Indigo

[67c&ccorv]

If you are a motor geek like me, you'll enjoy the video...otherwise, don't bother.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAOmpFftOHw

Yep - Atomic 4 porn for sure!

[sastanley]

2,000 RPM & goretex

Dave,

I am not getting any water out of the 'front' of the packing nut, but rather it is dripping down the threads and out the bottom of the locknut. It doesn't seem to matter how loose or how tight, the running situation is the same. I can always hold it, but it was warm yesterday running at 2,000 RPM. On Wednesday, I could also see the sea water 'welling up' at the front of the nut, but not actually dripping out the front. I probably need to put some powder on the nut to see if it in fact flowing out the front and running down the outside of the nut and dripping off the back.


Speaking of that...I probably won't be running her that hard all the time. I had a couple hundred more RPM in the bank, but I don't know if I will actually be able to get it to 2,400 RPM or not. Yesterday's 2,000 RPM yielded 5.6 knots in flat water, however, during the time of the video, the best wind of the weekend had filled in (afternoon seabreeze) and we had 10-13 knots in our face so we were doing 5.4 - 5.5 knots into that.

I also haven't tuned her this year either, i.e., moving the distributor around at my favorite cruising RPM, since I don't really know where that is yet..I am guessing it will be 1,800-1,900 RPM, which I think yields me about 5.1 knots.

Tom, Yesterday we were motoring home during prime "Tiki Sunday" time...but we'd been up at a friend's house eating crabs. They saw us anchored out in their creek and came over by boat Sunday morning and said, "hey, come by and have crabs this afternoon!"...that trumps Tiki any day.

[Dave Neptune]

Da Drip!!!!

Shawn, don't worry about which side of the packing is dripping albeit better out the front which is an "easier exit" for the water. The threads that hold the "S/box" are straight threads so they won't hold back water ~~no worries. The packing will settle at the front (shaft end) easier as that part is rotated against the packing material the back side is being squeezed only against the body of the S/box and may take a bit of time to settle in.

I was told the second time I installed the Goretex by a knowledgable friend to adjust it too loose so it drips a bit to fast and use it for a bit then start tightening a little bit at a time while the gaps in the S/box fill. This worked for me and I have had no trouble with the leakage. The back side will stop leaking soon. And my shaft is way out of line unlike yours.

Note to Shawn, if you adjust your valves again soon you may want to replace to offending sticky valves valve spring while your in there.

Have you tried anything over 2000 RPM's yet? Did the settling after launch move things a bit?

Tom, good to meet you and thanx for the kudos. How did the SS-7 finish the weekend?

Dave Neptune

[sastanley]

Dave, no not for any extended period. She ran so well, I didn't want to piss her off and feed her too much fuel and make her angry.

I am not even sure which valve is sticky..the next time I get it to stick, I need to pull the plug wires I guess and see if I can tell. I would suspect it is #4, since that is the cylinder that has seen most of the seawater during its previous sinkings.

Thanks for the tips on the stuffing box..My wife keeps putting rugs down all over the cabin sole and I keep ripping them up so I can check on things.

[thatch]

" A4 Video award"

Shawn,
Finally got around to watching the video, excellent work. The little guy really seems happy at it's 2K rpm. A rock steady stuffing box is always a good sign.

Dave N,
SS-7 scored a 1'st in a heat race on Saturday and another 1'st on Sunday. Had to pull out of the final on Sunday after discovering some de-lamination in the bottom, probably the results of a crash last season.
Tom

[sastanley]

Thanks Tom....at Neil's suggestion of 7 days out, I'll be sure to carry the feeler gauge with me and do some testing of the alignment. I have about 2.5 hours on the motor now since the re-launch...a trip to Oxford (in the cards right now to watch the Log Canoe regatta there) could add to that number this weekend, which may be enough for things to settle and re-adjust.

here is the link for that - I've never seen these things in real life, so I am looking forward to it!

http://www.blogcanoe.com/

[Dave Neptune]

Dog house?

Shawn, how are you liking the Indigo or am I still in the "Dog house"? I'm really curious as to how it pushes your Cat 30.
Did your packing settle down?

Dave Neptune

[sastanley]

Dave,

This is the quick answer, as I am getting ready to cook some steaks!

Quite honestly, over the 12" x 7" 2 blade, it isn't that great an improvement in top end RPM...it is still about 2,100 RPM & 5.7 knots.

However, the engine seems much happier to cruise at 1,800-1,900 RPM (5.4-5.5 knots) or so as compared with the 2-blade..additionally, there is definitely less prop wash with the Indigo.

Packing - yes it seems to have settled. Some other C-30 guys have gone to two pieces of packing instead of three..I am still not getting any drips out of the front of the stuffing box nut...I have to loosen the two nuts to get it to drip out of the back end of the nut. When spinning, I get some dripping in between the two nuts and I can still hold onto the stuffing box, so I guess it isn't too hot.

You aren't in the doghouse BTW - you didn't force me to give Tom my credit card number!!

[Mark S]

Shawn and Dave,

Finally filled the tank on the 11th and found fuel consumption per hour increased from .8 gph with the 13x8 to slightly over 1 gph with the Indigo.

Top engine speed in forward increased from 1500 rpm with the 13x8 to 2100 rpm with the Indigo. Boat speed stays the same. I expect to see fuel consumption improve some by not exceeding 1900 rpm, sacrificing only scant boat speed.

After returning to Marblehead from Rockport last Sunday, I now find no difference between the props in facing headwinds or heavy chop.

Overall, the only significant advantage I find to the Indigo over the 13x8 is the increased engine speed which I think makes the old girl happy and worth the increased fuel consumption. After all, it is still about the sailing.

Mark

[sastanley]

update!

After our buddy Earl scooted off to Canada, he left beautiful weather.

Should have been sailing, but decided to work on the boat instead...going sailing tomorrow and maybe taking the neighbors out with us.

Anyway - realigned the motor today...no real issues, just needed to drop the front a little bit as I couldn't get the gauge in the top.

Got the 0.0025 gauge in there, so I figure I am pretty good & within tolerance.

At the suggestion of one of the other C-30 guys, I took out one piece of goretex in the stuffing box so I am only running with two now, and set it again...running a little warm, guess I need to let it 'break in' again since the packing is wearing on a different spot on the shaft.

She sounded good at the dock..just let her plug along at 1,200 RPM for about 30 minutes while I fiddled...absolutely no movement in the stuffing box now, so I think the alignment part is complete!

I think that brings this thread pretty much to a close.

[Dave Neptune]

Nicely done from the doghouse

Shawn, nice to hear this saga is coming to a close at last.
RE the packing the Gore type does run warmer to the touch. Mine still runs warm after 3 years now and since it set I have tweeked it twice after the start of the each season.

Fair winds and good spinning ( u-know the prop thinghy )!

Dave Neptune

[CalebD]

This thread is truly amazing.

Thanks to Shawn for seeing it to the conclusion and everyone who added their advice along the way.
This kind of thread is very useful to those of us who are less in the know (myself, for instance) about drive train issues who are approaching similar maintenance work.
I've started my own thread on this topic as I suspect that our bronze shaft was 43 years old and the whole drive train may need upgrading. This thread covers almost everything I should know about.
Amazing!

[Jesse Delanoy]

Shawn, still hope to see you next time we get down around Solomons, but I'm not in the C-30 anymore. Best of luck with your overhaul - what a long, strange trip it's been.

[sastanley]

Caleb, I made a comment over in your thread, good luck!

Hi Jesse, you know where to find me as I don't have any immediate plans to shift to another boat anytime soon. This one still needs a LOT of work!

I am thinking maybe I should go thru this thread and delete the irrelevant posts to shorten it up. I sure did have a lot of questions!

[CalebD]

...
I sure did have a lot of questions!

As do I.
Which is why I'd recommend you leave the thread as is, as all the related issues are pertinent to those of us who have not been through this before.