dhill
Member III
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Propeller Shaft Questions
- Thread starter Prairie Schooner
- Start date
Prairie Schooner
Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
The plot thickens! Reading Neil's article, it seems like on many boats the installation was hand-crafted, not molded in. Could it be that offset or straight was decided on a boat-by-boat basis? Or perhaps for some manufacturers the philosophy changed year-to-year?
Ours is parallel to the centerline, offset slightly to starboard.
dhill
Member III
Interesting. Discussions elsewhere point to the benefit of being able to remove the drive shaft without having to remove the rudder and that it is a manufacturing decision. That would certainly seem to be an advantage.
Others claim that low-speed maneuverability is compromised and that a firm hand is needed on the helm under power, while others say that is not the case. On my boat under power (with no offset and two-blade fixed prop), if I let go of the wheel, she pretty promptly turns sharply to port. Perhaps that highlights another issue in my particular case :-}
Apparently Sabres, a fine boat, also have offset prop shafts. Some Sabre documentation specifies the design reason about halfway down the document (search for "offset").
Looks like if it is done well, it is an advantage, although I'm not speaking from personal experience.
Hope this helps!
Dave
Others claim that low-speed maneuverability is compromised and that a firm hand is needed on the helm under power, while others say that is not the case. On my boat under power (with no offset and two-blade fixed prop), if I let go of the wheel, she pretty promptly turns sharply to port. Perhaps that highlights another issue in my particular case :-}
Apparently Sabres, a fine boat, also have offset prop shafts. Some Sabre documentation specifies the design reason about halfway down the document (search for "offset").
Looks like if it is done well, it is an advantage, although I'm not speaking from personal experience.
Hope this helps!
Dave
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Prairie Schooner
Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
Today’s exploration gave me a better look at the bedding around the shaft log. There’s some cracking, but based on what I’ve found in the strut, I think it’s sturdy enough inside. I’m going to rout out the cracks and fill them with epoxy/milled glass. Then I’ll put a couple layers of cloth over them and call it good.
Pete the Cat
Member III
Sometimes an offset is not needed if the shaft is short because there is enough room to twist the shaft once it is off the engine. That is the case with my 32-200 with a 25XP.