More Paragon blues

[S/V Laelia]

It has been a while since I posted here. I have done a lot to Laelia to get her ready to go cruising. Added a Monitor wind vane, some new sails, replaced all the standing rigging and had the masts rewired. An of course there are the 1001 little details to make the transition from a weekend SF Bay cruiser to an offshore cruising boat.

Dec 31, I left Alameda and sailed down to San Diego - not much wind so it was a slow 8 day trip. I don't like to use the engine unless it is really necessary. It is an accessory for getting into and out of slips or other tight spots.

I think the engine and transmission are aware of my dislike for them. They have been more trouble than any other single issue. Now the Paragon transmission has turned obstinate once again. I was out for a day sail a couple of days ago to test out some adjustments to the self steering. When I started up the engine to get back into the slip, it was obvious that something was wrong. At 1800 rpm I was getting 2 -3 knots. When I shift into reverse, it sounds horrible and there is not much thrust from the prop.

I figured it was a matter of adjusting the clutch so I pulled the plate off the top of the transmission and adjusted according to the engine manual that came with the boat. One big thing bothered me - before and after adjusting the clutch, I could put the transmission in gear, grab the prop shaft and rotate it. When I put the transmission in gear, I can see that it is pulling the clutch plates against each other. The plates rotate when I rotate the prop shaft.

When I start the engine, the prop shaft rotates when not in gear until I find the magic spot that is truly neutral (this has always been true). When I put it in gear, the shaft rotates and I can see water moving out from under the stern.

I can't tell if reverse working or not. The prop shaft rotates the right direction but I suspect there is a lot of slippage cuz the boat doesn't move much against the dock lines. I looked at the instructions for adjust the reverse bands but the pictures don't match up against what I see when I look at the actual transmission. Here is a picture. How do I adjust the reverse band pressure?



Also of great concern is the ominous rumbling and clanking I hear. I don't recall hearing that before. The rumbling sounds like a bad bearing somewhere in the transmission.

I would love to replace the Paragon with a Velvet Drive but I am doing this cruise on a shoe string and the string is getting awfully short. It may not be possible to afford a replacement.

Maybe I have to go cruising engineless...

Thank you in advance for your replies and advice.

Ralph

[S/V Laelia]

I pulled the transmission after following the tried and true procedure of applying a comealong, lots of PB Blaster and repeated, savage blows from the rubber hammer. I had to leave it sitting overnight with the comealong pulled up tight to make it come loose. This morning, a couple more licks from the rubber hammer did the trick.

The teeth on the transmission shaft are badly worn and the splines in the damper plate are sheared off so both will need to be replaced. I think I can handle all that with help from one of my neighbors here in the marina. All I need is the parts. Carl Seipel (formerly owner of Pog) has offered to let me cannibalize his old transmission but he says the teeth on the transmission shaft are less than perfect. I would like to find a new or like new shaft if possible. Does anyone know where I might find one? The tranny is a Paragon SA0D. Engine is a Westerbeke W40.

Ralph

[PeteW]

I just pulled a working SAOD from my 365 in San Diego. Splines show some wear but if you get a high deflection damper plate from R&D it will reduce the torque on the splines and clutch. I'm not opposed to selling it. I'm at Marina Cortez.

Pete

[S/V Laelia]

I have been out of town for a week so this reply is a bit slow.

Thanks to Pete, I have a working SA0D installed. I got out for a short day sail including some motoring and all seems to be working well.

I got my new damper plate from R&D. One of the really good things about it is that it stands out farther from the face of the flywheel than the old part. It looks to me like the transmission shaft should fully engage the splines in the damper plate.

If anyone else is interested, I got the part from R&D marine. Their products are listed by PYI on the web site at http://pyiinc.com/

Here is a photo comparing the old and the new part.