Stern bearing in petrol setup

[o2n7dcolin]

The stern bearing #16 (which holds the bush #17) on my 021 combi unit,
is loose in the fiberglass hull. For the life of me i cant see a way
to replace it. It may be that it was made with the hull and not
expected to come loose. Can anyone tell me that this is so? I see the
bearing is avaiable to purchase but from the drawings I cant see how
it is secured. Thanks for any help or advice, Colin...

 

[dobermanct_dave]

Hello-

Is it the bearing or the holder itself?

If it's the holder, I'd recommend trying the following:

Get a package of Marine-Tex and an empty caulking tube.

Mix up the Marine-Tex, put it in the empty tube, and try to get it
around the outside of the holder. Be VERY careful to preserve your
alignment, and not to get the stuff where you don't want it, as the
stuff is tough as nails when it sets.The original is cemented into the boat with some sort of polyester based
concrete. The Marine-Tex is at least as strong as the original filler,
so it should hold at least as well as the original.

I'm in the middle of a major re-build on my Vega. The previous owner
apparently didn't know what zincs are, and the old tube had turned back
to bare copper and disintegrated. Getting the old tube out meant goring
a big hole with an angle grinder, and glassing in a new fiberglass tube.
It hasn't hit the water yet, so I can't speak to it's longevity. But it
was an awful lot of work, and I'd recommend preserving your old tube as
long as you can.

Just my 2 1/2 cents worth.

Dave V2917

 

[o2n7dcolin]

OK Dave thanks for the reply. It is the holder of the bearing. Yes I
was afraid this would be the case. My plan was to drill a small hole
to the center of this holder through the stbd side. Then enject some
epoxy into the space between the holder and hull. OK on the alignment
of shaft. I'll have the shaft in place for this. Not sure if i have
used Marine-Tex, some of these are fairly thick and may not be easily
enjected. I wonder if Locktite makes something? Colin...

 

[bbach1949]

I used thickened West Epoxy injected with a syringe. Worked great - no
movement for last 5 years. You may want to make sure the bronze tube inside the
hull is tight as well. A little epoxy along with a wrap of glass tape will seal
this up tight. Seems to be a common problem. Bill Bach V 1071

 

[o2n7dcolin]

OK Bill great. Did you inject the epoxy through drilled holes? Colin...

BBach1949@... wrote:

 

[bbach1949]

If I remember correctly, I drilled a shallow hole at the top of the joint,
taped off the rest so it wouldn't run out, and injected epoxy until it wouldn't
take any more. It was a hot day and set up quickly. Hard to remember
exactly, but it worked well. Bill Bach V1071