I heartily agree 👍 As a Newbee with brushless motors I asked for some advice for a setup for my Sea Scout.
The 'electronic ink' was scarcely dry and I got the complete setup, a la Hobby King, from Canabus in Tasmania!!! 😊
Bits arrived this week 😉 Onwards and upwards!
Hope you find what you need at Jotika. Cheers Doug 😎

Thanks Muddy and Doug. it just happens that Jotika is just down the road from me and we get club discount. So a visit is planned for later this week. it's nice when we can all help each other. it's what makes for a great club and website. Keep it up fellas. Very grateful thanks, Dave W.

Took some finding but here is the one I got off eBay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111769817711
Enjoy👍
Cheers
Wayne

Dave, without a lathe you could fiddle it!
As Wayne says choose the tube and bearing dimensions carefully so that the bearing is a tight push fit. Then use the shaft clamped in a vice as a guide to gently press the bearings home. Some gentle heating of the tube ends will help, for instance with the little gas torches used for soldering or melting sugar in the kitchen!! Crème brûlée anybody?? 😁
I have one of those and it's great for all sorts of jobs where some local heat is required. 😉 Cheers Doug 😎

Bon chance mon ami 👍😎

RNinMunich, Doug, Thanks for the detailed information on making a propshaft. Where there's a will there's a way.

Hello, A Company called Jotika, used to sell ball raced prop shafts. They advertise in model boat Mag's.. Or just google "Jotika model boats", but better still telephone them, as they do not list every item available.. Regards Muddy....

Hi Rolfman,
There are still some suppliers around 😉

https://www.schiffsmodelle-shop.de/en/wellen-und-stevenrohre/14549-wellenanlage-ms-450-m5.html

These are Raboesch shafts. I'm sure there must also be UK suppliers of Raboesch stuff. I hear they are also able to make 'specials' to your specs. 👍
http://www.raboeschmodels.com/index.php/en/

Cheers Doug 😎

Hi Rolfman,
Understand. Just wanted to appraise you of the possible pitfalls and disappointments.
It ain't quite as easy as it sounds! 🤔
Cheers Doug 😎

That seems far too much trouble for me. Especially as I don't have a lathe or any other engineering equipment. I seem to recall that years ago, high quality propshaft already fitted with ball races were available by mail order. Ive looked for them again, but can't seem to find them. I would have thought that with faster prop speeds, it would be beneficial to have bearings in the tubes. Thanks for the help guys. Best wishes, Dave W 😊

@ captaindoug1 (from Doug!)
Yes! You could use sintered bearing bushes. But I would still recommend fitting an oiling tube near the top end of the tube.
Cheers Doug 😎

Hi Rolfman,
I don't have a link, never looked for one!, but the the following observations -
1) it helps enormously if you own a small lathe, which I admit I do, and also admit not everyone does. 😉 Dremeling is OK - as far as it goes! BUT - a little offline (in the original mechanical engineering sense!😉) creates friction and vibration which negates the expense and effort to fit ball races in the first place 🤔 A lathe with a dead centre eliminates this source of error.
2) The ball race should NEVER be soldered or brazed. (When did you last see a car wheel bearing soldered or welded in?) Any process which includes applying heat to both tube and ball race can, and most probably will, damage the ball race, especially if it is one of the 'packed for life' types. You will boil the grease packing out of the race and possibly distort the rings.

Correct technique would be to machine the tube (on a lathe for accuracy) to a few thou less than the OD of the ball race. The machining creates a step inside the tube, with depth to accommodate the thickness of the ball race.
The end of the tube is then GENTLY heated and the ball race pressed in.
This should preferably be done on the lathe using the dead centre to ensure concentricity. When everything cools down you have a tight 'shrink fit'. No other 'glue' needed😉
BTW: I have been pedantic using the term 'ball race' because that is what Allen has bought and shown in his pic. A 'bearing' can also be a simple bush, which can be soldered or brazed with less problem than ball races BUT - needs even more care with alignment as it has no 'give' like a ball race! I am faced with exactly this problem with corrections to my Graupner Graf Spee where one shaft and it's bushes are out of alignment 🤔
I will most likely replace the bushes with ball races.
Hope I haven't discouraged you but I wondered why you went this way!
Good luck, Doug 😎

I can't find a single thing. Searched under rc boats/ model boats shaft/ rc boat bearings. is there anything you could link to or suggest please ?

I'll have a look now and let you know 😕

Rolfmann2000. I am sure I have seen videos and descriptions on YouTube etc. The only real difficulty is solder the end without fouling the bearing.

Sounds great Wayne. Can't wait to try.

I bought a bearinged propshaft from China but I'd ordered it too long, I cut it to the correct length & Dremel'd the inside diameter until the bearing was a good tight push fit. Mine is made out of stainless tube with a stainless shaft, they should be easy to make, it would all be around selecting tube, shaft & bearings that would suit each other.
Cheers
Wayne

Is there a prop shaft build that does not need greese

Must admit, I would love to run all bearinged propshaft on all my boats, but sadly, I wouldn't know where to start making them 😔