Zelos 36 stuffing tube is burning hot

[1coopgt]

I believe that this "re sleeved from each end leaving about a 25mm void for the bend in the standard tube." and this "I found the stock tubes nearly kinked in the center." are the issue here. For maximum efficiency and lifespan the stuffing tube should have a gentle curve nearly from end to end if you put all the bend needed for a cat into only an inch of length that is a very tight bend radius and the energy spent moving those flex strands over themselves will heat it up. As we are seeing here sometimes it will be enough heat to melt the liner, sure you can mask the issue by removing the liner so it wont melt and cause further problems, but you will still have an inefficient driveline and the only way to fix that is by replacing the stuffing tube with one that has a gentler curve.

Teflon is just DuPont's trademarked name for PTFE, replacing PTFE for Teflon will do nothing for your boat, the only difference is that your wallet will be a little lighter and DuPont's a little fatter.

Hey Paul what boat are you talking about? The thread is about the Zelos36 and Miss Gieco 36. The stuffing tubes are almost straight.

[fweasel]

Hey Paul what boat are you talking about? The thread is about the Zelos36 and Miss Gieco 36. The stuffing tubes are almost straight.

One plenty of those production hulls, the bends in the stuffing tubes were too severe and the primary cause of the overheating and friction issues. Cheap stock flex cables with misaligned flex to prop shaft joints are another cause.