Cracks around prop strut

[Bill M]

Hi All,

I'm getting the bottom of my boat ready for paint and noticed cracks from the corners of the prop strut. I have found pictures in this forum of what the strut mounts to and am wondering if what I am seeing is cracks in fairing compound.

Bill Mortensen

N30U #335

Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association

Stonington, CT

[Paul Miller]

At first glance that’s what it looks like to me. I would dig at it a little. If it’s just bondo you will soon know and it will be an easy fix. If it’s structural it will need repair anyway and any “exploration wounds” will simply be incorporated in the repair.

Paul M

NS30U #211, Sandpiper 

Cowichan Bay, B.C.

[Bob Neches (Solar Wind, N26C #143)]

Bill,

If you go to the Nonsuch.org website, and look at "Shop Drawings" under the Members tab, you'll get a path to all of the shop drawings currently available for Nonsuch 30 components.

One of them is titled, "Nonsuch 30 Strut Drilling.pdf".  That one shows what your strut looks like by itself.  You might want to compare that to what you see on your boat, and that might help you decide.

I can't make out what's going on from the picture alone well enough to offer an opinion.

-- Bob

   Solar Wind

   Nonsuch 26C #143

[Tom Schoenhofer 26C#28 North Star Penetanguishene]

Looks like a crack in the fairing maybe caused by water freezing in there over the winter.

What is that disk thing between the strut and the prop?

Tom

26C 28

Pentang

[Mike BIANKA]

Tom

I think it is a line cutter in case a fish/lobster trap gets caught in the prop.

Mike

BIANKA

1986 30U

[Bill M]

As Mike said it is a line cutter for lobster pots and such.

Bill Mortensen

N30U #335

[ronw...@rocketmail.com]

Bill,

I removed my strut as part of a broad reconditioning effort and  because it did appear to be way out of line. Upon taking it to a prop shop, it was decided that it wasn't bent beyond it's offset design, but I found the mounting bolts to be bent. It was bolted through the hull in a heavy plastic box that somewhat resembles a shallow electrical box. I would assume that the box is there to facilitate the filling and fairing after the strut is bolted in place. I used a heavy wire brush on a drill to remove most of the old fairing. Filled the space with West System fairing compound and glassed over before applying the barrier coat. Don't let it scare you, I've that the way these boats are built makes them very repairable.

Ron Weber

N22 Magic Time
Punta Gorda Fl