Prop Shaft Alignment Yearly Maintenance Item

[DOCDRS]

so basically aligning it on land the trailer is pointless and as long as it its close it is good to go lol. thats what i got from that article.

Aligning it is a good scenario regardless. In the water is best. From the factory ?was prob on a boat rack.......the thing is to have it aligned, with some reference point. I read that article and some is good and some is not so......just because some guy wrote it does not make it right.......If its aligned with some reference point then any forces placed on the drivetrain are are uniformly distributed....Thats where the guy in that article does not relate to. Its basic physics and although the boat may flex if you can get it to within .002 why would you not!!!!! To not do so is just plain silly.

[rdlangston13]

yes but if the boat flexes .002 on the trailer could be .02 on the water in any direction. inversly .002 on the water could be .02 on the trailer.

[DOCDRS]

ok so next time I'm up i will check it on my lift then in the water......I do believe I have done this and there was no difference.......so I am confused why everyone refuses to check their alignment......it is a static thing while the boat is at rest.........what it does under speed is a factor of motor mount age and it bewilders me as to why guys try to come up with a reason why it is ok to not have your motor to prop shaft aligned.....seriously how stupid can you be?

[kaneboats]

I wasn't trying to start fights with that article. If you look at the v-drive section he definitely says you better get it close. But he does raise the point that there are other factors at play. I'd love to hear what you find when you do it in the water next time.

[rdlangston13]

ok so next time I'm up i will check it on my lift then in the water......I do believe I have done this and there was no difference.......so I am confused why everyone refuses to check their alignment......it is a static thing while the boat is at rest.........what it does under speed is a factor of motor mount age and it bewilders me as to why guys try to come up with a reason why it is ok to not have your motor to prop shaft aligned.....seriously how stupid can you be?

hey i tried to check and did check it. engine would not budge.

[DOCDRS]

i guess i just mean align it where ever you can......The dealers do it on the trailer , SC prob does it in the factory on a cradle......I'm just saying it changes over time so check it........I have done it many times and with 2 guys its a 20 minute job.....1 guy and it takes about an hour.

[rdlangston13]

i guess i just mean align it where ever you can......The dealers do it on the trailer , SC prob does it in the factory on a cradle......I'm just saying it changes over time so check it........I have done it many times and with 2 guys its a 20 minute job.....1 guy and it takes about an hour.

i spent about 8 hours over the course of two days fighting it and its still not at .002. i have bad luck

[DOCDRS]

so what is it at and at what point? there are basically 8 points on the clock....if you are not out that much then it is simply a minor rear leg adjustment. It really isn't rocket science. If your out at 3 or 9 oclock then you have to slide the engine laterally ( the biggest pita) forward trunnions for large adjustments , stern for minor .005 or less

[rdlangston13]

3 or 9 o clock depending on which way you look at it. .017 so 1/58th of an inch

[squeeg333]

I concur, it's good to have it aligned as good as one can get it. If you can't get the engine to move, and can live with the alignment as is, I wouldn't take it into a shop to have them do it. I think the biggest point is you should check it, and try to improve it if it's out. If you can get it to .002 or less, you should.

When I aligned mine after replacing the strut bushings, it was WAY out - the couplers were offset concetricallyby at least 1/8". I'm surprised I didn't notice any vibrations. So, yeh, the system is forgiving, but for how long? Metal fatigue will set in, and, invaribly cause issues in the future - so I can safely say I am very glad I got mine aligned.

I just think it's good practice to check it, and improve it if you can. At the end of the day it's your boat, and your investmet, so you gotta live with it!