Is there a good way to test the quality of the engine mounts while Cat's Paw is on the hard? Last summer, I noticed that when the engine was at full throttle (about 3000 rpm), water appeared in the bilge. Watching the dripless prop shaft seal while moving the throttle from mid-speed to full, I noticed water was spraying out between the carbon piece at the forward end of the bellows and the SS piece fixed to the shaft. It seemed to me that the forward end of the bellows was moving forward (have to trust my memory here), and so the seal leaked. Without analyzing this properly, I thought the bellows needed to be replaced, which is true, and I ordered a new dripless seal from PYI and am installing it.
But after a mention on this list about worn out engine mounts, I realize that probably the prop shaft and engine were also moving forward because of the strong thrust of the prop. How else would the front of the bellows move forward? Is there a good way of testing the integrity of the engine mounts while the boat is on the hard? Obviously now is a good time to replace them if they are worn out. Is there a way of trying to push the engine forward to see if I can reproduce what I think I saw? Eric Frank Cat's Paw C&C 35 Mk II Mattapoisett, MA
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