Removing strut to change cutlass bearing?

DaveJ · Nov 23, 2015

92% of all statistics are made up!

Roland5048 · Nov 23, 2015

As a retired math teacher,

I can attest to the fact that the metric system is WAY easier. However, if we had converted, a lot of us would have been out of a job much sooner.

njlarry · Nov 23, 2015

DaveJ said:
92% of all statistics are made up!

That varies with different studies

jwdickerson · Nov 23, 2015

Regarding removing the cutless bearing strut: I just recently removed strut and replaced bearing on my 1984 37-ft Hunter cutter. Removing the strut was no problem, the bolts had sheared off and it was just flopping around when we hauled the boat out of the water! Since shaft was already loose, replacing the bearing and re-installing the strut presented no problem. With the propeller removed, it pulled right past the rudder - the stuffing box packing (that "dripless" thing that really should drip just a little bit to provide some cooling to the stuffing) will have enough flexibility for you to work the shaft by the rudder. Might not be a bad time to replace the stuffing anyway. If there's a small leak at the strut attachment bolts now, there will eventually be a greater one - so I suggest removing strut, cleaning hull (inside and outside), and replacing the bolts using 3M 5200 in a Miracle Whip application to bottom of hull and bolts to ensure good through-hull seal. Things to watch for though: make sure you note how the strut was attached (fore-and-aft direction of the strut alignment, spacers - especially tapered spacers! and seal); check shaft-to-transmission coupling for slop - if the bearing was worn enough to cause vibration, you might also have excess wear at the coupler - I did; after you remove the shaft and then the strut from shaft, have a machine shop check the shaft to make sure it really is straight - no point in replacing a crooked shaft. Taking the strut and bearing replacement operation home will also let you put the bearing in your freezer and keep it there until you are ready to put it in the strut housing; freezing causes the metal casing of the bearing to contract and makes it slip into the strut easier and with less chance for damage. Doing the work yourself (or perhaps with the help of someone who's done it before) is actually quite rewarding (once you're done and back in the water with no vibrations and no leaks). Enjoy!

Black Pearl · Nov 23, 2015

When I hauled my 1987 Hunter 35 for the first time to do the bottom and check on my vibration I had a big surprise. I would tend to do as much while she is out or at least inspect as much as you can. I ended up having to replace my shaft log, cutlass bearing and shaft. The engine had been badly out of line for who knows how long....I am attaching a picture of the shaft log but there was only the top 1/2 to 3/4 left of it....the bottom portion was just gone! Because of this the shaft had been gouged badly and of course the cutlass bearing was shot. Funny enough the packing gland was not leaking at all. When I came into the yard I brought a case of beer and gave to the guys in the yard and had no problem using their removal tool. They also helped me align the engine and running gear just before dropping in the water.....

jcb2 · Nov 23, 2015

LeGe said:
We're proud new owners of a 1993 Hunter 33.5.

One of our motivating factors for buying the boat was the fact that it was lightly used by the PO - it's not been out of the marina in at least the last 3 years. She's in very good shape overall but I'm not sure if the PO was too keen on maintenance judging from a number of small things left inoperable for lack of easy fixes...

The one major concern we have is the cutlass bearing. It is really shot. I'd say the shaft has about 1-2 mm (1/16 of an inch? Forgive me, I grew up metric...) play in it. When we took her on her sea trial she vibrated quite a bit at high rpm's as you can imagine but not much at half throttle and lower. When we hauled her she had about 20 barnacles on her prop and I was actually surprised that the vibration wasn't worse given the unbalanced prop and shot bearing. The prop shaft looks dead straght and in decent shape and there was no leak on the dripless seal after 30-40 minutes of motoring during the sea trail despite the vibration.

Since our current/previous boat has an outboard, I have not done a cutlass bearing before. I have spend hours reading forums and threads on this subject (there's a large amount of these) and am pretty much clued up on my options. I'm confident that I will get the prop off the shaft but do not want to remove the shaft itself - that dry seal tells me to leave well enough alone and the thought of dropping my rudder is not something I relish.

In all my reading nobody suggested taking the strut off and leaving the shaft on. It may be my extreme inexperience talking but taking the strut with me to my comfy workshop to get the old bearing (or what's left of it) out and pressing the new one in and then replacing the strut on the shaft seems like a top idea. The strut is bolted through the hull where the bolts are very accessible and though there is always the possibility of leakage when buggering around with through hull fittings of course, there are signs of possible past leakage on the one bolt and a good solid re-bedding of the strut may not be a bad idea in any case. This will also allow me to inspect the shaft where the cutlass bearing goes for damage/unacceptable wear.

I feel like this is too obvious a solution and that I must be missing something. Any advice will be much appreciated.

P.s. I know it is actually a "cutless" bearing (which in itself is of course a trade name) and not a "cutlass" but I did not feel like fighting my auto correct every time I write it....

LeGe,

Allan gives good advice for fabricating the tool. Rather than make it, I bought the "Strut Pro" tool for replacing the cutlass bearing without removing the shaft. (I'm nearby at Ocean Gate Yacht Basin on the tip os Tom's River.) The tool works really great as it removes the prop, presses out the old bearing and presses in the new one. Some times the old set screws can be a challenge getting out but usually they're not a big problem. The only trouble I've had was on a boat I bought that had a slightly bent 1" shaft. You couldn't see it by eye but you could hear the uneven rub as you rotated the prop. I foolishly ignored that and replaced the bearing anyway with great difficulty, I might add. But I soon realized that the shaft had to be pulled to be straightened. Five years ago, I went to see Ray at Atlantis Propeller in Mt. Laurel, NJ to buy a new shaft and get my prop refurbished. They did a super job and the price was less than I expected. Call my cell if you have questions 215-416-0545.

mauruuru · Nov 23, 2015

LeGe said:
We're proud new owners of a 1993 Hunter 33.5.

One of our motivating factors for buying the boat was the fact that it was lightly used by the PO - it's not been out of the marina in at least the last 3 years. She's in very good shape overall but I'm not sure if the PO was too keen on maintenance judging from a number of small things left inoperable for lack of easy fixes...

The one major concern we have is the cutlass bearing. It is really shot. I'd say the shaft has about 1-2 mm (1/16 of an inch? Forgive me, I grew up metric...) play in it. When we took her on her sea trial she vibrated quite a bit at high rpm's as you can imagine but not much at half throttle and lower. When we hauled her she had about 20 barnacles on her prop and I was actually surprised that the vibration wasn't worse given the unbalanced prop and shot bearing. The prop shaft looks dead straght and in decent shape and there was no leak on the dripless seal after 30-40 minutes of motoring during the sea trail despite the vibration.

Since our current/previous boat has an outboard, I have not done a cutlass bearing before. I have spend hours reading forums and threads on this subject (there's a large amount of these) and am pretty much clued up on my options. I'm confident that I will get the prop off the shaft but do not want to remove the shaft itself - that dry seal tells me to leave well enough alone and the thought of dropping my rudder is not something I relish.

In all my reading nobody suggested taking the strut off and leaving the shaft on. It may be my extreme inexperience talking but taking the strut with me to my comfy workshop to get the old bearing (or what's left of it) out and pressing the new one in and then replacing the strut on the shaft seems like a top idea. The strut is bolted through the hull where the bolts are very accessible and though there is always the possibility of leakage when buggering around with through hull fittings of course, there are signs of possible past leakage on the one bolt and a good solid re-bedding of the strut may not be a bad idea in any case. This will also allow me to inspect the shaft where the cutlass bearing goes for damage/unacceptable wear.

I feel like this is too obvious a solution and that I must be missing something. Any advice will be much appreciated.

P.s. I know it is actually a "cutless" bearing (which in itself is of course a trade name) and not a "cutlass" but I did not feel like fighting my auto correct every time I write it....

Just had this done a week ago. Hauled her specifically to get a new cutless bearing installed. While we waited for the bearing I got all the other work done I needed to do. Watching them hydrauliclly pressing out the old and installing the new convinced me Its money well spent. I would never remove shaft or strut after watching this tool do its work!

sesmith · Nov 23, 2015

LeGe said:
.... What do you look for to see if there is excessive wear at the coupler?

Here's a pic of excessive wear at the coupler. Note the hogged out keyways and what's left of the beat up key on the shaft. This came out of my boat this summer. The coupling loosened up, and after I tightened things up, I noticed a lot more vibration. When I rotated the shaft by hand you could literally see the engine move up and down more than an eight of an inch. The previous owner of our boat replaced the PSS seal on the boat without replacing the coupler with a new one. It was probably worn when he reused it. It's much smoother now, with a new shaft, coupler, and cutless bearing.

nlneilson · Nov 23, 2015

woodster said:
also 5 out of 4 people have trouble with math don't ya know

Good point.
My major in college was Physics so 25.4 mm == 1 inch so both systems work, When in Rome do as the Romans do.

I had a piece of 1 inch ID water pipe turned down to about .030 under 1.25
with the prop off and a heavy cast iron fitting in front of the strut to take the impact just smacked the bushing/bearing out.
Installed a plastic bearing. No problems, vibration or leaks. The estimate for the yard just to remove the bearing was way too high.

Removing the strut just to replace the bearing seems like a very bad idea.

alexco38 · Nov 24, 2015

I did not slit the pipe. I just made a tool with black iron pipe and push the old bearing in. Then use a wheel grinder with cut off blade and slit the old cutless bearing apart.

jcb2 · Nov 24, 2015

Great. I'll call you the next time I go there so I can look at it with you.

jcb2 · Dec 1, 2015

Alexco, Could you have pushed the bearing outboard instead of inboard to save you the trouble of cutting the bearing apart?

Tally Ho · Dec 1, 2015

jcb2 said:
Alexco, Could you have pushed the bearing outboard instead of inboard to save you the trouble of cutting the bearing apart?

I don't think you can, unless you use the split collet...no way to get the "pusher" on the shaft in front of the strut if it is in one piece.

Greg

jcb2 · Dec 10, 2015

I have a "Strut Pro" tool which has two size-specific collet halves to do this easily. One can buy just the single sets of collets from them which is a lot easier than fabricating them.

JACKHEAPE · Jul 1, 2016

Hopefully some of the experts here are still following this thread. I am going to either have to, 1. pull the shaft and drop the rudder, or 2. change the strut. The bearing is too corroded by electrolysis to get out by using a Strut-pro or hydraulic press. I know because the yard has already tried as well as another contractor. I think I should probably pull the strut because if the bearing is that corroded then the strut will probably need to be replaced as well. Sailowners.com has them for Hunters for $300. Anyone have any further thoughts? I have an 83 Hunter 34.

Dave Groshong · Jul 1, 2016

We offer the struts here, but 3 different ones were used, check the side of yours for any numbers, possibly H-34 or 1503, or the Y shaped strut. They all come with the cutless bearing installed:

http://shop.hunterowners.com/hp/part.php?m=34&c=12&p=52443

http://shop.hunterowners.com/hp/part.php?m=34&c=12&p=53897

http://shop.hunterowners.com/hp/part.php?m=34&c=12&p=52533

Removing strut to change cutlass bearing?

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SBO Staff