Allen Sooter
Allen Sooter here, p/v Playing Hooky,
Hi Carl,
I have a question, my 1976 Crusader has twin 165 mercruisers and when I run the engines and out drives both prop turn the same direction, is this correct or has someone change the out drive with the incorrect one. Both engines turn the same direction.
Thanks
Allen
Yes, please send the photos.
Carl
p.s.
Normal rotation for twins is to have the tops of the props turning outboard.
Take a look here:
http://cruiseahome.nwcruising.net/Q_and_A/question_13.html
Thanks Carl,
Both my props are turning clockwise and are the same prop. So what is your best guess?
Hi Carl,
What do you think of this, reversing the control cable on the port shifter so it runs in reverse, then install a left hand prop. Is there going to be a problem with he water pump impeller running in reverse?
Thanks
Re: Prop rotation
The twin gas engines on V-drive CAHs turned opposite directions. Thus, the props turned opposite. Those that were diesels (and I’m told, a few gassers,) both engines turned the same direction, so the V-drive on the port engine had a chain drive between the gears rather than a tooth-to-tooth engagement, which made the props turn opposite to each other. I don’t know if or how outdrives addressed that situation. I would think if both props turn the same, the boat would tend to tail-walk slightly, but that wouldn’t be much different than a single prop set-up.
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Re: Hatches
I think I responded to this earlier. If either you or I somehow flubbed that response, here it is again ----
Hi Carl ---- Hello Allen
Leave ‘em alone! The hatches are raised from the deck because the flange under them is higher than the main deck, in order that water running off the deck (and the hatches) will run into the “gutter” under the edge of the hatches, through the drains at the aft outboard corner of the hatches, and overboard. The original hatches were flat, but the deck itself is slightly crowned.
NOTE: The pre-1974 boats had a small (1/2” or so) drain hole, and a small hose to the overboard fitting. Those small drains plugged easily, and later boats had I 1/2 inch sink drains and a bigger hose. BUT, the sink drains had an “X” in the bottom, so still plugged easily. I cut the X’s out of mine, which seemed to resolve the plugging.
NOTE 2 : Even with the corner drains plugged, rainwater will still run overboard – barely. The gutter would be full however, so if the boat bounced around at all, the gutter could spill water into the engine compartment.
NOTE 3: I later discovered that the overboard drain through the transom was directly over the swim step bracket. One of my brackets had allowed a very small amount of water (fresh, from rain) to seep into the plywood-cored transom, and rotted the outer 2 feet of the plywood core on one side. No seawater leaks or significant loss of strength, but I eventually decided to cut out the thinner inside fiberglass, * ( See Carl’s Q & A # 10 -- the lower pic is my transom), remove the plywood core (big job!!), replace it with structural foam glassed to the thicker outside fiberglass, and re-glass the inside fiberglass --- for the entire transom. At the same time, I re-routed the overboard drains to the side hull. (Solid fiberglass --- no core. I thought that was pretty clever.)
So --- more data than either of you probably wanted, but it was free, so what the heck!
OldBoater
Dean
Carl: Bad idea, I think. The water pump impeller probably can’t reverse .... its bent one way and will probably just disintegrate if forced to reverse. Even if it could reverse, the pump takes in water from a port on the “leg” of the outdrive, pumps it through the engine and sends it out through the engine exhaust. I doubt that reversing the water pick-up and exhaust ports could work Bad idea.
Dean
Thanks Carl and Dean, I did not think it would work, but wanted a second opinion.
Allen
