We have a 1981 Yamaha 33 Mark II too! The boat is currently out of the water for maintenance and I was looking where the strut goes into the hull. Along this seam there is evidence os some corrosion (Iron Oxide) and have been pondering what to do about it (if anything). The corrosion seems to be surface and there is not much of it. Is this where your strut failed? I am not sure of the material the strut is manufactured from. If stainless it could be stress corrosion cracking but I doubt this as there is really no "stress" on the strut. Also, the metal on the rudder "cheeks" is a noble metal that has no corrosion whatsoever (some paint flaked off).My cutlass bearing strut is cracked and does not appear to be repairable. Does anybody have a source for replacements. The boat is an '82 33 MK II (engine under cockpit) model.
Rick Samuels
S/V Vaporware
Portland, Oregon
We have a 1981 Yamaha 33 Mark II too! The boat is currently out of the water for maintenance and I was looking where the strut goes into the hull. Along this seam there is evidence os some corrosion (Iron Oxide) and have been pondering what to do about it (if anything). The corrosion seems to be surface and there is not much of it. Is this where your strut failed? I am not sure of the material the strut is manufactured from. If stainless it could be stress corrosion cracking but I doubt this as there is really no "stress" on the strut. Also, the metal on the rudder "cheeks" is a noble metal that has no corrosion whatsoever (some paint flaked off).
I was looking at the strut on our boat and trying to imagine how to replace it if it eventually fails.
I am certain that something could be machined, but it would cost what i's going to cost (as I have been told over the years by marine service people).
If you search the site there is a contact at a company in Japan who has helped people obtain original factory parts for Yamaha sailboats.
Rick
I had a guy from the yard that was doing work on our thru hulls look at our strut. He said the bronze looked good with no de-zincification. Hope things stay that way. Good luck with ytour boat.My strut failed at the bottom in the part that surrounds the bearing. It is bolted inside the hull to a steel plate which is embedded in the fiberglass. The strut itself is bronze. Some fiberglass had to be cut away to remote the strut and it will have to be re-glassed. I am having a new one cast from the old one at a bronze foundry. Slow and expensive. Yamaha in Japan does not appear to be interested in helping U.S. owners any more. Bob, who maintains the yahamahasailboats.org site and I both tried to contact them with no success.