicago that parted out a boat that a few years ago.

for the archives:
photo of typical strut to bottom joint.
looks pretty much the same 3/4 or 1 inch shaft.

The install that Vic photographed doe not look like the normal fairing job I've seen on most J/30s. You can clearly see the outline of the strut and fasteners in that photo. On most every boat I've seen there is no evidence of any change in shape on the outer skin.