ball park cost to replace shaft bearings in shaft strut.

[Tomdoc]

I am in the process of buying a 2002 cruisers 5370 Express. The survey shows bad bearings in both propshaft struts what is involved in changing the bearings in the shaft struts and a ball park $cost to do it?
Thanks, Tom

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Tom.

[Scott Berg]

Assuming 2"'shafts about $300/bearing plus labor
Reasonable label from 3-4 hr per shaft depending upon propeller removal procedure





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[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Scott Berg

Assuming 2"'shafts about $300/bearing plus labor
Reasonable label from 3-4 hr per shaft depending upon propeller removal procedure

Sounds like a good ballpark if things go well...

[capt-couillon]

Above "ball-parks" sound about close... But

Two ways to do it...
1. Pull prop. Remove set screws. Press out bearing. Press in bearing. Install prop.
2. Pull prop. Pull shaft. Remove set screws. Pull bearing. Inspect shaft for wear at bearing interface. Inspect bearing bore for damage. Install new bearing. Install shaft. Install prop.

Obviously number 2 is going to be way more expensive in labor, but on a 14 year old vessel that probably has never had the cutlass bearing looked at?
Would be my choice.

Buddy of mine has come up with a slick way for commercial boats that wear em out on a regular basis. Not practical for a one off but maybe useful for someone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baVyBxfrVhw

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by capt-couillon

Above "ball-parks" sound about close... But

Two ways to do it...
1. Pull prop. Remove set screws. Press out bearing. Press in bearing. Install prop.
2. Pull prop. Pull shaft. Remove set screws. Pull bearing. Inspect shaft for wear at bearing interface. Inspect bearing bore for damage. Install new bearing. Install shaft. Install prop.

Obviously number 2 is going to be way more expensive in labor, but on a 14 year old vessel that probably has never had the cutlass bearing looked at?
Would be my choice.

Buddy of mine has come up with a slick way for commercial boats that wear em out on a regular basis. Not practical for a one off but maybe useful for someone.

Just a question based upon my ignorance. Why is option 2. "way more expensive?" To me it sounds routine. Thanks for any explanation.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by buzzstar

Just a question based upon my ignorance. Why is option 2. "way more expensive?" To me it sounds routine. Thanks for any explanation.

Pulling the shafts is not always easy, and there's a good chance the shaft couplings will need replacement too.


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[Striker37]

I changed 1 of my cutlass bearings on my Striker 37 for the cost of the bearing $60 and borrowed the bearing removal tool and did it all underwater.No need for a haul out or to pull the shaft or to pay anymore than the 60 bux.https://youtu.be/lIrhIG9mY90

[boatbod]

Originally Posted by Striker37

I changed 1 of my cutlass bearings on my Striker 37 for the cost of the bearing $60 and borrowed the bearing removal tool and did it all underwater.No need for a haul out or to pull the shaft or to pay anymore than the 60 bux.https://youtu.be/lIrhIG9mY90

...but only if the OP happens to be a diver who is experienced with prop and bearing removal AND they come out without a fight. For the rest of us, pulling a bearing underwater is impractical.

[boatbod]

To the OP:- the price it's going to have potential for a wide range depending whether the bearings can be pressed out with shafts in place, or if latent problems crop up necessitating more work.

For example, we've pulled bearings on what should have been simple jobs only to find the alignment so far out that the strut had to be removed/rebedded. In other instances the new bearings had to be turned down to fit a custom strut.

4hrs labor per side is a good guess for the best case scenario.