Wayne: I replaced the cutless bearing in Calimera 1071 which also had been
converted to a conventional, non-Combi, drive system. As I have a 1 inch
shaft, I looked for a cutless bearing that would fit in the existing 1 3/16
inch fitting. The smallest I could find was a 1 1/4, so I reamed out the
fitting to that size with an adjustable reamer and hone. There is only room
for about 2 inches of bearing length. This has been enough for the last 30
years, so I didn't get too excited about cutting down the 4 inch long
bearing. The installation took awhile, but wasn't too difficult. I was able
to rent the reamer (a king pin reamer) locally, but watch out for tapered
reamers. Also, check to see that the bronze fitting itself is tight to the
hull. I ended up cutting back the fiberglass a little and beefing up the
area with epoxy to take out any slack. I used Loc Tite to enstall the
bearing, since I figure it will have to be cut out to replace next time
anyway. Oh, that reminds me, to get the old cutless bearing out I cut
through it with a hacksaw blade along one side and then collapsed it in
place. No sense trying to keep it intact anyway. Any questions? Let me
know. Bill Bach
To Brian in Vancouver: Doesn't look like we'll make it up there for the
rendevous. We'll be in the water ok, but have a niece's wedding to attend
that weekend. Next year for sure! Given the demand for O-22s, you got a
good deal, eh? Bill Bach
