5th May: Torqeedo Outboard repairs
I took the propeller off the Torqeedo outboard today. With the nut off, removing the propeller was still a struggle and in the end I used a hammer to tap it off the shaft. The bits on the left side of the photo are what I found. Both spring washers were corroded with the inner one broken into pieces. The only part of the shear pin still present was the length inside the motor shaft. The two ends of the pin were missing which is a mystery since there is no way they could get out from under the propeller; they definitely did not drop out as I took it apart. Possibly the corroded inner washer had ground the shear pin down to dust – it seems unlikely since the two shouldn’t be in contact. However if they are, then the spinning propeller might well create an effective grinder! I have put on a new propeller (the old one was very tattered) and also altered the mounting of the outboard by inserting a teak pad on the well side of the bracket. The outboard is now properly vertical while still being able to be locked down.