71 Ericson 29

[toddster]

Er... how did we get on to a 1" shaft? The new prop and bearing are for a 3/4" shaft. I think the OLD prop was made for a 7/8 or 1" and was retrofitted with a tapered sleeve to fit on the old straight (non-tapered) 3/4" shaft.

Short-term options are to buy a new shaft to fit the new prop, or put the old prop and old (worn) shaft back on. If I buy a new shaft, I need to first decide whether to do something about the strut.

And then bet back to the engine maintenance

[sastanley]

toddster - Since I am 'in-the-dark' so to speak & cannot see your pics, maybe a little review of where you are at will help me..please correct any errors.

• You have a new prop for a 3/4" shaft with a taper...
  
• You old shaft is 3/4" but has no taper..
  
• You old prop has a sleeve to reduce it to fit the 3/4" shaft...
  
• You old shaft is too long and extends past the strut too far...
  
• Your new prop won't fit the old shaft...
  
• shortening the shaft maybe introduce hull clearance problems, but are unknown at this time.
  
• You have a cutless bearing in the mail for the current configuration..
  
• The current strut is some kind of unknown hack job..

suggestions & questions I have:
A new custom shaft with the correct taper (and length) is ~$175 (this was my 2009 cost).

Strut cost - unknown
stuffing box = ~$75
couplers = ~$40-60
fit & face coupler to shaft..~$100

Something must be done with the current shaft to fit the new prop..may be cheaper than a new shaft, but the issue with length remains the same..

Cannot see the cobble-strut, can't comment on it yet.

What is the condition of shaft log & stuffing box?

The new prop will not decay if it is not used. Since you are able to make good observations now, perhaps a "wish list" for the next haul as Hanley recommended. Take notes now, so a proper parts list (shaft log ID & OD, new shaft/strut/couplers, etc. if necessary), can be assembled while you are sailing.

I know this is a pain, and we aren't writing the checks.

[toddster]

Will have to remove the battery box to get a better look at the log and stuffing box. It hasn't been a problem - the rubber hose part just looks old and has only single hose clamps at each end. I did not see a drop of water come through the packing nut last year.

[sastanley]

toddster...Understand..my situation just got worse the farther I dug into it, so I ripped out & replaced everything...however, my issue started with a leaky stuffing box..If the nut & packing are in serviceable condition, you can get just a new hose..I would add a hose clamp on each end if there is enough material underneath to grab onto.

Don't you just love all the suggestions from the guys that don't have to climb in there and do the work?!?!?!?

[hanleyclifford]

Er... how did we get on to a 1" shaft? The new prop and bearing are for a 3/4" shaft. I think the OLD prop was made for a 7/8 or 1" and was retrofitted with a tapered sleeve to fit on the old straight (non-tapered) 3/4" shaft.

Short-term options are to buy a new shaft to fit the new prop, or put the old prop and old (worn) shaft back on. If I buy a new shaft, I need to first decide whether to do something about the strut.

And then bet back to the engine maintenance

Sorry about the misunderstanding: I thought your new prop was for 1" shaft. That just makes my recommendation simpler-get yourself a new 3/4" shaft maybe a few inches shorter and use your new prop. Put in the new cutless bearing and leave that strut alone until next haulout. You will need a new coupler, probably.

[roadnsky]

Bump

Hi Toddster
Loved the picture of your A4, especially since I have one just like it in PIECES in my garage.

Questions: who made the fresh water add on?
How did you mount the heat exchanger?
Can you point me to some info on replacing the raw water cooled late model A4 in my Ericson 27 with the fresh water cooled version? Like, modifications to the existing raw water intake/exhaust?

And, what works well for getting the old engine out and the new one on board? Can I use the boom and a block and tackle?

I love the Ericson 27 because of the great engine access, and I'm thrilled to find the forum. Have had the sailboat awhile now, but am just now finding all of you.

Thanks in advance
Veronica

BUMP...
Anybody see Veronica's message?
Sorry Todd. I know you've got some big fish to fry.
And, Veronica... welcome!

[toddster]

Hi Veronica. I had another long thread last year just about the FWC (maybe it was in somebody else's thread - can't find it off hand). Someone posted a photo of at least one other 70's ericson with the exact same set-up. But I'm sure it was done back in the 70's and the supplier is long gone. You could roll your own by purchasing an extra water pump and a heat exchanger - I think the company that made mine is still around. Or you can buy bolt-on kits already made for the A4, either here at Moyer Marine or at Indigo Electronics.

My heat exchanger is just hanging on by one stud on the engine, and it rattles against the galley, sticks up above the stock engine cover height, and blocks access to the carb. While I'm cleaning up the engine compartment, I'm going to move it to the starboard bulkhead, where there's more room. It's just a matter of routing hoses. Although you might consider different options, if you are planning to install other related accessories, like a water heater or a cabin heater that run off the engine coolant.

I'm sure that both the Moyer and Indigo solutions work great. My only advice would be to select a raw-water pump that uses the same impeller as your old water pump (which becomes the recirculating pump.) Just to cut down on the number of different tools and spares you need to keep on hand. Mine has one Sherwood pump and one Oberdorfer, with different impellers. And the oberdorfer requires a pair of snap-ring pliers to change out. Of course, if one fails, in a pinch, you can just switch back to raw water cooling by swapping hoses around.

[hanleyclifford]

How's this for a working theory? The original strut which was aft of the present cobblestrut got whacked and maybe weakened the hull. The PO decided to abandon the original and go forward where he cobbled the new strut somewhat shorter than the original so as to maintain the correct angle. The original shaft was left in place. Two things: check the hull for signs of a repair aft of the present strut and check the shaft for signs of a different cutless wear position.

[sastanley]

Hanley, Sounds exactly like something the P.O. of my boat would have done..

[toddster]

No, the original gelcoat is undisturbed except exactly where the strut is. The new strut was never "filled and faired" possibly because they weren't sure it was going to work! I doubt that this was the original shaft - whatever took out the strut probably took out the shaft and prop too. From pictures I've seen, the original strut might have swept back at a steeper angle.

This strut seems solid enough and though it is probably a shop-built one-off, it is not so unlike other "adjustable struts" on the market (e.g. Buck Algonquin), apart from lack of streamlining. Unless there are gross alignment problems when the new parts arrive, I don't propose to do anything to it at this time. I'm going to dummy the prop up with a dowel and check clearances carefully, but probably I'll get a new shaft that's 1.5" or 2" shorter.

BTW: other old Ericson owners tell me that the original struts tend to "work loose" with age because whatever was used to bed them inside the hull deteriorates with time. In those cases, they usually need to be re-installed, not replaced.

[Veronica Manganese]

Thanks for replying

[QUOTE=toddster;55751]Hi Veronica. I had another long thread last year just about the FWC (maybe it was in somebody else's thread - can't find it off hand). Someone posted a photo of at least one other 70's ericson with the exact same set-up. But I'm sure it was done back in the 70's and the supplier is long gone. You could roll your own by purchasing an extra water pump and a heat exchanger - I think the company that made mine is still around. Or you can buy bolt-on kits already made for the A4, either here at Moyer Marine or at Indigo Electronics.

I'll do some searching for that thread. I've got all the parts, and am planning to re-assemble the engine with the heat exchanger and pump that came with it. The oberdorfer is still on the engine (that's good - I have experience with those already). But I would like a little confirmation on hoses required and the correct routing of the water - if you say that it's easy to switch back to raw water cooling, that gives me a clue.

ANYWAY - if you or anyone comes up with that old thread, let me know! I just checked the heat exchanger and it was made by San Juan Engineering in Bellingham, WA. So, I'll google them and see if I turn anything up.

Thanks - and if anyone can point me to a thread about switching out engines (using boom & block & tackle?) let me know.
Veronica

[ndutton]

- and if anyone can point me to a thread about switching out engines (using boom & block & tackle?) let me know.
Veronica

Post #215 in this thread.

[toddster]

Oh, well you could download the installation instructions from Indigo and crib from those. Or at least from the block diagrams at the end for hose connections. But we don't know how your raw water pump will be attached/driven.

As for hoisting with the boom - many have done it, though no manufacturer will say that it's safe. I think a key point is that there will be a lot of stress on the boom if you suspend it by a halyard clipped to the end then hoist a large weight in the middle. It would be safer to run the halyard from the same point at which the weight is suspended. That is, the halyard should bear the weight, not the boom.

[ILikeRust]

I know you don't want to hear this, but what started for me as a simple, "I am going to haul the boat for a week in early June, paint the bottom and change my prop", turned into 10 weeks on the hard replacing everything behind the A-4 output shaft, except for the prop strut, including a shaft log repair from years of misalignment.

Hmmm...

What started for me as "I'm going to haul the boat to pull the engine and do a quick tear-down and rebuild and have it back in the water in three months" turned into 13 months on the hard, which included not only the engine removal and rebuild, but also tearing out the cabin sole, fabricating from scratch a new bulkhead for the engine box, stripping and painting the entire bilge, building and installing a new battery box, replacing the centerboard pennant and pipe for the pennant, replacing all engine wiring, a few new gauges, new custom-made sail, new custom-made bimini and dodger, rebedding a couple portlights, removing some old abandoned through-hulls and glassing over the holes, removing and replacing the raw-water through-hull, repacking the stuffing box and replacing the stuffing box hose, replacing the prop with an Indigo, rebuilding the hot section of the exhaust, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else.

Still have a lot of work to do in that cabin... and on deck... and...

[ILikeRust]

I keep writing rent checks for an empty slip.

I hate this expression, but I totally feel your pain.

I paid for a full year in advance on my slip (because the owner gave me a 10% discount if I would pay for the year in advance) in September of 2010. I hauled the boat in January 2011. It was on the hard for the next full year. So I paid for a full year and used the slip only for 3 months.

When September 2011 rolled around, I paid again, because it is such a great slip, I didn't want to lose it. The boat didn't go back in the water until February. So again, I paid for a full year, but missed the first four months.

The marina owner is a really good guy - he said "If I knew you were going to be out that long, I would have talked to you about subletting the slip and we could have split the proceeds." Yup. I had that same thought - but I just didn't know how long it was going to be on the hard.

Ah, what the hell, it's only money.