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vee belt repair


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I am in Hawaii helping a friend get his Island Packet ready for cruising.We took the boat from Kaneohe halfway around the island to Barbers Point for haulout.On the way back,when we came around Diamond Head we had 25knots wind on the nose and seas to match.Then the engine vee belt broke and we had no spare.We couldnt get the boat to make much progress with just the sails.I trimmed the ends of the broken belt so I could overlap them.I burned holes through the overlap with a sail needle heated on the propane stove.Then I sewed the ends together with sail thread.With the alternator loosened to its maximum I was just able to refit the belt.Then I disabled the alternator because I thought that would break the repair in no time.I set the belt just tight enough to turn the water pump and we started the engine and it worked.Then we used the engine for six hours to power 25 miles to windward.

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Excellent. Well done.

You can also do the same with a short piece of line or clothing and so on if the situation is die'er. Another very good product to carry on board is a silicon self amalgamating tape that is usually available at chandleries. Certainly Bunnings. It can also be used as an emergency belt amoung the many varied other uses.

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I tried making a belt out of wife's pantyhose, didn't work. Tried a few other things till I found some cheap nasty plastic clothesline, with a longsplice it would last 40 mins till it melted but we got to port.

 

I like your sewn repair - how hard was it to puch through the belt?

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I initially burned holes using a sail repair needle heated on the propane stove.Still needed to use pliers on the needle to do the sewing but it wasnt too hard.The motion of the boat was the main difficulty.

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I think the real smart idea was knowing to disconnect the Alt. Many would never have thought of that. The load driving the water pump is small. The load required to drive the Alt can be measured in Hp. It would have been the main reason for the failure in the first place.

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Missed that detail, I've learned something (again), so that was simply a matter of pulling the connections on th eback of the alternator,? would that make it freewheel? I assume the belt still looped the alt as that's the only way I know to tension it??

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Only if you disconnect while it is actually generating. It can momentarily ramp up a real nasty spike. But if disconnected, then run, nothing will happen. Plus if the sense wire is disconnected, the Alt just plays possum and free wheels even if the main cable os still connected to the Battery. So pulling the plug effectively disconnects the sense wire. Often the main cable is connected to a seperate terminal due to the large current. So pulling the plug will pull the sense wire and the Alt is free wheeling doing nothing.

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Many different alternator setups.Wheels is right about the sense wire but if you dont know which one it is then disconecting everything should do the trick.Of course if conditions are really bad that is easier said than done.In my case,it was a Balmar alternator and there were two in line fuses on the back of it and it only took a minute to pull the fuses.

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I did a dodge short term repair on our drill press that uses a v belt. Stitched it like Nonam and it worked very well. So well we forgot about it for a year or so until it gave way again and we got a real replacement.

 

Tuff stuff that sail thread.

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From places like Blackwoods engineering you can get V-belt that is made up of interlocking short links of belt. You buy it by the meter, so if you can have spares for all you belts as a 2 metre length.

The best thing is that if you are driving 3 belts like me, the back one (House alternator) can be replaced without removing the other 2. :D

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I tried making a belt out of wife's pantyhose, didn't work.

 

Do you take the wife out first. :roll: :roll:

 

 

Are you sure that there where your wife's????? I have heard that guys wear them also. :oops: :oops:

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I tried making a belt out of wife's pantyhose, didn't work.

Are you sure that there where your wife's????? I have heard that guys wear them also. :oops: :oops:

 

I you search very hard you will find a photo of DT in a dress and fishnets :clap:

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What about by-passing the alternator totally and make the emergency belt go from engine to water pump only? That way there is no need to disconnect the alternator wiring as the alternator will just sit there, not turning, doing nothing.

 

It may be possible in some cases / not possible in your case.

 

Any comments or suggestions.

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If it is possible to buypass, then yes by all means. It still takes some driving even though it is not charging. But whether it is physically possible will be due to what could be in the path or new path in this case, of the makeshift belt.

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Going back to original post, I'm surprised by this comment.

 

. . . Island Packet ready for cruising. . . . around Diamond Head we had 25knots wind on the nose and seas to match. . . . We couldnt get the boat to make much progress with just the sails. . .

 

25knots is knot that much wind, Yes lumpy seas don't help, but this raises the issues of suitability of such a vessel for cruising, especially if heading into higher latitudes.

 

It could be many factors, but 25knots is knot even a windy day in this part of the world.

 

Will this type of comment lead to more legislation etc :?: :?:

 

I hope knot :!: :!:

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It could be geography. We have a similar issue if rounding Cape Jackson and heading into the Norwest. Sometimes you just have to motor because sailing is too dangerous. you have a strong head wind with no where to Tack too and a big nasty head sea and a reef behind you both Port and Starboard quarters.

Island Packet's are not bad boats. I doubt it would be a design issue with one of these. Perhaps trim issue, but i doubt design.

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