On Sep 3, 11:26*am, Jim wrote:
Frogwatch wrote:
On Sep 3, 10:02 am, Frogwatch wrote:
On Sep 3, 7:15 am, (Richard Casady) wrote:

On Wed, 2 Sep 2009 20:03:04 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:
Today, I dug out the old bronze prop whose blade edges were so
depleted of zinc
What kind of bronze contains zinc? Brasses are copper/zinc alloys,
bronzes are mostly copper/tin. Disappearing zinc is why brass is not
used in many applications.
Casady
OK. 'twas a late night brain freeze but the bronze is wasted and
corroded somehow.

Actually, marine bronze contains 9-10% aluminum which is even worse
than Zn. *I do not have shore power so I can only assume someone else
has bad wiring. *Right now, I am combatting this by having the diver
replace my zinc every 4 months but I will move my boat soon.
So, what do people think about my making the strut?
HK, you are incapable of giving useful input so please do not respond

I think you are probably capable of casting a strut but why bother? What
would a new one cost, $100 maybe. Chances are that there is an off the
shelf strut that fits your boat.
When you take the strut off you might find you need a bearing and shaft
too. And an engine coupler. And a new prop. And thru hulls. And
seacocks. And bottom scraping and painting. And blister repair. *And
keel faring. And engine allignment. And bonding for thru hulls, strut,
and shaft.
Doing those kinds of repairs would be a waste of your time and talent.

Jim:

You are right but I am obsessive. However, buying an off-the-shelf
strut might work even if the angle of the bearing is wrong. I can
make an adapter of G10 (glass/plastic material that is very tough) to
fit between the hull and strut to get the angle and length right so I
do not have to wait to have a strut custom made.
I've eliminated all below water thru hulls except the engine water
intake and I can replace that easily.
Blister repair: I've learned to ignore them.
Painting: No paint job I have had done by anybody else works as well
as what I do myself. When somebody else does it, it peels or does not
last very long. When I do it, I really prepare the surface, then 4
coats of hard epoxy anti-fouling, lasts 3-4 years.
Engine alignment: I installed the engine myself and I love it.
Alignment is truly easy with easy access to the engine on the S2.