Zonda Cat flex shaft maintenance

[petej]

I just received my Zonda Cat and it looks great.

Flex shaft maintenance: How do you remove the flex shaft from the stinger, stuffing box?

Both the left and right collets are completely loosened and I can spin flex shaft turn while the motor shaft is still, but I cannot pull the flex shaft out.

Anyone familiar with these flex shafts, stingers and how to remove the flex shaft to lubricate, etc.?

Pete

[b20btec]

Sounds like a two piece design with squared end drive cables. You will have to remove your stingers, what a pain! From there the cables will come out. My advice, replace with a one piece and life will be lovely again.

[dana]

I agree, you have a squared end cable which means two piece design. Remove stinger or motor to get flex out

[sampit]

Remove the motors leave the collets conected and pull the flex out if the drive
I like the fact that you should never lose a prop with the 2 part driveline.

[jamespl]

A 2 part flex is such a pain. On only had my pursuit a matter of weeks and had to replace the flex with a single one. Much easier to grease now.

[b20btec]

I do agree with never losing drive hardware with a two piece but honestly it's not worth keeping, too time consuming. With a good collet and a set screw bullet your chance of losing your drives is very slim.

[sampit]

How easy are they to convert in the Zonda is a just a mater of removing the strut and pulling out the square drive part im not sure whats you need to do would there be any other parts that would be needed.
And it would less hassle mmmmmmm

[b20btec]

All you need are one piece flex cables, cut it to length, drive dogs, and either lock nuts or bullets.

[petej]

Is the easiest method to convert these two-piece shafts to one-piece shafts,
1. Remove the drive-dog, unscrew the motor from mount and pull the entire two-piece shaft forward and out
2. Re-install motor
3. Slide new one-piece flex shaft into stinger from the stern

[petej]

I removed the drive dog, the motor and the flex shaft came out and the square drive remains in the stinger. Looks like I'll have remove the stinger the get the square drive out to complete the conversion to a one-piece flex drive.

Opinion: The Zonda Cat stinger, two-piece square drive-to-flex-shaft is a poor design as it makes the required, frequent (after each outing) lubrication a nightmare.

It gets better. The stinger hex-heads in the hull are covered with resin.

I am less then impressed and frustrated.

[sampit]

I thought I would take my drives out my Zonda just to have look how they work and greese them up and at the same time look at a single cable conversion for later on
I think there is more to it than you think,im going whait for someone else to have a go,there is a o ring and a alloy insert fited inside and only one Teflon bearing.
Petej I have a good tip for removing the resin from the stinger bolts works a treat, just get it red hot a push in to the resin in the head of the bolt melt it away ten minutes it took me this way to remove them greese them and re install.
This is what I used.

Next

Next

[twissted]

I like the extra glass that you put on the drive tubes. I think I will do the same. I filled the front end with foam as well as the lid.
Zonda boat 020.jpg
Zonda boat 025.jpg
I should point out that the hull on this one is different that the first one. I don't think for the better. It is missing the air pocket were the stinger mount.
Zonda boat 022.jpg

[sampit]

Twisted
I read some where that one Zonda owners driveline broke away
That the only reason for the extra glass, just in case.

What do you mean missing the air pocket?
Did you have to return your first damaged hull Back to HOR?

[twissted]

I like The insurance of it I will do the same. Yes I have a new boat and it was shipped in grate condition. I have it at the paint Shop getting a new paint job that I got in trade for a Suzuki Samarui rear seat, in one that I rolled a few years ago (it's a rock crawler). I'm building another one that isn't lifted but has a lot of drop out travel.

[petej]

Hi Sampit,

Thanks for the tip on working with the resin covered screw heads. It works nicely. I like your tools

I replaced both split-drive shafts with single shafts.

Now, flex drive maintenance is as it should be. Easy.

The ZC was christened yesterday and ran through two sets of battery packs at Folsom Lake, CA.
Her attitude in the water is quite, bow-up. She pretty much "leaps" out of the water, like a wheelie.
Folsom Lake can be quite rough from boat and personal water craft wakes and the larger ZC is more stable, easier to handle the the Motley Crew.
Some photos of the ZC yesterday can be seen at my Zonda Cat album, http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...hp?albumid=966

I am now very pleased with the Zonda Cat.

Pete