It turns out that the Aquadrive thrust bearing is no longer available. Apparently the new versions of the thrust bearing do not offer an option to match the torque specs of the one that was installed on Skyward in 1997. Aquadrive has a smaller thrust bearing and a larger one, but neither services the torque requirements that we have. Ours has a 35 mm shaft which is turned by our 110 hp Volvo TMD31LA.
Our only option is to ask Scott at Authority Marine Propulsion to rebuild our thrust bearing.
Scott starts his day relatively early so getting there before 7:00 am is perfect for me. I walked into the shop and am greeted by massive transmissions, huge gears and long shafts spread around their worktables. It was impressive. He and I chat for a while about the project, and he is certainly not concerned about the complexity nor his ability to make ours look like new again.
Scott has a great and rare business model in the industry. His model is to offer a narrow range of services to a wide customer base. More often than not, marine services companies try to serve all needs and do a poor job. His approach is to offer skilled service and do it well, efficient and reliably. It works!
On the way out the door, Scott tells me he could have the work completed within a week. I climb into my car to drive into work reflecting on this experience and how pleasing it was to deal with an honest and competent professional.
Incidentally, the CV joint needs to be replaced. We have it on the list. Can’t wait to put all of this back into Skyward.
The Loxodograph 