Advice on Pulling Off the Cutlass Bearing . . .

[MitchM]

well the bad news is that the yard caught the propshaft in the r rear strap while hauling my boat and now i have to pull the prop shaft to see if a machine shop can true it up.. also have to pull off the flexofold prop which looks pretty easy and remove the cutless bearing (well it needed to be replaced any how..) any and all advice on pulling this cutless bearing out of the p bracket tube will be most appreciated. i do n not have a clue what tools etc are needed , and the boat is on the hard a good hour drive from the mechanics who'd love to charge me $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to pull this bearing. according to the boat mfgr once i pull the cutless bearing and disconnect the propshaft from the drivesaver -4 bolts- then quote ''it is easy to remove the prop shaft....''

'better to spend $200 on tools and learn to screw it up yourself than to spend $1000 and pay a mechanic to screw it up...'

[sabray]

The trick is getting the bearing out and that is different depending on the boat. Whats the boat?

[Ocean Roads]

I would think if I PAID a yard to pull my boat, and they messed it up in the process, then the yard needs to PAY to fix it. Or am I missing something?

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Ocean Roads

I would think if I PAID a yard to pull my boat, and they messed it up in the process, then the yard needs to PAY to fix it. Or am I missing something?

Ditto!!! That's why they have insurance!

[David M]

Agreed...the fix is the yards responsibility and not yours.

[Chief Engineer]

$1000 for a cutlass bearing?

[Portobello]

Mine was held in place with a couple of thumb screws in from the side of the P Bracket. I removed these (after finding them hidden under antifoul etc) then using a drift made from a short half section of aluminium tube managed to tap the old cutlass bearing out. All went quite smoothly. The new one pressed on/in quite easily and I did up the thumb screws.

[Butler]

I totally agree! This one is on the yard and I would push hard for nothing less.

Having said that...
I've seen two cutlass berings replaced... once where the glass was chipped out away from the edge of the bearing then repaired once the bearing was out and the other where the bearing was tapped out from inside... seems to be all about access... as has been said, different from boat to boat

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Portobello

Mine was held in place with a couple of thumb screws in from the side of the P Bracket. I removed these (after finding them hidden under antifoul etc) then using a drift made from a short half section of aluminium tube managed to tap the old cutlass bearing out. All went quite smoothly. The new one pressed on/in quite easily and I did up the thumb screws.

FYI-This is done when the bore of the strut (P-bracket) has been eroded enough that the bearing doesn't press in any more but slides in. If it's an EZ slide (by hand) then start looking at a replacing the strut. The cutless will start to rattle around in the strut/P-bracket.

Now back to the subject................

[Jimbo2010]

I had one that wouldn't come out with a drift and all kinds of things failed.

I took a hack saw opened it up slide the blade thru and carefully cut thru one side, worked great.

[capt_douglas]

You could probably argue well in your favor that removing the cutless bearing is the yards expense as they bent your shaft. I'd also want to be there when they measured the shaft.

Sometimes the yard will heat and straighten the shaft but if the distortion is large, may in fact weaken the shaft in order to save a few bucks. I'd have a good reference as to the maximum possible flex that could be repaired and want a second opinion from an outside source.

Here are a couple links that should give you the idea, but I'd check with your specific boat in mind. Many times, owners have found tricks that make the job a bit more bearable and less stressful - on you and the boat.

Cutless-Bearing Replacement
Replacing A Cutlass Bearing (Photo Heavy) - SailboatOwners.com

[IceMan]

MitchM,
What kind of boat do you have? Does it have the shaft log in the keel and exits at the end of the keel? If so I can give you plans on making a cutlass bearing puller that you can use to pull and install the cutlass without hauling the boat. If anyone is interested, let me know.
WD

[goboatingnow]

replace the shaft , dont bother tru-ing it.

Dave

[MitchM]

well thanks for all the 'clews...' (1) as to the claim --we are in PA at a government marina which requires as a condition of mooring the boat there that no one can sue them.(that is state law in PA to reduce lawsuits, you can sue only for 'road design defects' or auto accidents where a state official is driving etc...(this marina is worth it, very inexpensive slip fees and 7 miles of sand beach etc..)
(2) BUT....the closest topnotch mechanic is 2 hrs each way to the marina, at 90$ an hour...charged for travel time and work time both
(3) insurance is a $1000 deductible and since i have a 30 year no claim history, i'd be out $1000 deductible AND lose my $280 a year 'credit' for no claims.. and if i just hire that mechanic i bet i'd be close to $1000 for him to do the whole job.(pull cutless, pull shaft, replace w/ new shaft, reinstall cutless, reinstall prop... and it would be out of my pocket, not the ins co's.. and then what if something is not right, when i haul in next year i have to deal with the faraway mechanic again...
(4) i pulled the ABYC prop specs and mfgr supplied prop specs, and i know how to get a decent 316 s s shaft made to measure, but 1st i have to get the cutless bearing out. mfgr says it is very easy to remove prop shaft if cutless brg is out. standard design , shaft exits keel thru log and enters p bracket, cutless is in good shape and solid in p bracket but prop shaft is definitely bent at outboard 4 inches or so . boat is 5 yrs old, p bracket and cutless are in fine shape . too bad i c an't say the same about the prop shaft...
(5)as a retired engineer i ought to be able to jimmy up a pusher that would fit inside the p bracket and allow me to push out the cutless with an assortment of the weird tools i have been collecting for 50 odd yrs... but i am hoping not to reinvent this wheel and just come up with references for a simple design i can do my self. boat is on the hard for winter so need not fuss, i'll be working in sunny 50-60 degree temps for the next month. i'll look for some nice little bolts that might make removing the cutless really easy haha. not my luck to have such..
next month or so...
(6) will check out the cutless references etc you kindly sent, and make some suitable plan. fortunately the mfgr is very helpful and prompt - Nauticat of Finland, boat is a 321 pilothouse sloop.

[MitchM]

well thanks for all the 'clews...' (1) as to the claim --we are in PA at a government marina which requires as a condition of mooring the boat there that no one can sue them.(that is state law in PA to reduce lawsuits, you can sue only for 'road design defects' or auto accidents where a state official is driving etc...(this marina is worth it, very inexpensive slip fees and 7 miles of sand beach etc..)
(2) BUT....the closest topnotch mechanic is 2 hrs each way to the marina, at 90$ an hour...charged for travel time and work time both
(3) insurance is a $1000 deductible and since i have a 30 year no claim history, i'd be out $1000 deductible AND lose my $280 a year 'credit' for no claims.. and if i just hire that mechanic i bet i'd be close to $1000 for him to do the whole job.(pull cutless, pull shaft, replace w/ new shaft, reinstall cutless, reinstall prop... and it would be out of my pocket, not the ins co's.. and then what if something is not right, when i haul in next year i have to deal with the faraway mechanic again...
(4) i pulled the ABYC prop specs and mfgr supplied prop specs, and i know how to get a decent 316 s s shaft made to measure, but 1st i have to get the cutless bearing out. mfgr says it is very easy to remove prop shaft if cutless brg is out. standard design , shaft exits keel thru log and enters p bracket, cutless is in good shape and solid in p bracket but prop shaft is definitely bent at outboard 4 inches or so . boat is 5 yrs old, p bracket and cutless are in fine shape . too bad i c an't say the same about the prop shaft...
(5)as a retired engineer i ought to be able to jimmy up a pusher that would fit inside the p bracket and allow me to push out the cutless with an assortment of the weird tools i have been collecting for 50 odd yrs... but i am hoping not to reinvent this wheel and just come up with references for a simple design i can do my self. boat is on the hard for winter so need not fuss, i'll be working in sunny 50-60 degree temps for the next month. i'll look for some nice little bolts that might make removing the cutless really easy haha. not my luck to have such..
next month or so...
(6) will check out the cutless references etc you kindly sent, and make some suitable plan. fortunately the mfgr is very helpful and prompt - Nauticat of Finland, boat is a 321 pilothouse sloop.