Re: [electricboats] No Vibration? - How did you get there?

We removed the motor mounts and filled the holes with an epoxy. I don't remember if a piece of angle iron came with the reduction pieces.  Here's a couple of pictures... we do have some vibration but our "boat guy" says we need to repack/replace bearings in the cutlass (I think that's what it's called).  By the way... Going electric was the Best decision ever... I had to convince my husband about it and he will now say installing it wasn't that bad...we love our thunderstruck motor and have had it about 1 1/2 years .  We will never go back to diesel!

Theresa Montya

On Sep 2, 2020, at 3:10 PM, THOMAS VANDERMEULEN <tvinypsi@gmail.com> wrote:

This question is to Thunderstruck motor kit users who are NOT having a problem with vibration.  How did you manage it?  Learning what works from someone who's made it work would be terrific!
Are you using the chain-and-sprocket shaft coupling arrangement T'struck provides, or some other coupling arrangement?  Did you use standard motor mounts, or did you hard mount the reduction gear rails more or less directly to the hull?

I have a T'struck kit operating nicely on a test bench, and have not yet started an installation.  Our local installer, as recommended by T'struck, told me on the phone that they would need to use motor mounts and some other items not provided by T'struck that he did not detail in that conversation.

So, the few reports in this group over the past few weeks by skippers of recently launched e-boats of uncomfortable levels of vibration who are using the Thunderstruck motor kit, and T'struck reduction gear got me wondering again about the best way to mount the system, and also to couple it to my shaft prop.

The chain-and-sprocket arrangement is not common in this application.  It's stated that this arrangement can help compensate for slight misalignment between reduction shaft and prop shaft, but I'm skeptical.  Can that approach be as good as, for example, a flexible shaft coupling such as those from R&D Marine or from Vetus?  (These are more expensive, I recognize.)

My existing diesel motor mounts are shot so I can't reuse them.  And my existing shaft coupling is a solid-style, split type, so would require precision alignment.  Would using new motor mounts allow enough adjustment to ensure a precision alignment?

Any success stories out there?

[-tv]
Tom VanderMeulen
"Grace O'Malley"
Cape Dory 27
Monroe, MI