Do all Nautiques need a Safety Collar

[jkallen21]

I have read some pretty scary stories about the shaft snapping at high speed and violently turning the boat causing driver and passenger ejection and pretty severe prop and rudder damage. The solution seems to be a safety collar on the shaft. I'm wondering if this is an "older boat" problem and if newer Nautiques need this collar. Mine is a 2006 SAN. Thanks

[Neverenough]

Never heard tha before. Where did you get that info?

[JDK]

What is a safety collar ... and which shaft can 'snap'?

I don't think Nautique (or M.C. or Malibu) make a boat that goes fast enough to 'eject' anyone

[AirTool]

Just some comments:

1. Yes it is possible for a shat to snap. The shafts fail from fatigue. Generally snapping occurs on older designs where the shafts were a) lower quality material b) small diameter and c) overloaded w/horsepower with engine upgrades.

2. I believe all shafts should have the collar...and yours should as well. The DD's have them, not sure why a SAN wouldn't.

3. The shaft snapping will cause rudder damage...not prevented by the collar because the shaft usually snaps behind the strut where it is cantilevered.

4. The collar is mainly to prevent the shaft from slipping out should it come loose from within the boat which is highly unlikely unless you disconnect the coupling.

5. In the event of the shaft snapping, I don't see much effect on the boat and its passengers other than they are going to be paddling home.

[TRBenj]

I disagree with most of the above.

A friend with a '75 Nautique (bone stock) did in fact snap his shaft at high speed- prop pinned the rudder full lock and ejected him. No serious injuries, thank god.

The most common reason for shafts to break is due to weakening (or fretting) due to misalignment. Though, I have seen higher hp/tq boats snap shafts as well. A safety collar will save you grief if the shaft breaks just aft of the coupler... but wont help you out if the shaft breaks between the strut and prop. Ive seen this happen as well, and I suspect that failure mode is exacerbated by excessive strut to prop clearance (which puts more stress on the shaft).

CC did not always use safety collars, and many older boats dont have the clearance for them. They are nice to have, but certainly not a necessity on all inboards. Keep your powertrain aligned properly and dont worry about it.

[core-rider]

Anyone have pics of this collar? I'm having trouble picturing where it would go.

[shag]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#stainless-s...ollars/=mw0ml8

Find your appropriate shaft size and order....

I got one just for the heck of it...

[s_kelley2000]

5. In the event of the shaft snapping, I don't see much effect on the boat and its passengers other than they are going to be paddling home.

If the shaft snaps behind the coupler and in front of the packing gland and slides all the way out of the packing then wouldn't you also have at least a 1" hole below your water line? You better paddle to shore quick haha. I am sure Tim is right that shafts snapping are rare if your alignment is correct but on the other hand it's pretty cheap insurance if you are concerned.

[core-rider]

Okay, now I understand what it is. I remember my old 1984 2001 having one. I'm not worried enough about a shaft break to warrant that. I would be more wooried about hitting something underwater, in which case the collar probably won't help anyway.