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Naiad Stabilizer Service

Discussion in 'Stabs, Tabs & Gyros' started by bayoubud, Jan 14, 2020.

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  1. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    Time to haulout for a bottom job and reseal the Naiad fins. Just got a quote to do the reseal service from a contractor I've not used before, which was considerably more than earlier pricing. Anyone know current cost for the reseal service including the seals, retainers, and plugs?
  2. Kapn

    Kapn Member

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    I don't have much knowledge to help you, but I am curious and want to stay up on this stuff. What was the quote? When was the earlier pricing?

    Also, how large are your fins?
  3. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    The quote is $2800.00 labor plus 2 plugs, 2 lower seals, 2 seal retainers for a total of $3106.00, no upper seal in the quote. I think the fins are 9 s/f. I had quotes about 18 months ago in Lauderdale when we were boat shopping ranging from $1600.00 to $ 2000.00 for this service, the increase got my attention. Been told the service can be performed in less than a day, unless there is damage by water penetration past the lower seal.
  4. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    There's some work involved. I don't think the price to be unreasonable, but more critical is the reputation of the vendor. Check the fins for internal delamination, too. You'll hear it in response to tapping the surface areas on the fins. If not too bad, those areas can be drilled and filled with a two part epoxy.
  5. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    A vendor I have used for work on my systems:

    NCH Marine, LLC
    11325 SW 28 ST Davie, FL 33330 US (754) 422-4237
    Larry Hill
  6. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    Thanks rtrafford, we will check for delamination. Contractor has a good reputation, thanks for the referral but we are in the GOM. Would be nice to have access to the marine contractors as in your area.
  7. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    Interesting. Doesn't look too hard.... Looks like I'll be doing that myself if it comes to that.
  8. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    ...and with that post, welcome to Senior Member status, rtrafford. Thank you for contributing to the collective knowledge base. Can I send you a YF t-shirt? :)
  9. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    One of our preferred surveyors showed me about the de-lam issue on a pair of fins. He explained the sun does hit the fins, heats it up and helps the out side sandwich of glass release from the internal solid foam.
    Sure enough, both outsides were loose on a Hatt we were looking at. Inside surfaces solid.

    Huckins will service the fins this spring. We will rotate the fins from side to side after punching some holes and filling with thickened epoxy.
  10. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    If you're talking a fairly late model Hatteras, I've always had the Trac fins drain a lot of water out of them. They all do that from day 1, even on new ones, I think they're supposed to. That being said, I wouldn't swap them from side to side, why have to deal with delam issues on the opposite sides.....just fix the sides that have delammed.
  11. d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

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    Can't say about yours, nut the Naiad fins removed on an 80-footer I ran required a special tool to pop the fin off of the tapered shaft, like a pipe longer than the fin bolt hole that screwed into the fin, and a center bolt in the tool that pushed the fin off from the shaft. Dunno, for sure, though.
  12. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    Ours require that same tool to pop the fin loose. Not trying to insinuate there is no work involved in the fin service but it is not difficult and can be done as stated by some that are experienced in 4 hours assuming no problems. And we all know nothing ever goes wrong when working on boats.
  13. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Yes, that is it but you forgot the 4 ton hydraulic Porta-Power hand pump.

    Along with the proper re-assemble, there are new wave washers and usually a new nut on the materials list past the new seals, new screws and consumables.
    It's these special little things that probably made the estimates a lil different above.
  14. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    I agree. I wouldn't rotate them (mine are 252's). Just pick up some self mixing tubes of a good 2 part epoxy, drill a hole, maybe 1/4" or 5/16' into the hollows, sand the area clean around the holes you've drilled, and pump the voids full of epoxy, allowing the epoxy to mound up beyond the hole plane of the fin. Once the epoxy cures, sand the small mound down so that it's smooth and repaint the bottom paint process to cover. That should buy you quite a bit of additional service time from the fins.
  15. rtrafford

    rtrafford Senior Member

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    Well, thank you. I already have a YFY shirt soiled in my engine room somewhere. I don't think the acronyms represent the same words at all...
  16. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    We were not wanting the sun brittle glass skin to sit in the sun any longer was the thought of rotating the fins. Sun burned that bad.
    New fins are on the Santa, Birthday, anniversary or St Patties list also.
  17. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I think that in a season the other sides would start delaminating and the fins would have to be replaced sooner as both sides would be compromised. I really don’t think it’s from the sun, they’re far enough underwater and cooled by constant water. I think it’s from the side forces of the fins working.
  18. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Don't overlook the season in your quotes. 18 months ago was off season. Right now you're in peak season.
  19. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    There is no reason why forces should be higher on the external side of the fins, since the rotation angle is exactly the same in both directions.
    If anything, it can only be the opposite, due to the fact that the water flows backward (obviously) but also slightly outward, from the hull centerline.
  20. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    Actually it is slow here in the mid winter, all we talked to there were busy at that time. We went to Stuart.