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Vibrations during sea trial

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by Beauregard, Oct 13, 2014.

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  1. SFS

    SFS Senior Member

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    I was referring to the sniping at each other that various members seem to take on as a mission.
  2. Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    Less expensive in the long run, way less expensive than throwing parts at the problem and multiple haul-outs to chase whims.

    Rich at Advanced Mechanical and Andy at DATUM in Fort Lauderdale have always been my first choice and are professionals.
  3. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Getting a job done right is often far less expensive than doing it wrong and the additional damage caused. And that's before even putting a value on time and stress.
  4. Bamboo

    Bamboo Senior Member

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    Marmot is absolutely correct and there are a number of qualified vibration analysis specialists to choose from in South Florida.

    It takes less time and money to do it right the first time than it does to do it over.
  5. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    While true, given the OP's other issues, I would look at resolving those first. The vibration could be coming from his poor running engine.
  6. jhall767

    jhall767 Senior Member

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    It sounds like it can be done during a sea trial with out a haulout. Can you put a number on it? Like say $200 / hr for 4 hours? $500 / hour for 8 hours? What is typical? At what size vessel does it become economical.
  7. Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    Call them directly for that kind of information.
  8. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    It becomes economical the minute it is beyond your knowledge, experience and skill level. Much like any professional service.
  9. jhall767

    jhall767 Senior Member

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    Not really. I have no doubts about the professional service. There aren't many of us on here that can pull a prop, shaft and coupling. Rework, true and balance the same and realign the shaft. There are many good yards and prop shops that will and can do that. And that will fix most of the problems. I've got a pretty good idea what that would cost to have done. If it costs $1k to have the vibration survey done that's one thing. If it costs $10k or more to have it done I'm more likely to give it the yard the first crack. On my boat I could replace all the hardware for that.

    One would assume to do the complete job would take roughly the same amount of time per drive train regardless of the size of the boat. Same number of basic data points. So there should be a ball park figure available. What is obviously economical for a yacht the size Marmot deals with will probably be unrealistic at some point as you go down in size. "Less expensive in the long run" but probably not for a 36' Carver.
  10. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    As Marmot suggested, call them for a quote. But then understand it may well be for just part 1 as they can't quote repairing the problem until they figure out what it is.

    I would assume, or at least hope, the OP got a sizable discount based on the worst scenario since he went on and purchased the boat knowing about the vibration. Hopefully large enough to cover the repairs.
  11. jhall767

    jhall767 Senior Member

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    I guess this is one of those things that everybody says you should do but nobody actually does. Nobody seems to have any idea what it costs. I don't have any vibration issues so I'm not calling them just to inquire. I was just looking for real world experience for when/if I or one of my friends has an issue.

    From Datum's web site:
    DATUM can offer this service to the commercial shipping, mega-yacht and shore based industrial fields. As we learned earlier in the thread the OP apparently has a 37 Silverton. Nice boat but not exactly "mega-yacht" So not a likely match for Datum.
  12. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    Anyone who has had to deal with a vibration problem knows it can get into a lot of dough very quickly with no certainty of correcting the problem. The cost can be difficult to reconcile when working on a relatively inexpensive boat. Nobody has any idea what it cost to fix a vibration because until you know what's causing it you don't know what to fix.
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2014
  13. Marmot

    Marmot Senior Member

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    Actually, he number of owners doing so is growing rapidly as labor and parts costs continue to rise. The number of technical services providing vibration analysis is growing as well ... most people would conclude that someone "actually does."

    Nor does anyone know what your grocery bill will be next week or how much your next pair of shoes will cost. It is a foolish person who would estimate the cost of a job on a boat he knows nothing about and the price for attendance is something you need to get directly from the provider. Call and ask, phone calls are cheap.

    Silvertons vibrate for the same reasons as Feadships, the analytical tools used to find the source are the same. The scope of the survey and time required may be far far less.


    Having used both the service providers mentioned and knowing them professionally for several years, I would never make that assumption and certainly never tell anyone what they might be available to do or for what price.
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2014
  14. Beauregard

    Beauregard New Member

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    Thank you to those who gave advice and also pass on their boating experiences to us, " the new owners". I hope to continue to learn in detail all that I can from you.

    As for the other members...... to use my lack of knowledge/ questions in patronizing and or humiliating demeanor shall not be tolerated. YF should be a site where the seasoned and inexperienced boaters can share tips, advice, and how too's. I can't believe that this thread has been so controversial.
  15. dennismc

    dennismc Senior Member

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    ..Does the vessel have an engine syncro ? was it on and working correctly ? if not, you may have just experienced a vibro caused by unequal prop speeds, not uncommon when engines out of sync.
  16. Riverdance

    Riverdance Member

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    Very common cause on the older motors with auto synch in the control head. You can easily over ride the system.
    My choice would be to align the motor, re-lap the prop on the shaft, tighten up the zinc and go for a test run.
  17. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Has anybody heard from the OP? Real update?
  18. Riverdance

    Riverdance Member

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    Sounds like the OP bought the boat. Hopefully they will have a SMOOTH ownership
  19. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Was hoping to hear what the problem really turned out to be.
  20. Deer Dr

    Deer Dr New Member

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