When members of the Northport Yacht Club on Long Island recently took delivery of two new launches, they had substantial performance expectations. Soon the captains and some passengers sensed something was not right.
At certain engine RPMs, excessive vibration overwhelmed the vessel occupants. When the engine operated at between 1,600-2,100 RPM, the propeller shaft whirled, whipped and actually created alarming gyrations in the engine. The executive committee of the Northport Yacht Club met to determine a solution. After deliberations, they voted to purchase an Aquadrive anti-vibration system.
The Aquadrive system uses a thrust bearing to stabilize the propeller shaft alignment to a fixed thrust bearing instead of a dancing diesel engine. They constructed a strong and rigid support plate for the thrust bearing. Now that the propeller shaft was shorter, it became stiffer. The thrust bearing would also isolate any shaft and propeller vibration from reaching the engine.
Connecting the propeller shaft and thrust bearing to the engine, the Aquadrive CV axle absorbs the engine and transmission vibration. The CV joints enable the engine to float freely in every direction and even permits severe misalignment.