Preemptive cutlass bearing replacement

[Levin]

Hello all...

So I'm about to have my 2000 Hunter 340 hauled out to get the bottom painted and to replace my fixed two blade prop with a Kiwi Prop... and I was wondering if I should have the cutlass bearing replaced at the same time. As far as I can tell it isn't having any problems (no excessive vibration or other signs that things are wearing) but I figure that as long as it's out of the water, and being that so far as I know it has never been done in the ten years the boat has been around, shouldn't I go ahead and do this rather than waiting?

Basically what I'm wondering is how long do cutlass bearings last? Mine is now ten years old and seems to be working well... but would it be foolish to expect it to last another 3-4 years until my next haul-out?

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
-Levin

 

[Menestheus]

yes do it its only about 10.00 plus your time

 

[Stu Jackson]

Chancy question, and BTW, welcome back, haven't heard form you ina while, hope all is well.

We bought our boat in 1998, it's a 1986 boat. No indication that the PO had ever changed it out and he kept pretty good records.

I've had three haulouts since then, last four years ago, no indication of issues when the bearing was checked when hauled. Next haulout coming in a month or two, I'll check again. No slop, no pop, OR I look closely.

Depends on whether you have the cute little C36-type tool to do the work and plan on a DIY, or whether the yard will do the work, which'll be more'n $10.

I'll surmise that you'll get a lots of opinions, and taking a poll of yes or no simply ain't gonna answer your question, will it? Shucks.

Your boat, your choice. Or as Peggie sometimes says: that's why they call it preventive maintenance.

All the best,

Stu

 

[Ross]

My cutlass bearing was dry for 14 years before I put the boat back into the water. There was no slop in it so I left it and now ten years later it is still acceptable.

 

[Honeyman]

My 2 "larger" boats, 28.5 and 35.5 both went well over 15yrs. w/no problem. It'll let you know and I wouldn't pull a shaft unless I HAD to.

 

[Warren Milberg]

To me, there are just too many "systems" and working parts of a boat. You could go broke preventively replacing them because you know that eventually all of them will wear out. So your question is really a judgement call. If you are getting no indications that the cutless bearing is wearing out, I would not replace it.

In thinking about replacing the cutless, a lot depends on how many hours are on the engine and how good, or not, the alignment has been. My boat is a 1986 and I replaced what I believe to be the OEM cutless bearing in 2005. I guess the engine had about 1000 hrs on it at that time. The bearing cost around $56 (Duramax) and it took about 6 hours of my time, which included dropping the strut, decoupling the transmission, pulling the shaft, and the putting it all back together again, to include realigning the engine.

 

[sailaway78]

A different experience

While I had my boat out to do the rudder, I thought I would replace the cutlass bearing, as the rudder was off, and there was not much more work to do it. Bearing cost was not a factor considering how much I was already spending. After pulling the shaft, I found that a motor mount had shifted, settled or moved. Whatever. The bottom of the shaft log was worn tissue paper thin, and close to cracking. If I had not decided to do the preventative measure of replacing the bearing, I would have been in a world of hurt in the not too distant future.

 

[Levin]

Humm... many varying thoughts

Hello again all...

So it sounds like there are a lot of varying opinions on this one. (yep Stu you're right... a poll just isn’t going to cut it). As for cost, I think it will be more than $10 because I'll be paying the yard to do it. Just don't have the time in my life right now to spend a few days down at the yard trying to do something I can pay them to do in a lot less time. So I suppose it will depend on how it looks when I pull it out and how much they are quoting me to do it. But it is nice to know that these bearings can last more than 10 years... at least that makes me feel more comfortable if I do decide to wait.

Well if anyone else has any thoughts I would love to hear them. But thanks for everyone who filled me in on their experience this will help when I finally decide what to do.

Take care,
-Levin

BTW... several people menitioned looking for "slop" in their bearings... what does this mean exactly? Figure I should ask now so I know what to look for when I have the boat pulled out.

 

[tommays]

On my Cal29 the bearing seemed OK on grab and give it a shake

But after a carefull look it was clear the strut/shaft and motor were NOT in Alignment and the shaft had word the bearing to match

Thee other think you could see was the rubber "fins" on the bearing was starting to show small cracks like and old water pump impeller

 

[CalebD]

Levin,
If you can wiggle the shaft in the cutlass bearing then that is 'slop'. As little as 1/16" wiggle room (1/32" on each side) would be considered 'sloppy'. The bearing is supposed to have a very snug fit with shaft - eg., no 'slop' or wiggle room.
Having said that I can say that there is 'slop' in my shaft at the cutlass bearing. Not a lot but enough that this is a job I foresee having to do on my boat along with replacing the shaft log or stern tube that sits behind the stuffing box.

 

[BobM]

My surveyor recommended that I replace my cutless bearing, based on the fact that it appeared to be down and to the left a bit. The owner said he had no problems with the boat. Since its second voyage was a three day cruise home I went ahead and replaced it, as well as redoing the coupling and having the shaft and prop rebalanced. In hindsight, what the surveyor saw might have been an aberration induced by the way the boat was blocked. So, unless there is a compelling reason for you to do so, I'd probably leave it for now. If you change the prop and you have an issue you aren't going to know what caused it.

 

[Steve Dion]

Levin:

I think you are looking at something around $60+/- for the cutlass. It also depends on how often you get pulled for a bottom job. With the costs of $8-15/ft for hauling it out, I would give it an inspection and see if it is still in tolerance. If it looks marginal, just do it. The yard is "probably" going to hit you up for about 1 hr. labor, but the haul out is already paid for.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Absolutely replace the bearing while it's out of the water. Also tell us how it looks after you do it. Maybe take some pictures.

 

[Benny]

The way I look at it is that mechanics are human and in the process of repairing or replacing a part mistakes can be made that will shorten the repair's life. If your bearing is in good condition and shows no problems I would be hesitant about replacing it now.

 

[Levin]

Hello again...

So it sounds like the consensus is to take a look for slop (not being in perfect alignment) and inspect how the bearing looks as a whole and decide from there. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it looks and then figure out what I think is best. Although if it turns out to be a cheap job then I might just go ahead and do it anyway even if everything looks good.

Thanks again for all the feedback... helps me approach the decision with some education.

Take care,
-Levin

 

[Warren Milberg]

"Cheap" and "boat repairs" by pros don't mix well. While a cutless bearing comes in at well under $100, labor in these parts tends to be in the $80+ per hour range. Replacing a cutless bearing is sometimes, but not always, possible without pulling the shaft. If the shaft must come out, the major issue is how difficult or not it is to decouple the shaft from the transmission. So....my guess this job for a yard could range from $150 to well over $1,000 depending on difficulty. Cheap? It's all relative....

 

[alexco38]

I just did it today. Took a total of two hours.

I made a tool using Home Depot parts using steel pipes, threaded rods and flanges. Most tool press it out the rear end. I push it in and then use a cutoff tool to slit it open for disposal.

Total cost; $80 for the bearing, $50 machine shop charge, $25 Home Depot parts. 2 hours of my time.

 

[sea_to_see]

I'd check for movement. If you get 1/16-1/8" of deflection then I'd replace the bearing. If you're going on a long voyage or plan to motor a lot, then you may have better peace of mine by replacing it.