We arrived in Daytona Beach on Sunday then contracted a virus on, the computer, Monday. Then on Tuesday took “Adventure” to Seven Seas Marina to have her hauled out of the water and put up on the hard on Tuesday, for repairs.
We left at sun up on Tuesday morning so we could be at Seven Seas at 8AM. We were down to just 1.8 knots with the vibration from the motor and prop. We saw a few rowers on the river that early.
Plus a few eagles out early.
When we got there they were just opening up. They needed us early so it would be high tide. As we draw 6 feet they were concerned about us making it to the lift. It worked out well and here are a few pictures from the lift.
After we got her on jack stands we got a good look at the damage she had gone through.
The strut had failed completely and we realized the old hole had not been patched with epoxy but rather filled in with a rubber type putty. The stress fractures in the old hole were apparent. They were passable from outside inspection however not visible was the failed fracture.
The bolts had sheared and failed then fallen out. This was caused by the shaft bending and creating a vibration that broke them. The bent shaft was caused by the line thrown into rthe prop by the boat “helping” us off the shoal 4 weeks earlier. The damage was not immediately visible.
When we took the strut off we realized they had not repaired the stress fracture from last year when they repaired the shaft.
They did not repair the crack visible in these pictures. They only put a metal plate over the top of it.
We removed the putty and injected epoxy into the crack then layered fiberglass over that, finally putting a smooth epoxy filling to flush out the hole.
A sheared bolt I pulled out from the top
Temporary bolts I put in to plug the holes until we could get it out of the water.
Again the temporary bolts.
Inside we removed the plate from the bottom added 1/2 inch of fiberglass cloth and epoxy then smoothed it out with another 1/4 inch of epoxy. Making the patch almost 1 1/2 inches thick with the addition of another 1/4″ aluminum plate. 
After removing temporary bolts, plate, and removing all the 3M 5200 putty they had on top of the fiberglass.
The finished aluminum plate bedded in 1/2 inch of epoxy.
The propeller shaft needed to have a new bolt made for it. Thanks Mat for taking me to Dave to manufacture it for us.
We also had to have the shaft straightened and repair the prop. Badly worn and holding on with only a cotter pin. Rebolted then aligned the motor was aligned with the shaft. A lot of work but the end result is solid.
I spent time in the hole sanding and prepping the work so Tam caught me actually working.
We need to acknowledge the friends we have met here that guided us, drove us, and were the keys to getting “Adventure” back into the water.
If it had not been for Mat and Rita driving us around and knowing people that could do the job at reasonable prices, plus guiding me through the bedding in epoxy and aligning the shaft the cost would have soared as we paid the marina to do those items. A super special thanks to Mat and Rita.
Mat & Rita
We humbly thank you for everything.
George and Sarah we originally met when we were here last year and they invited us back.
Sarah
Mat standing and George seated
Garth directed us to George last year and set off a chain reaction for us.
Garth
“Living The Dream”
Tammy & Steve
Sailing an "Adventure" 