Rannsachair
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- Lochgilphead, Argyll, Republic of Scotland
Well the nice wee Alaska fishing boat I have run for the last 10 years has reached the stage when a rebuild of everything is due.
I posted a while back that I could not get the gearbox separated from the leg on its Suzuki DF50 outboard and finally decided to make a tool to aid removal. After picking up a cheapish second hand gearbox to allow a rebuild:
The splined driveshaft that is sticking up engages with the bottom of the crankshaft has seized.
I fabricated a tool of wood and 2mm sheet steel formed round it to get some purchase to try to hammer it off after giving up with wedges and already damaging the old gearbox fins.:
Next stage was to take the boat home, so I got my brother to take the hubs off the trailer, he brought them to me so I could replace the bearings with new -just as well as both inner bearings were badly corroded and ready to fail. (The trailer has not been on the road for a few years, just used as a launching trailer).
So I nipped down to fit the new hubs to bring the boat home behind my Defender, just 16 miles of mainly single track roads. As soon as I lowered the axle off the axle stands I could see large chunks of rust dropping off the axle ( the only non galvanised part of the trailer), so out with the hammer which easily went straight through the box section!
It was an old bunked trailer that I had added rollers too, so has never been great: the boat sits very high from the water, while the rear axle is leaf spring mounted. This means having to put the launching vehicle deeper into the water to launch/retrieve.
So asked around and managed to pick up a tatty newer indespension trailer needing refurbished:
It has good tyres, new wheel bearings, is rated for the boat, much lower with a pivoting rear beam axle, but -brakes removed, all fasteners quite corroded, mudguards wrecked, winch dodgy, rollers rusty and could do with more front rollers.
Lucky I had 2 complete new spare rear roller assemblies and have purchased new galvanised bolts and u bolts for every fastener, new jockey wheel, a £12 good second hand winch, new winch strap, stainless washers for the rollers and stainless split pins. I also bought a tin of Zinga galvanising paint for touching up plus I will experiment with POR15 again on the wheels with silver top coat.
A spare braked coupler came with the trailer, so just cables and brake kit to buy once i strip the hubs.
A new set of galvanised mudguards are in the post too.
As some of you will know I have had a recent health issue, such that I am not currently able to walk, so I will now start supervising my non-mechanical brother to do the rebuild, including straightening the mudguard brackets on the hydraulic press.
So stage 1 is the trailer rebuild - I will upgrade some extra rollers then get the boat on the good trailer so I can get it home to start the engine strip.
I am hopeful that there will be some money to be freed from the old trailer, but the cost of replacing the axle with a galvanised braked one would be more than I have spent sorting out this better trailer.
So I will continue the thread when the trailer is rebuilt.
The boat does not need a lot of work depending on how I get on repairing the engine: upgrade the wiring, a new battery and a new cover made.
Sorry no welding (I hope in this thread)
I posted a while back that I could not get the gearbox separated from the leg on its Suzuki DF50 outboard and finally decided to make a tool to aid removal. After picking up a cheapish second hand gearbox to allow a rebuild:
The splined driveshaft that is sticking up engages with the bottom of the crankshaft has seized.
I fabricated a tool of wood and 2mm sheet steel formed round it to get some purchase to try to hammer it off after giving up with wedges and already damaging the old gearbox fins.:
Next stage was to take the boat home, so I got my brother to take the hubs off the trailer, he brought them to me so I could replace the bearings with new -just as well as both inner bearings were badly corroded and ready to fail. (The trailer has not been on the road for a few years, just used as a launching trailer).
So I nipped down to fit the new hubs to bring the boat home behind my Defender, just 16 miles of mainly single track roads. As soon as I lowered the axle off the axle stands I could see large chunks of rust dropping off the axle ( the only non galvanised part of the trailer), so out with the hammer which easily went straight through the box section!
It was an old bunked trailer that I had added rollers too, so has never been great: the boat sits very high from the water, while the rear axle is leaf spring mounted. This means having to put the launching vehicle deeper into the water to launch/retrieve.
So asked around and managed to pick up a tatty newer indespension trailer needing refurbished:
It has good tyres, new wheel bearings, is rated for the boat, much lower with a pivoting rear beam axle, but -brakes removed, all fasteners quite corroded, mudguards wrecked, winch dodgy, rollers rusty and could do with more front rollers.
Lucky I had 2 complete new spare rear roller assemblies and have purchased new galvanised bolts and u bolts for every fastener, new jockey wheel, a £12 good second hand winch, new winch strap, stainless washers for the rollers and stainless split pins. I also bought a tin of Zinga galvanising paint for touching up plus I will experiment with POR15 again on the wheels with silver top coat.
A spare braked coupler came with the trailer, so just cables and brake kit to buy once i strip the hubs.
A new set of galvanised mudguards are in the post too.
As some of you will know I have had a recent health issue, such that I am not currently able to walk, so I will now start supervising my non-mechanical brother to do the rebuild, including straightening the mudguard brackets on the hydraulic press.
So stage 1 is the trailer rebuild - I will upgrade some extra rollers then get the boat on the good trailer so I can get it home to start the engine strip.
I am hopeful that there will be some money to be freed from the old trailer, but the cost of replacing the axle with a galvanised braked one would be more than I have spent sorting out this better trailer.
So I will continue the thread when the trailer is rebuilt.
The boat does not need a lot of work depending on how I get on repairing the engine: upgrade the wiring, a new battery and a new cover made.
Sorry no welding (I hope in this thread)