On a Catalina 27 Tall Rig 1985, can you remove the shaft by removing the cutlass bearing without removing the rudder on the engine? i.e., has anyone removed the shaft without removing the rudder on the engine? We want to replace our stuffing box with a dripless one and were told that it is best to also replace the shaft.
Catalina 27 Tall Rig 1985 replacing stuffing box with a dripless
- Thread starter Rhoda
- Start date
Depends on the condition and material of the shaft.
Given the year of the boat, I would presume it's a bronze shaft and likely will have problems with the runout. Best to start out with a new high quality SS shaft along with new couplings as well. Your mechanical seal will thank you with years of trouble free service.
Thank you. But does the rudder need to be removed in order to replace the shaft on this model and year boat? We are concerned we would open a Pandora's Box of problems and breakage.
Sorry I can't help you there, but hopefully, someone with an '85 Cat tall rig will chime in here and offer personal experience.
Barring that, take a look through the SBO archives:
http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/xsearch/xsearch_form.php
to see if anyone else has embarked on this project before. I'd be surprised if it's never happened before to someone here.