Shafts, Props, and Engine Alignment
June / July 2021: So, once we got her home, I had a punch list of items to address before I felt I could really start to relax and enjoy the boat. The first items on the list were: Address a load imbalance on the engines Perform an engine and shaft alignment Have the props scanned and tuned Replace the cutlass bearings In classic fashion, I pulled the boat a week after she was home, and started to work on it. I figured I'd give up a bit of the summer to address the issues and catch up on deferred maintenance, and that's exactly what happened. It all turned into a roughly 6 week project, but I don't like to take chances with running gear, and without knowing exactly when and how the previous owner had performed these tasks, I just wasn't comfortable running the boat until I had a baseline. First up was the prop removal on both sides. The props on the 500 are large 4 blade 28" diameter by 42.5" pitch Nibral units from Volvo. A conventional prop puller