Cutless Bearing

Clydo

.
May 28, 2013
336
Catalina C310 SF Bay/Delta
Is it normal to replace cutless bearing at around 450 hours? Shaft is straight, eng
mounts tight. Think I might have to replace mine.

Clyde Thorington
C310 # 245
I LEAN TOO
San Jose, CA
 
Jan 22, 2008
1,654
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
Hi Clyde,
It could be. Even with the motor mounts in good shape and the shaft straight, there could be misalignment of the shaft. Mine did that and I had to change the cutless after 3 years. The way I discovered it was to look real close after installing a new cutless bearing with a magnifying glass. I could see the rubber on the front side was pinched. On the back side, the rubber was pinched opposite indicating the shaft did not pass straight through. My old cutless bearing showed that skewed wear pattern. After aligning the strut (it was the real problem) I've had much better life out of the bearings. In fact I save each one and engrave the service period on them.

If you are interested in seeing them, I am also here in San Jose. I made my own cutless bearing puller and replace mine myself for just the cost of the bearing (available at Svendsens).

Allan
 

RoyS

.
Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Look carefully at your strut to determine if it is bent. Some of these easily bend and leave your shaft misaligned. Happened to me after an encounter with a mooring line with my propeller. Don't ask. Try rotating your shaft by hand with the transmission in neutral. If it feels like it is binding you probably have some misalignment somewhere. Strut can be straightened if needed by a propeller service company.
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
I only got about 300 hours on the first one I installed. After that I replaced the mounts and realigned. I have 1200 hours on my current one and it still feels tight.