Columbia 30 Vdrive Alignment

[Rando1201]

Hi, just got my boat out of the yard.
I am trying to figure out how to do this. It seems that the propshaft couupler sits about a 1/4" to the right.

So all the videos I have watched it talks about moving the motor mount nuts, but do I actually need to start at the motor mount bolts themselfs?

It just seems with a Vdrive it makes the alignment alot more difficult.

I am just looking for some resources to wrap this around my head.

Thanks.

[Rando1201]

Here is a picture of my current set up. Just curious, is there another coupler that should come off of the V drive to meet up with the propshaft coupler?

[Dave Neptune]

You will need to slide the mounts over a bit. If on standard mounts you should be able to loosen and slide the whole engine around. Get it as close as you can get it aligned then time to adjust the vertical alignment with the "block mounts". You may need to repeat a few times to really get it close.

Dave Neptune

[Al Schober]

Horizontal alignment is just as important as vertical. What you're trying to do is minimize the bending stress in the shaft. Too much bending and the shaft will break. Trust me on this. I've seen a boat with a 16" shaft lose propulsion when the shaft broke.
Typical A4 installation has good adjustment capability in the vertical direction. You can shim between the oil pan and the engine bed, or play with the nuts on the resilient mounts. But there's rarely provision for adjusting the horizontal alignment or holding things in place once you manage to get it good.
My practice was to get the vertical alignment first. Then I'd horse things into place for horizontal - then pour some filler between the stud and the oil pan to hold it there. During a spinnaker knockdown, there are enough other things to worry about (keeping the crew on board) without worrying about engine alignment.

[Rando1201]

Thank you guys, I had a mechanic come down, that I became friends with. He showed me how to do it.

Now I have a coupler stuck on the prop shaft, I am about to order the split coupler, but in the description, it says not for use on vdrives. Can I still use the split coupler?

[W2ET]

I believe the OEM part numbers are different. Hence the warning. Ken should have the info. Give him a call.

Bill

[Rando1201]

The propshaft is 1" I had to get a machine shop to make a new one. The coupler is 1", the current coupler is 1". I don't see where I could go wrong. I called Ken, no response yet. Thanks.

[edwardc]

Check that the number, radius, and pattern of bolt holes are the same.

[Rando1201]

Ok i just checked on the online catalog. No measurements there.

[W2ET]

The following was copied from Westerbeke's parts manual for the A4. Note that the part numbers differ, depending on model (direct drive/reduction gear/v-drive).

[Rando1201]

Thanks yes I see that, so do you know where I can buy one?

[W2ET]

I did find one Google hit for a coupling using the part number for a v-drive and a 1" shaft. Click here. That doesn't necessarily mean the item is actually in stock. Presumably, this is not a split coupling. The price seems ridiculous, which is typical for Westerbeke OEM parts. There must be something cheaper, even if starting from scratch.

Note Ed's advice:

Check that the number, radius, and pattern of bolt holes are the same.

If you have that info, maybe MMI might be convinced to special order one for you? What did Ken have to say?

Bill

[Rando1201]

Yea, ok i was doing some searching as well. Ken hasn't called me back yet. I did call on pst time. My boat has a direct drive coupler, and the previous owner was running the boat. Since I had a new shaft built at 1" then a couoler from moyer should work. I don't freaking get it..

[dplidr@gmail.com]

two years ago I went through this process on my project C&C33 1976. Needed to completely rebuild the stub tube and re-align everything form the prop skep forward to the V-drive. 1) as others have stated - axial alignment with the shaft is essential 2) the coupling on the end of the shaft must be square with the axis of the shaft as well. If it has any angle it will try to create a bend in the shaft causing a wobble that wears the stuffing box.

In my case both were off and the shaft was banging against the stub tube in forward and had worn the fiberglass very thin on the starbord side. Not sure how the PO tolerated that banging (like Poseidon with a ball-peen hammer!). In reverse the rearward force of the prop exerted just enough pull to stop the banging.

At that time Moyer did not have the right coupler. I checked with the Walther co in NJ and they might be able to find the right coupler.

I ended up taking my shaft, prop, and old coupler to a shop here north of Boston to manufacture a new coupler, square it, and check the entire shaft for any cracks and any bend I could not identify by rolling on a counter top. Not cheap but worth it to be sure my new stub tube, stuffing box effort is all good. Last season proved that part of the system as smooth as hoped for.

That coupler and output flange are extremely close to the underside of the V-Drive - approx credit-card thickness. I searched for a split coupler that would fit that 2-7/8 diameter and never did find one. If you do find a split that fits, let me know :-)

Good luck

[Don Moyer]

V-drive output and prop shaft couplings

Rando; I don't see anything in your earlier reporting to indicate why you think you need a new output coupling. You apparently concluded that you needed a new prop shaft, and it appears that your main problem at the moment is that you can't pull the prop shaft coupling from your old prop shaft so you can remove the old shaft and replace it with your new one. This is not unusual. You may have to have your mechanic use a "Sawzall" to cut the old shaft in two pieces.

Then with the old shaft removed, you can take the part with the prop shaft coupling attached to your local machine shop and have the coupling pressed off, cleaned up, and made ready to install on your new shaft. Don