Shaft tubes

[fishskipper]

Maybe, I'm behind the times. But, until this spring, I had never seen this one. Anybody else tried this?

[JD5652]

Skip-

I'm a little confused....tried what??

[pitch bait]

We are putting yhem in the boat we are building. Supposed to give us another 1.5 knots and like 3 more miles per gallon. I think Spencer is building ours.

[fishskipper]

JD its a fiberglass tube glassed to your strut and to the bottom of your boat. I don't know exactly how it works, but everyone that put them on has had improved speed and fuel consumption. Maybe, how the water comes across your wheel or less drag.
Pitch, did I see that Ritchie Howell is building you a rig? If he is you, won't be disaapointed. He's one of the best builders here and a great guy!

[JD5652]

So basically you're encasing your shafts from the strut to the external of the packing gland so that they do not come into contact with the water.......am I visualizing this right??

[rich]

Jd from what I have heard yes. It is suppose to create less drag on your shaft.

[hotrodmarlin]

Does anyone have pics? I am getting ready to put a 32 albemarle on the hill to go through completely and this sounds like something worth doing. Is it just a tube or does it connect to the hull and come down and all the way around?

[anthony]

We are putting yhem in the boat we are building. Supposed to give us another 1.5 knots and like 3 more miles per gallon. I think Spencer is building ours.

Spencer always seems to be at the forefront of the newest innovations in boat building, although the 3 miles per gallon thing can't be right, the boat probably won't quite get 1 mile per gallon.

[POON MAN]

If it is anything like a downeast style construction they are glassed thru the hull and fed by the raw water from the engine to keep the bearings , glands and or cutlas bearings cool

[fish4bills]

The fiberglass tubes over the shafts, in effect, create a larger diameter shaft. The increase in diameter changes the water displacement through the wheels which somehow increases speed and economy. Maybe there is someone on board who can explain the physics of water displacement.

They say that the boat wake at trolling speed is cleaner also.