Still quite a ways away from "Splash" but yesterday I completed another major step in the project.
We fabricated new SS Struts and dry fitted them during the week last week. Yesterday we bored them to final size now they are ready for final fitup, bedding and final bolting in place.
This will be the FIRST part of this project that I will be able to say that is absolutely completed.........I am pretty sure that I can have the struts permanently in place by the end of this upcoming week
Harry,
I did you change the shaft angle on your express,(most older express gasers had low profile struts, 9" to middle of the shaft and intermedate strut bearings just aft of the shaft logs along with 1-1/4 shafts). Just gathering info, thinking of putting 240 Styres in my 1961, if I do it I won't have to change out any of my running gear.
Good morning Pete
I did not change the shaft angle in DeNada. The gas engines were positioned at a 14/15 degree angle and the new struts were made at a 15 degree angle.
What I did change was the distance between the aft face of the propeller and the forward edge of the rudder. I moved the propeller further aft. If your shaft angle is set at 15 degrees..........every inch you move back increases the distance between the shaft and the hull by just over 1/4" thereby enabling you to increase your prop diameter by 1/2".
The propeller is positioned right now so that the distance from the end of the new shaft to the front edge of the rudder is 5" +/- a little bit....hopefully +. As it stands right now I have a little more than 3-1/2" space between a 21" dia prop and the hull bottom.
If I did not have the ability to fabricate struts here in my own shop I would not have made these modifications.........simply due to the dollars involved. I would have simply bored out the old struts and let the "Rough end Drag"..............
Rawleigh........that is a scary setup.......but done it many times before......just make sure that puppy is held down really good.
The video actually looks faster than it was really running. The strut was machined in a 50" swing conventional lathe and was only turning 150 RPM.....but thats still rather dangerous.
Scot, that project takes more welding equipment than machine shop equipment........the only "Real Machining" is the final bore......other than that its done with a rock and a stick and a sledge hammer.
Let me know when you are ready to build struts......I will share all of my successes and failures with you........I have built small struts for little monkey boats and I have built some that support 3-1/2" shafts......
Your lucky you have the ability to handle that kind of work. They look really great.
I just priced out two new bronze struts. The are going for go close to $1600 for the pair. I am trying to find someone in NJ who I can trust to bore out the old ones.
Tony
Your right SS is out of sight and according to my suppliers its going up even more. Now that Nickel has somewhat stabilized the new upcoming crisis is predicted to be Chrome. But even low carbon steels such as A-36 and steel for nails, electricial boxes.....conduit etc are going to take another jump.
I once had a 24 foot boat with a small block GM........I could go fishing or diving all day and may be put 45/50 gallons in her at $1.75/$2.25 per gallon...........then I purchased a twin engine B-31 gas guzzler and fuel went to $3.00 plus..............then I purchased 2 diesels and started a repower and now diesel here is 4 bucks a gallon.
OH well.......I don't drink (at least very much) I don't smoke, I don't chase wild women (Jo Ann would kill me), already educated both of my children.........so screw it.........$4.00 or not I'm going fishing and boating.
I have purchased SS for less than a dollar a pound several years ago.....those days are long gone........some of the average exotic grades top $7/$8 a pound
I intend to have the struts permanently mounted by the end of this week...that will be the first completely finished piece of business on DeNada's repower.
Harry,
My 1961 Express measurements. I measured my struts today 9-1/2'' from bottom of the boat to center of shaft, 12 degree angle. Had my struts cast at Buck Algoquin in 1995(850 for the pair). The rudder flanges are 2" in from the transom, rudders are original cast bronze from 1961(18" from flange to tip, 9'' at top edge tappering down to 7" at bottom). Larger than 28 style but not quite as big as Patrick's. Can't move them back any further.
Everything except shafts and struts are original. Have new 17"x18" 3 blade Nibral props with light cup, have 1-1/2" between blade tips and boat bottom. Shafts are 98" long 1-1/4" with intermedate struts just aft of the shaft log exits. 25 1/4" betweem main struts and intermedates. Have 1997 7.4L throttle body fuel injected FWC with Hurth 630A 1:5:1 8 degree down angle trannies,with 240 hours since new.
Haven't used the boat for 4 years, turn engines over every 2 months, Still thinking about 240 Steyer's but with deisel at$ 4.75 a gallon at marinas, I think i'll wait on repowering and getting my knee back in shape. Thanks again for info.
I know the feeling. Ran the gas engines for 33 years. I remember when it was like 60 cents at the pump in the marina. Yes I am dating myself, but I too am not getting any younger.
I am hoping that once the heating season ends the price of diesel will drop some. Its 4 dollars on the street up here in NJ. Take out the road tax and hopefully it drops, and maybe we can get down to around $3.50 up here.
Harry, I look at it this way, I burned 25 gallons an hour at 19 knots. Now I am hoping to be somewhere around 15 to 18 an hour at around 24 to 25 knots. So if I equate that to gas, it will be like when I paid about $2.75 for gas. Not great but better.
Your lucky you have the ability to handle that kind of work. They look really great.
I just priced out two new bronze struts. The are going for go close to $1600 for the pair. I am trying to find someone in NJ who I can trust to bore out the old ones.
The price of metal is getting crazy. Tony
Tony what exactly do you need done? I may know someone trustworthy.
Rawleigh,
They were on the boat when I got it 30 years ago( 12-13-61 1961 hull#186 on tag under V berth). I got the boat with 400 hours on meters.
I talked to some of the older bertram factory guys when I first got the boat, their explaination was that on the early Bertrams with the longer 1-1/4 shafts, 413 cross ram Chryslers, with Borg Warner 72 series direct drive trannies and 12 degree low profile struts, there was a lot of shaft whip, too much torque, causing shafts to snap, they told me that they added a small 3-1/2'' strut, 1'' aft of the shaft log tubes, there is 25" between the small strut and the main one, that supposely fixed shaft snapping problems.
My boat was built for the former owner of Buss Fuse Co and delievered in the spring of 1962. The factory later went with 330 Chryslers, 1-3/8'' shafts, reduction gears and a 15 degree angle in 1962, that did away with shaft snapping problems.
I've kept everything in the same set-up, when I put new Monel shafts in 1996, 1997 new engines and Hurth 1:5:1 gears never had a bit of a problem.
I saw a 1962 Hull#262 today with original 330 Chryslers 1-3/8" shafts 15 degree angle, boat needs work they were asking 26K, in Lantana, Fl.
I'll post pictures of my set-up in a few days.
I also heard today that Ron of Becker & Cassidy(Stars &Stripes redo, and many other redos)had died 2 weeks ago of cancer. Only a few weeks after he was told about his problem. He did some real nice restorations on old 31's. The one I looked at today (1978 FBC Impuse) was in near bristol condition.
I am looking to have my current struts bored out to fit 1 1/2 inch shafts. But I think I found someone in NJ that came recommended by Atlantis Propeller. Spoke with them today and it sounds like this is normal stuff form them. So I am going to give them a shot.
Thanks for the offer though, if this doesn't happen I will let you know. Tony
