Wondered if anyone can help me out with this, long post i suppose but im looking at buying an 87 oday 322, boat seems to be in really good condition, above the water and had it hauled out to check underneath, no blisters or keel joint cracks, there seemed to be a bit of play in the cutless bearing maybe 1/16", when we took it out under power the prop shaft from the motor to the stuffing box had a lot of vibation there also is debris under the stuffing box what is this ( is this debris normal ) anyhow i had a guy who is a mechanic check it out and he was all doom and gloom, this is what he told me it would need, cutless bearing replaced, possibly the pilot bearing in the motor may need replaced, most likely engine mounts need replaced and could need work on the shaft or engine aligned, said it could cost $7500 to $12500 and because of that it should be a total loss! anyone had any of this work done and could tell me what it cost? I offered $10k for the boat before i found this out and they accepted the offer, the boat was donated to their foundation, any help appreciated, will try to post a video or pics of the shaft
Prop shaft vibration, cutless bearing costs??
- Thread starter wilf
- Start date
This all depends on how much work you do yourself and how much you hire out.
New cutlass bearing, new motor mounts, new stuffing box (or shaft seal), and maybe new shaft will run maybe $1K. None of these are particularly difficult jobs, but they can be time consuming and will provide good learning opportunities for you and your boat. If you have not done this kind of work before, be sure to get a copy of the Profanisaurus, you'll find it helpful.
The good news is if you take care of these issues now, you'll be good for the next 10 or 20 years.
New cutlass bearing, new motor mounts, new stuffing box (or shaft seal), and maybe new shaft will run maybe $1K. None of these are particularly difficult jobs, but they can be time consuming and will provide good learning opportunities for you and your boat. If you have not done this kind of work before, be sure to get a copy of the Profanisaurus, you'll find it helpful.
The good news is if you take care of these issues now, you'll be good for the next 10 or 20 years.
Thanks, ive been in construction most of my life and am pretty handy on most things but know nothing about engines and drives etc, problem is having the place to do it, theres a boat yard near that allows diy boat work if i knew how ling it takes, also if engine mounts need replaced doesnt that involve a crane to lift the engine up?
Trying to figure out how to post a video on here of the shaft vibration to see if its considered really excessive, cant figure it out though
"seemed to be a bit of play in the cutless bearing maybe 1/16"
Need to replace the cutless bearing. I have not done mine even though its 20 years old because there is zero side to size movement. There is a tool that will push the bearing out.
I changed my engine mounts last year and it was not hard, just needs patience. I used
http://www.missionsupplyonline.com/Parts/metalastik-cushyfloat
Aligning the shaft is not hard, just patience. I would replace the stuffing material first with GTU before aligning the engine. I used http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=2679.
The cost should come to about thousand dollars.
If you need inspiration to do the job yourself, watch WhiteSpotPirates on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYfFeySHGN4DPrOc9So7PA
Need to replace the cutless bearing. I have not done mine even though its 20 years old because there is zero side to size movement. There is a tool that will push the bearing out.
I changed my engine mounts last year and it was not hard, just needs patience. I used
http://www.missionsupplyonline.com/Parts/metalastik-cushyfloat
Aligning the shaft is not hard, just patience. I would replace the stuffing material first with GTU before aligning the engine. I used http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=2679.
The cost should come to about thousand dollars.
If you need inspiration to do the job yourself, watch WhiteSpotPirates on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYfFeySHGN4DPrOc9So7PA
Thanks, i will look at the links, im sure i can do it myself but when you changed the mounts how did you lift the motor, with a crane/hoist
You can use a basketball to lift the engine, shove it under the oil pan deflated and fill with a pump.won't damage the pan .
The easiest way is to get a come-a-long. Center the boom over the companion way. Attach the main halyard to the end of the boom and tension. Attach the come-a-long to the boom and to the motor lifting eye. Hoist.
Alternatively, get a 4x4 place it across the companion way and life using the come-a-long.
If you can find a DIY marina, try to leave the launch date open ended. Boat projects either take way less time than expected or way more time than expected.
Engine mounts.. pretty straightforward.. ya have to disconnect the shaft coupling but a small scissors jack to do one end at a time; the basketball is a cool idea too. That said, if the top plate of the mount is not touching the bottom plate and has 3/16 or so clearance at both ends, the mounts are still OK.. One of those things .. might look terrible but still be OK.. clean 'em up and check clearance at both ends of all four. I would discount the "pilot bearing" comment.. The shaft may be bent or the prop may have a lot of growth on it causing the vibration.. A bent shaft can be found easily by uncoupling then rotating the shaft by hand while watching/measuring the gap between the engine side coupling and the shaft coupling. If the gap wide part rotates with the shaft, shaft is bent or the coupling is shot.. First really is to try to align the engine output to the shaft while the shaft is held in the center of the stern tube, the part that the packing box hose connects to. This can and should be done with the boat in the water. If the prop is clean and has no barnacles and the shaft is straight, alignment may solve the vibration..
Good luck with it.. Ya might want to talk to another mechanic guy..
Good luck with it.. Ya might want to talk to another mechanic guy..
There is a logical sequence in these repairs that may not be immediately apparent, but can make the whole job go more smoothly.
1. Get boat out of the water.
2. Loosen the stuffing box.
3. Disconnect shaft coupling from the transmission.
4. Remove coupling from shaft.
5. Remove shaft from boat. Check for wear and straightness. Replace if needed.
6. Remove and replace cutlas bearing.
7. Determine if stuffing box can be reused. Replace the hose (use hose designed for stuffing boxes). Replace if necessary.
8. Inspect engine mounts, clean and replace if necessary or if it looks like they will need replacing in the near future. Do it now to get it behind you.
9. Put everything back together.
10. With boat in water, align engine to shaft.
And before you start this, buy a case of PB Blaster.
1. Get boat out of the water.
2. Loosen the stuffing box.
3. Disconnect shaft coupling from the transmission.
4. Remove coupling from shaft.
5. Remove shaft from boat. Check for wear and straightness. Replace if needed.
6. Remove and replace cutlas bearing.
7. Determine if stuffing box can be reused. Replace the hose (use hose designed for stuffing boxes). Replace if necessary.
8. Inspect engine mounts, clean and replace if necessary or if it looks like they will need replacing in the near future. Do it now to get it behind you.
9. Put everything back together.
10. With boat in water, align engine to shaft.
And before you start this, buy a case of PB Blaster.
That is a lot of money. It isn't all that hard. Get the tool to push out and replace the cutlass bearing or make your own. All thread and some pipe fitting or old bearing which is close to the size but slightly smaller that the housing. Motor mounts are not too expensive and easy to replace. The most expensive part is shaft seal parts. You may need a new shaft. A local machine shop can duplicate yours. It is a project, but if you can change a waterpump on a a modern car, and have some tools and mechanical aptitude just about anybody can do this.. There is all kinds of stuff on the the net for diy on all of this.
Thanks guys, i thought the costs were way too high, and i am sure i can do it myself ive replaced a couple of car engines myself 20+years ago, i have a good friend that is an excellent diesel mechanic but lives 2000 miles from me i sent him the video of the shaft vibrating and he said straight away cutless bearing and possible damaged shaft, does anyone think the vibration may only be something as easy as just the cutlass bearing? , wish i could figure out how to post the video on here? And will have someone inspect the mountings more closely, the guy who told me how expensive it would be was actually a guy i got 2nd to look at it, first guy just said the cutless bearing
I can't help you with the motor mount part of your project (have not tried that on my O'Day 322, but here are a couple of videos I made on:
Replacing the cutlass bearing...
Removing the shaft coupling...
And the condition of my shaft...
My next step is to replace the shaft.
Greg
Replacing the cutlass bearing...
Removing the shaft coupling...
And the condition of my shaft...
My next step is to replace the shaft.
Greg
Another question to any oday 322 owners, the big square floor panel at the bottom of the entry steps to the cabin behind the small bilge access panels, does this come up or is it fixed, if its liftable whats underneath it? Also any 322 owners added an outboard to the steped transom?
Given that the bearing tool if purchased is probably twice the price of the bearing. and changing the bearing is an afternoon if you've never done it, why not change the bearing and see what that does first, if you have to change the shaft, after, your cost of the tool went down by 50% because you've got some good use out of it already.
Homemade tools do not always work well at removing the cutlass bearing. A hacksaw and a small cold chisel work well. After removing the shaft, insert a hacksaw blade into the bearing and cut the bearing. Be careful to not cut the strut. Once the bearing is sliced lengthwise, use the chisel to collapse the bearing and remove it. Home made tools work better pressing the new bearing in place. Use some flat iron instead of washers, the washer will sometimes deform.
Just thought i would let you all know for comments, I went to the boatyard this morning and these are the prices they gave me
Haulout $320
Rudder removel so shaft can be removed $720
RR shaft replace ( dont know what that is ? ) $870
Replace complete shaft $1500
Replace engine mounts re align motor $2200
Replace cutless bearing $500
Total cost $6110. Maybe a bit less if the shaft only needs straightened
Haulout $320
Rudder removel so shaft can be removed $720
RR shaft replace ( dont know what that is ? ) $870
Replace complete shaft $1500
Replace engine mounts re align motor $2200
Replace cutless bearing $500
Total cost $6110. Maybe a bit less if the shaft only needs straightened