Out of water and back in again
AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Tue 30 Apr 2013 18:43
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Hope this won't be too boring for the non-techie
types.......
We decided to bite the bullet and lift the boat here in Isla
to change the outer saildrive seals. They were leaking and allowing sea
water to seep into the saildrive legs just ahead of the
propellers. Sea water is definitely not a good lubricant for the
various gears and bearings that transmit the drive from the engines to the
propellers. That is why there is 2.5 litres of oil doing the job
for us. The water and oil had emulsified into a milky gloop inside the leg
and had eventually pushed the fluid up, through the top seals and out into
the area under the engine. We had to do something to avoid any
damage especially as there is a strong likelihood that we would be motoring
for a good deal of the way to Florida.
We attempted to undertake the whole job in one day.
The yard here charge a lot of money if you are working on the boat yourself and
not using their contractors. Also they do not allow owners to sleep
onboard when the boat is in the yard - preferring you to check into their
high end hotel facility next door (more expense!). So we asked for
the earliest lift possible to give us the best chance of clearing the job by
1600 hours when the last lift of the day is scheduled.
We were in the lifting dock at 0830 as arranged. True to the
vagaries of boat yards (and Latino culture) we were still in the
lifting dock at 0930. This is the law of 'Sod' at work because the lift before
us, a yacht from Florida being re-launched, was still in the slings where it's
rudder was being pulled out. The shaft was bent out of shape which
was roughly the state of 'Skip's' temperament at that point
in time. Muttering about pulling the plug and booking another
day.
Finally, however, the vast blue travel lift inched ever
so slowly towards us. By 1030 we had been trundled around the yard into an area
that resembled a waste ground. While the yard crew went off to find
suitable pieces of timber to set the boat down on 'Skip' had the bag of hammers
and spanners out and was starting to remove the propellers. It was a huge
advantage having our good friend Steve from 'Chanticleer' around to help.
We simply could not have managed the job within the 6 hours we had before
the travel hoist was put to bed for the night.
   Out of the water for the first time in two years -
Ajaya looks so small in the giant travel
hoist...........
  No time to waste, Steve assists with removing the
first of the propellers with the boat still in slings ........and here's
the lower gear and prop shaft coming out on port
side...
  With an upturned waste bin for a work bench we set
about removing the shaft seals that are letting water into the oil filled gear
case
  One of the rear covers with the replacement seals
fitted ready for reinstalling...........lots and lots of grease to
help.......
  In goes the shaft assembly ready for the leg to be
refilled with gear oil ...........6 hours later we are on our way back to the
lift dock - phew!
Well, despite the odds and the searing heat of the day we
completed the work and were on our way back to the lifting bay just after 1600
hours. The whole job will need to be repeated when we next lift in the
USA. There is a lot of wear on the shaft where the seals sit but for now
hopefully it will get us the thousand miles or so northwards. If not then we
gave it our best shot on the day. Thanks again Steve!
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