The Steamboating Forum

Has anyone used nylon prop shaft sleeves for a mismatch between the shaft and prop? Lopez, you should have an opinion about this. I'm leaning towards a 1.25" SS shaft but have a 1.375" prop that I'm fond of ... I would tend towards a machined adapter here, but I see these things for sale (cheap) from chandlers.

Thanks in advance.

I've run into them several times over the years and not heard of any problems. It will need a special key to make up for the thickness of the sleeve.

Chris:

Thanks. Yes, they appear to be sold with the extra tall key as a package.

Well, they should stay tight as nylon tends to absorb water and swell. It would place the torque loading on the key which usually doesn't see much. A metal on metal taper fit really doesn't need a key if the nut is torqued down solidly.

I still have that old sleeve around here somewhere. Home made but it made it all over the stinking ocean without a hitch.

Mike

I didn't know that about nylon, though it is certainly true about 'glass and polyester resin construction. Thanks for the info.

I have a plastic (nylon?) tapered bushing to get my prop to fit the propshaft on the Ethel. I think it cost $26 from a local supplier. It hasn't seen a lot of running hours, but I certainly have not had any problems with installation or running. They are designed to take 10x the amount of horsepower any of us are likely to put through a small prop, so durability should not be a problem.

I also had to remove the prop and bushing when I sandblasted and re-painted the boat. It came off easily and in one piece, though my boat is not stored in the water, so that may have an effect. Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to use a bushing.

Cheers,
Scott

Thanks, Scott, for your experience.

Just a thought. If you need to use a sleeve, why not try a product called Vesconite www.vesconite.com This stuff is amazing. It was developed here in South Africa for the Military. I knew the son of the gent that developed the stuff many years ago. It all started in a garage in a small town called Virginia in the Free State about 30 years ago. It is worth a try. I see on their site that they have a distributor in the US

Thanks for the lead, Bushbuck.

Hmmm! Always thinking-Bearings in a steam engine? Vesconite? Wears better than brass but is it better than lubricated Babbet material?