propshaft help.

[fireflyParticipant @firefly]

hi all whoever is out there,can any one give me any help on inserting a propshaft in my boat and making it water tight,? if any one has any pictures or plans on how to go about puting in a propshaft,the type of shaft best used ,and  materials needed to make it water tight,any help wuold be apreciated.

                                                        thanks.dave…..(firefly.)

[Len OchiltreeParticipant @lenochiltree67043]

Hi Dave,

I tend to fit my prop shafts so that the inside end is above the waterline so that no water gets in that way.

Either the Kit or the plan should give motor/shaft size,length.

I drill a pilot hole through the hull then enlarge with drill and file so that the shaft will fit without any pressure to hold it in position.

Connect motor and shaft,align so that all are correct then fix shaft in position with 2 part Epoxy,I use the 5 minute type and have never had any problems.

I am better at doing it than typing!.

I hope this helps.

 Len.     

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hi Dave, as above. I usually use a few drops of superglue to initially hold the shaft in position and also have the prop fitted to ensure there is clearance etc, then epoxy and finally a filler, P38 or knifing putty. Some poeple just use p38. Having your nuts adjusted for minimum play and using a thrust washer at the prop end should stop most water ingress if the motor end of the shaft is below water level. I am using stainless shafts nowadays, the only way to go.   Ashley

[fireflyParticipant @firefly]

thanks len.i will try that method,i`m using a brass shaft with a part stainless tube and part alloy.i would show you my pictures, but seem to be having trouble uploading them to this site,ie i get a message saying the picture has to many kilobytes.(kb.) for short.??? and can`t upload it., anyway thank you for your reply len,keep in touch my friend

                                                             kind regards……..dave.

[JC Uknz 1Participant @jcuknz1]

When I want a gap filling glue I mix sawdust with epoxy for both models and 1:1 boats.  I have a belt sander with its bag to collect the dust.  This sawdust is nice and fine unlike what comes from a sawcut. etc.  Though that can be reasonably OK when from my sawtable.

The problem with water coming up the prop tube can be overcome by rubber O-rings but if you introduce too much friction you loose power.    An old and simple solution is to accept that some water will come up the tube and organise the boat so that it is easy to suck it out with a syringe. With low bulkheads to contain it .. it is not as if the boat is staying in the water 7/24 like my 1:1 boat which has an automatic bilge pump with electronic moisture sensor .. a bit of overkill for a model..

Another good idea is to solder a tube vertically to the prop tube, drill a connecting hole and fill with light oil.  The oil tends to stop the entry of water. 

[fireflyParticipant @firefly]

thanx jc.

i will add that to my list of options my friend….. hopefully i can upload some pictures of my project.but seem to be having trouble getting them to upload. i get a message stating that the picture memory size is to much.????????? and i`m not entirely sure how to do it.

[JC Uknz 1Participant @jcuknz1]

You need to make your camera shots suitable for the net.  This means firstly reducing their size to what a monitor shows perhaps 600 x480 pixels approx.    The command is the ‘resize’ command with many programmes.  Following this some programmes permit you to introduce ‘compression’ which can further reduce the file size.  I suggest you aim for a 50Kb file size though I often send smaller down around 30Kb and you still se the detail wthout blocking.

[fireflyParticipant @firefly]

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