Easy Cutlass bearing removal

Ted · Apr 30, 2012

I hope the new cutlass bearing you are installing has a fiberglass shell. It will make removing it sooooooo much easier next time it's due to be replaced.

Don12364 · Apr 30, 2012

Jim - Me Too

Like you I was very disappointed with the procedure, particularly the need to remove the prop shaft to get the saw blade in.
So, I removed the strut and had my pal bore it out to 1 1/2" so it can now accept the 1" x 1.5" x 4" long cutless. This is a more common standard in older boats. This bearing comes in a 1/8" thick wall bronze tube.
Now all I need to do is remove the prop, slide my old bearing with the 1" section cut away on to the shaft, remove the grub screws on the worn bearing and gently tap it out.
No hassle, no fuss, no need to remove the prop shaft and a genuinely 30 minute job.
Whilst about it I also made stepped grub screws and pop mark the new bearing through the grub screw holes. Then I take it out and drill two 1/8" holes through right through the tube wall so the screws bottom on the outer shell of the bearing and are 'proper' retainers.
See attached pic of the extractor.

robertsapp · May 1, 2012

Re: Jim - Me Too

What about those new loose fit cutless bearings that are held in place with epoxy? Supposedly they are self aligning to the shaft, and to remove them all you have to do is lightly heat the strut bearing housing with a torch to soften the epoxy. Haven't heard of too many people using them, but I have to say I'm intrigued.

alexco38 · May 1, 2012

Cutless bearing tool you can make

The design of the commercial tool push the bearing out towards the prop end.
I didn't like it as the tube is in two half and complicated to make.

I made a tool that pushes the bearing inward which is much simpler. There is no need to remove the shaft. Once the old bearing is out of the strut, simply cut a long slit to open it.

The tool consist of a black steel pipe, flanges, screw rods from Home depot (Less than $20). Had to machine down the steel pipe to fit inside the strut.

See picture.

Maine Sail · May 1, 2012

Jim Seamans said:
Having the proper tools to begin with, I thought this was going to be a nice one hour job. Murphy Strikes....

Using a tool to remove cutlass with and after two hours of tightening down the damn thing would not move - yes the set screws had been removed. The owner of the tool had to leave and with him the tool. May the fleas of a thousand dogs infest his bed.

So, using Mainesails way of getting it out
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/replacing_a_cutlass

With a hack saw and several cuts, in go the two bolts and start turning them. Oh shit, they went through the damn bearing NOW WHAT!!!

When all else fails, get a big hammer and punch and start banging away.. Once it was about half way out, I put a pipe wrench on it and started turning and pulling at the same time. Slowly, with a few more hits out it came...

From the picture, I do believe it is scrap... Lost a little skin, bleed a little but the damn thing is out.. been in there for 7 years......

Now drinking a beer and going in for attitude adjustment therapy...

It probably did not come out because your cuts may not have been all the way through the bearing shell. In the photos of this side they were not.. This happens when you apply too much force to the hack saw and the blade bows in the middle leaving the ends cut and the middle not cut. Light pressure takes longer but results in a more even cut along the entire length of the shell..

Also the "bolt" process only works if the shell is fully cut and the bearing is not suffering too badly from dezincification.. These shells are made of brass not bronze. As such they often suffer from dezincification and the bolts can literally press right through the now brittle shell fairly easily.

I own a Strut-Pro and it is a sweet tool but even with that tool, and the hardened steel dies, bronze thrust washers and 1" hardened threaded rod it still fails to remove about 1 in 12......

Home made tools rarely work unless the bearing is not a "proper" bearing fit. If they are a true bearing press fit, good luck. There are lots of cutlass bearings that are a rather light fit, not necessarily good but they suffice, and that can easily be pushed out with a home made tool. A bearing with a tight fit will require a Strut-Pro or one of the hydraulic tolls or to be cut out..

The most recent boat, another member here, had a strut that had been over bored beyond what the factory shipped. The folks over boring it over did it and the bearing came out like butter on a hot skillet. With the set screws spotted into the shell the bearing will be fine but its not an optimal fit.

I have stripped out normal threaded rod, up to 3/4" diameter, pressing in bearing shells... Sometimes they fit really tight and sometimes not so tight, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes not..

Bad Obsession · May 1, 2012

Glad you finally got it done.

This looks like a big project in some ways. What do yards usually charge to change out the cutlass bearing?

Don12364 · May 1, 2012

For what its worth I see no reason why the cutless should be a press (read force) fit in the strut. Of course it needs to be properly retained so it cannot escape forwards or backwards - but the grub screws entering into decent depth dimples should do this and then to be locked with Loctite.

The original cutless fitted to my boat was in some form of plastic or Tuphnol tube with only 1/16" thick walls. No chance whatsoever of pressing that out.

The cutless only has to be a journal at the back end of the shaft to make sure the prop is held steady; but, having a rubber lining, it can hardly contribute to keeping the shaft straight.
So why have it so darned tight? Surely a good engineering fit should be enough.

alexco38 · May 1, 2012

Did you soak the old bearing with penetrating oil for days? Put a few drops inside the small hole too. Also I heated the strut with a blow torch to help the penetrating oil and speed up separation.

It took over a week and it just came out easy afterward.

Done two last winter. May be your's is really really tight fit or I just lucky.

bria46 · May 1, 2012

I had my cutless bearing replaced professionally. You ask why? Because you need to re align the output shaft from the transmission to prop. The yard guy spend about an hour. In the end he got the shaft aligned within .001"

Bad Obsession · May 7, 2012

If I ever go through the Dismal Swamp I will follow your advise......Do not be close behind any other boats!

I hope you get everything ready to go soon.....We need to hit a harbor soon and find some rum!

robertsapp · May 8, 2012

robertsapp said:
What about those new loose fit cutless bearings that are held in place with epoxy? Supposedly they are self aligning to the shaft, and to remove them all you have to do is lightly heat the strut bearing housing with a torch to soften the epoxy. Haven't heard of too many people using them, but I have to say I'm intrigued.

So, nobody has any info on these new bearings? 'Cause we're probably looking at a new one in a year or two, and I have to say I'm intrigued with the self aligning ability and the abillity to put them in and remove them without having to take a saw and a sledge hammer to the strut.

Alan · May 8, 2012

bria46, if your 'yard guy' did the alignment while your boat was on the hard he completely wasted his time and your money. Proper shaft alignment can only be accomplished with the hull in the water and only after it has been there for at least a week or two.
Getting the shaft alignment right is not hard but accuracy is important. I've only replaced my bearing once in the 20 years I've had my boat and with 8 years on it now it still is in near perfect condition. I use a brass feeler gauge and check it annually about a month after spring launch.

DougM · May 8, 2012

Okay, I can see how one would get a cutlass bearing out of an exposed strut... How does one go about getting a bearing out of a completely enclosed strut such as ona typical Beneteau? Since mine is a fresh water boat, I was hoping that it would be a simple as backing out the setscrews, taking off the prop, and sliding the bearing off the shaft ( I know, it couldn't possibly be that simple...). It seems as though it would be a major headache to disconnect the propshaft, and possibly drop the rudder just to get the bearing out.

alexco38 · May 8, 2012

I totally agree with Donalex :

"The cutless only has to be a journal at the back end of the shaft to make sure the prop is held steady; but, having a rubber lining, it can hardly contribute to keeping the shaft straight.
So why have it so darned tight? Surely a good engineering fit should be enough."

Have a look at Beneteau First 30x circa 1980ish. The cutless bearing is rubber only held in the strut by two nylon screws. How can that be press fitted?

If you want it to come out easy next time (may be years from now), just clean it really good and put some anti-seize compound on it. Besides, it's bronze to bronze anyway.

Another strange thing is all the tool are in two half and designed to press the bearing out towards the prop end. Why not make a one piece tube to press the bearing in. You can always cut a slit to peel it off. There is NO reason to re-use any old bearing.

Witzend · May 9, 2012

Drill out the strut and epoxy in a new one. By floating the new bearing in you can get a perfect alignment. Want to replace it next time... just heat with a torch and destroy the epoxy, pops right out.
I would not have thought of this option if I had not had to correct a grossly miss-aligned strut. My other option was to cut 4" of glass to get to the strut hull screws to shim it. Manufactured miis-aligned from Catalina!!! So it was a no brainier. 3 years down the road no problems bearing still well set.

Easy Cutlass bearing removal

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