A whitepaper concerning the alignment of propeller shafts on ships, tugboats, large pleasure yachts, and other vessel.
Propeller shaft alignment is time consuming and difficult without a laser alignment tool. In some cases, alignment work is done from the engine or gearbox moving aft through bearing supports, through the stern tube, and then through a strut tube or cutlass bearing to the propeller. Commonly, the stern tube will already be in place and the shaft alignment is referenced off of this fixed tube or even the stern tube and an exterior strut tube. The Laser Microgage can adapt to each of these approaches, and with a little bit of practice the alignment is made very precisely and very quickly.
Propeller shaft alignment is time consuming and difficult without a laser alignment tool. In some cases, alignment work is done from the engine or gearbox moving aft through bearing supports, through the stern tube, and then through a strut tube or cutlass bearing to the propeller. Commonly, the stern tube will already be in place and the shaft alignment is referenced off of this fixed tube or even the stern tube and an exterior strut tube. The Laser Microgage can adapt to each of these approaches, and with a little bit of practice the alignment is made very precisely and very quickly.
