and the hits just keep on coming...

[shrpshtr]

hey all,

i finally got the impeller replaced (3 weeks waiting on service shop) and it needed a new thermostat also so he did that too. i was pretty excited to be heading back to the lake after what seemed an enternity. all was going well until mid-afternoon when a loud thwack, rear-end of the boat raises slighty and revs pretty loud, and the oh-sh!t follows.

believe this...14' of water and i apparently hit a stump going 12-15mph. of course, i pretty serious vibration/shimy is the result. put the boat back on the trailer after i realized the vibration wasn't going away (2-3 minutes).

the details...Sea Ray 205 sport, 5.0l mercruiser w/Alpha I gen II stern drive. can anyone give me any idea of the most likely damage and potential costs? thanks in advance.

shrpshtr

 

[Nutron]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

It sounds like the shaft is bent for one, also you may have damaged the gears in the lower end. I would also assume you damaged the prop aswell. Sorry about that.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

Sorry. Can't estimate costs without any idea of what's wrong. Prop, outdrive possibly. Maybe more. What did your shop charge to replace the impeller and t-stat for comparison.

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

nutron - i inspected the lower unit and actually there is no visible damage to the prop or shaft that i can tell. the prop still slides about 3/4" forward/backward (service guy says that is normal) without any problems.

ga - shop charged $285 to replace t-stat, impeller, and fluids. (p & l) are you thinking the entire outdrive could be ruined or some component of it? (i know that's a rhetorical ? but i can't imagine the entire thing being ruined with an impact like it was. it was loud but didn't seem earth-shattering at all.

 

[tractoman]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

I don't get the prop slides 3/4" forward and back. Mine doesn't. That is not normal on a gen II.

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

I don't get the prop slides 3/4" forward and back. Mine doesn't. That is not normal on a gen II.

if i am standing at the back of the boat and grab one of the prop blades i can pull it towards me and it'll move about 3/4" in give or take. i showed this to the service guy and he said that it was normal for it to move like that. make sense? or was he feeding me a line of BS?

 

[tractoman]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

The prop nut should be torqued to 55 ft lbs. Is the prop sliding on the shaft or is the shaft sliding in and out that much? Either way it's not right.

 

[Pete104]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

Call your insurance company!

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

I asked about the prior charges to get an idea what the shop is getting for normal maintenance. Sounds fair. But no way is that much movement of the prop normal. Grab the prop nut and see if you get the same in/out play.

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

Dropped the boat off this morning. He said something about pulling a heavy raft, etc. and it coming out of gear. Hopefully that's all it is. He is going to let me know by EOB today. I'll ask him about the "play" in the prop again when I go by there.

Pete, would insurance cover something like that if it is severe?

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

If the prop shaft isn't bent Maybe ya just trashed the prop, and that's where your vibe is coming from. As far as insurance, it all depends if your policy covers damage from underwater-impact/ collision. If you just have liability, well ya better have a piggy bank. Check your policy. The end play on my propshaft is under 1/4 " FYI........

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

3/4" is too much. Either you do not know how to measure or there is severe internal damage. Visually you will see about 1/4"

It IS possible to see little to no outside damage to the prop but the inner hub could be damaged. You should have tried a spare prop before dropping it off to the shop, not only would you have been able to tell if the hub slipped, but you could have spun the shaft and seen if it was bent.

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

3/4" is too much. Either you do not know how to measure or there is severe internal damage. Visually you will see about 1/4"

It IS possible to see little to no outside damage to the prop but the inner hub could be damaged. You should have tried a spare prop before dropping it off to the shop, not only would you have been able to tell if the hub slipped, but you could have spun the shaft and seen if it was bent.

i am so glad you responded like this. it's not bad enough that i've had problem after problem with my boat the last couple months, now i have to listen to some jack***** on the internet telling me i don't know how to measure and i should've done this or that.

well, in the same spirit and tone you so graciously responded to this thread with....if i had a spare prop i would have checked for hub slippage or a bent shaft before dropping the boat off at the shop, but i don't. in addition, the last time i checked 3/4" was between 11/16" and 13/16" on a 16th scale ruler. unless someone moved it somewhere else and didn't tell me, i'd say i knew how to measure with relative confidence. thank you anyway though, captain obvious, for your smart***** response that added absolutely ZERO value to this conversation. i needed 1 more thing about these boat issues to **** me off.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

i am so glad you responded like this. it's not bad enough that i've had problem after problem with my boat the last couple months, now i have to listen to some jack***** on the internet telling me i don't know how to measure and i should've done this or that.

well, in the same spirit and tone you so graciously responded to this thread with....if i had a spare prop i would have checked for hub slippage or a bent shaft before dropping the boat off at the shop, but i don't. in addition, the last time i checked 3/4" was between 11/16" and 13/16" on a 16th scale ruler. unless someone moved it somewhere else and didn't tell me, i'd say i knew how to measure with relative confidence. thank you anyway though, captain obvious, for your smart***** response that added absolutely ZERO value to this conversation. i needed 1 more thing about these boat issues to **** me off.

DUDE! Sittn on the sideline reading this, I think your taking you boat frustrations out unfairly on FD69. For what I can tell about your issue from your posts.IMHO FDs69 response isnt that outta line. Maybe it could have been worded a LITTLE bit differently. But mAn...dont read to much into it. You dont know his tone of voice etc. Take a deep breath He didnt say you dont know how to measure. Chill..........................

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

DUDE! Sittn on the sideline reading this, I think your taking you boat frustrations out unfairly on FD69. For what I can tell about your issue from your posts. FDs69 response isnt outta line.IMHO Maybe it could have been worded a LITTLE bit differently. But mAn...dont read to much into it. You dont know his tone of voice etc. Take a deep breath He didnt say you dont know how to measure. Chill..........................

fair. maybe i am being a little harsh and he didn't intend to call me an idiot with his post. i might could buy that, but i will say if he can't be anymore eloquent than that, it's probably not a good idea for him to respond to threads whose very topic is causing considerable frustration to the thread creator. especially with "you can't..." or "you should have" comments.

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

UPDATE:

it appears that i didn't hit a stump at all. apparently my gimbrel (sp) bearing seized up and caused the loud bang and the ensuing vibration was a result from that bearing getting destroyed. in addition, the baffles (or flappers) that prevent water from backing up into the motor needed to be replaced as they were stuck in position. i am not entirely sure i understand how that could have made that noise and moved the boat like it did though. can someone help me understand this....

thanks again for all of your help.

shrpshtr

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

Did your mechanic show you the bad bearing. You would be able to tell by looking at it if it was that bad.
Yes Bearing could have seized and bang it broke loose and self destructed causing the vibration.

And no on the Exhaust Flappers they are two differnt problems.

Question how did the mech come up with your Exhaust flappers being bad?

And no on the prop slide 3/4". It could be that someone put a differnt style prop on and it is not the same length as the right one for your drive.

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: and the hits just keep on coming...

Did your mechanic show you the bad bearing. You would be able to tell by looking at it if it was that bad.
Yes Bearing could have seized and bang it broke loose and self destructed causing the vibration.

And no on the Exhaust Flappers they are two differnt problems.

Question how did the mech come up with your Exhaust flappers being bad?

And no on the prop slide 3/4". It could be that someone put a differnt style prop on and it is not the same length as the right one for your drive.

yes, he showed it to me and it looked extremely corroded. it did appear to be a solid piece though. after describing the details and problem he seemed pretty concerned about water getting into the motor and decided to persue the flappers to which he discovered the previously mentioned. he stated several times it would be BAD, BAD if water got into the motor. after replacing 1 of the 2 (he ordered the other) he idled the boat for about 10 minutes and said things sounded ok. he is also going to let me use a loaner prop for the weekend and see if that'll help with "play" previously mentioned and general performance (19 vs 21 3 blade).