Soave has some old Garhauer blocks that I doubt are original. I’ve been replacing them with new Garhauer blocks.
I’m not disappointed with the performance of the old blocks my guess is that they lasted longer than the 10 year guarantee.
I’m curious about how they are constructed and how to keep them functional as long as possible. So I opened up a failed block to examine it from the inside. Thought it might be interesting to others that have the same blocks.
The central axel is hydraulic-pressed (swaged) directly against the outer stainless steel cheek plates. I drilled out the pressed side to begin the disassembly.
I’d say the best way to extend their life would have been removal during the winter and cleaning them annually. The new replacement blocks are a totally different design that used ball bearings ( Here is a link ), so fused bushing won’t happen. I think an annual cleaning and lubrication will be a good idea for both the new nd old blocks.
I have a box of worn and broken parts from Soave… they each tell a story. I’ll bing my junk box to the Rendezvous happy to share what I’ve learned.
I’ve fixed blocks like this by finding a replacement sheave, and a bolt with lock nut. If you can find a metal sheave, then even better than original, will outlast the boat.
Hi Don,
My original thought also, but I discovered the seized block in the spring and ordering the replacement was more expedient. Spring schedule is tight. This year the weather set me back a couple weeks. I’m just now getting to circle back to replenish consumables and evaluate stuff like this block. The bushing is pitted enough to be a candidate for replacement. The cost of the materials I guessed would run $30-35 and the new was $60, so it was a close call that depends on the value of my time.
My junk box has has lots of items that could be revived with a little TLC, sometimes I find new parts to be inferior to the old ones and refurbishing makes sense.
The new block looks very nice but I worry about the ball bearings. Seems like they have more places for grime to accumulate. I’ve been on plenty of boats where one moment everything is fine and the next there are ball bearings rolling across the deck. Failures are sudden and more dramatic than bushings.
I’ll try and report back in 5 years or so on the performance of the new block.
