Bent Shaft & Broke Strut..can I replace myself?

[Rpdriscoll]

I have a 88 malibu skier. Took it out on the lake today and as soon as I kicked it the boat started vibrating really bad and then I could hear something hitting the bottom of the boat. Pulled it out of the water and found the strut is completely broke and the shaft is bent. Prop and rudder looks fine, so I dont think I ran over anything. I just bought this boat not to long ago (only second time on the lake with it) so Im going to assume it was already bent. I would like to repair myself (Im pretty good with a wrench) but wasnt sure if this is something I should take to a shop and have done? Also, anyone know what Im going to be looking at out of pocket? Ive been searching shaft's and not coming up with anything...any help?

[brad72]

For the shaft unless you have a lathe or rollers to hold the shaft, hydraulic press, v blocks and dial gauges the shaft is going to be pretty hard to get straight. A shop would be the best place to take it but get a quote first as it might be cheaper to snag a new shaft. Remember these guys do it every day so know all the tricks. Cost will depend on how bent the shaft is so a little hard to give an idea on price.

At your own risk, if you have a press and a dial indicator you could make up some v blocks from wood and with the dial indicator find the high spots, support either side of the bend in the shaft with the blocks then use the hydraulic press to cold bend the shaft, then repeat until the shaft is straight. Go slowly and carfully making a note of the high spots. Agian, you might not have any success in which case back to suggestion 1.

It might also be a good idea to get the balance of the prop checked also if you have any suspision it might me out.

Good luck with it.

Edited July 22, 2013 by brad72

[Wayne]

Contact skidim, elberts or a dealer. You should be able to get a new strut for less than $400. A new shaft from Elbert's is about $350 with hardware.

It's not a bolt in job and takes some special tools that would probably cost less than the labor to have it all done. If you have ever set the gear mesh on a differential on a car you cold do it after watching a few YouTube videos (seriously). The only tricky parts are making sure the prop shaft enters the hull at the correct angle and the shaft alignment to the engine. If you've ever rebuilt an engine this is about the same difficulty.

[malibu2004]

Yes you can do it. Just watch allot of video's on the internet and go to a boat shop or 2 and ask questions. You'll probably have to remove the rudder.

[JustinOSU]

You can definitely do it yourself - my experience replacing the shaft.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/38709-shaft-coupler-key-sheared-my-experience/?fromsearch=1