Pierless Adventures - April 8 - Shafted

After yesterday afternoon's sudden turn of events, I was anxious to see about fixing the problem with the propeller drive shaft.  Yes, it is a sailboat, but having an auxiliary means of propulsion is very handy in tight quarters - like a marina.  We are also likely to use it when the wind dies in order to keep on our schedule.  So once again, I tear apart my sleeping quarters to access the engine *which is under my mattress)...

The cause of the problem was the shaft moving back out of the coupling to the transmission.  It appears it was not properly attached, allowing it to slowly slip back until it was no longer connected.  Not a huge problem, but we might need parts and it was possible something was damaged in the process.  We also wanted to have the propeller checked in case we picked up some fishing gear or something.

I texted my local contact who came by in the morning.  He told me who to contact to dive on the boat to check things out.  He also called one of the local mechanics to see about a new shaft key that I would need.  The key is a short piece of rectangular metal that slides in a grove in both the shaft and the coupler to keep things from slipping.  I could not find ours.

Turns out knowing the right people makes life much easier.  We had two new keys and the prop inspected before noon.  Ruben, the diver, found about 10 feet of 3/4 inch fishing rope and net wrapped around the prop and shaft.  The rope and the coupling problem both contributed to the failure.  

 

 After some disassembly, cleaning, fitting and reassembling, things were back in order and properly connected.  We tested the engine and everything worked just fine!  We won't need a tow to the haulout crane.

We haul out tomorrow morning to check the hull for damage from hitting the rock in the marina.  We will also see if we can get the knot meter working and put new packing in the stuffing box around the propeller shaft.

Needing a break from the bilge, I repaired the engine cover.  It is now a tight fit and does not bump the engine when you step on it.  A small, but appreciated fix.

We also tidied up the deck from yesterday's sail.  

Scott and Dave took a bus to the Soriana to shop.  He can share that story.

Here are some wildlife pics:

Oyster Catcher:

Scott before his coffee:

 Black Crowned Night Heron:

Green Iguana:

Orange Iguana:

 

From Scott:

I loaded up with coins today and Dave and I walked to the bus stop for a trip to Soriana.  This was my first outing without Brian and so I played guide.  After two or three miles on the bus, Dave swore he would never drive in Mexico.  Traffic seems to merge by telepathy since turn signals are regarded as a sign of weakness here.

We got most of what we were after and bought some dodgy lunch meat for ourselves, the ingredients of which we will not be translating into English.  Once done, we walked to the bus stop and I confidently told Dave that any bus that came along would get us back to the Marina.  Any bus but the one we boarded which went one mile and made a U-turn.  Smarter and 10 Pesos poorer, we arrived via another bus back to the Marina.

One of the things Brian and I have noted is the flimsy paper towels in bathrooms.  The first towel serves no purpose, the second is to wipe the first off your hands which has adhered like a second skin and the next ten are to dry them.  Few stalls have toilet paper holders as Dave found out when fishing blindly for one on the tank behind him, only to have the roll fall to the floor and roll out of the bathroom and into the lobby.  We do have hot water though and that is a blessing of no small size.