Hello all, I'm David Fowler, new owner of hull 264 out of Mobile, Al.
I purchased this boat knowing it has several problems and therefore had a survey done. This being my first boat, I don't know what I don't know. Unfortunately, during the survey, the sea trial couldn't be completed because I was told the V-Drive had locked up. (There are many other deficiencies I'll post about later).
Yesterday was the first time I got to step foot on her since she is ours. I only had a few hours to get done what I needed to, so I was in scramble mode to make sure the boat was secure at the dock and not at risk of sinking. But I did bring a fluid extractor with me and some 30 weight oil to spend a few minutes looking at the V-Drive.
I removed a couple of quarts of water and put some oil in it. I didn't bring a funnel (assuming there might be one on board) and the dip stick is missing. Spun the jack shaft by hand a few times, and nothing alarming was noticed. Seemed to spin rather freely considering I was told it "locked up". Finally figured out how to start the engine and put her in gear. Lots of banging and grinding noises for certain. Upon further investigation, I found the cabin sole resting on the jack shaft.
Anyone else run into this or have an opinion on a repair moving forward?
I had same problem and I solved it with a support bracket. My issue was caused by decayed core in the sole, which is made of 3/4" balsa sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass. Check to see if your sole sags in the area of the jack shaft, if yes, then all you have to do is lift it up and insert a support bracket. This area takes a lot of stress because it's the landing spot for people descending the companionway steps. The after edge of this part of the cabin sole is supported by a glassed-in beam, but someone (Pearson?) cut part of that beam to make way for the jack shaft, thereby weakening that support and contributing to the downward deflection.
Here is a link to my post detailing that work.
https://pearson365.com/forum/index.php?topic=1387.msg7550#msg7550