Cutlass bearing info needed

[Ken Textor]

Hi all,

I need a little dialogue with someone who has recently replaced the cutlass bearing in his (or her) Cape Dory. Mine is a CD 27, probably with the original cutlass in there. I???m having trouble locating the set screw (or screws) that are usually used to hold the cutlass in place. Have already sanded off a great deal of old bottom paint and gel coat without locating them. Are they in the cylindrical protrusion that comes out of the hull or farther forward? Or did CD use some other mechanical method of hold a cutlass in place?

Thanks,

Ken Textor, s/v Marie Rose (CD 27 hull #139)
Arrowsic, ME[/code]
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Hamann Motorsport

[Jimbo]

kind of at the back of the protrusion. I had to grind off a lot of epoxy to find them. I just changed mine last spring. Good luck jim

[Larry DeMers]

I found mine after removing the fiberglass 'glob' that encircles it. This had to be rebuilt, using marine tex or similar reinforced epoxy mish mash. Shape the 'glob' while building it up, and then use a rasp to give the final shape. Roughen up then clean the surface of this 'glob' after it cures, to hold the bottom paint when you apply it.

It looks a lot harder than it really is.

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
CD30 Lake Superior

[gpb102030]

you need to grind all the way down to the fiberglass tube but not the tube. about 3/8 of an inch from the end there is a groove cut in the tube inside the groove is a ss wire that wraps around the tube 2 or 3 times and is twisted off remove the wire. then there should be 4 slotted set screws inside the groove the wire was in the slot so they would not back off. they are hard to see and tend to want to strip so find a slotted screw driver that fits snugly i had one that was to wide so i ground it down and it worked great. now the fun part you get to remove the cutlas bearing and the shaft. it is not hard it only takes time. hope this helps Greg

[Andy Denmark]

I never saw the situation Greg described on any boat..... I don't think that was standard Cape Dory protocol while I was selling them. Maybe later?

A simple setscrew arrangement, after finding them of course, is to remove them saving as much "thread" as possible in the glass and stern tube. Then replace the shorter set screws with longer ones (they are available in a variety of lengths) that stop just short of the "surface" of the skin. After tightening them use modeling clay to fill the "socket" of the setscrew and a thin covering of Marine Tex to fair everything up before painting with bottom paint. This makes an easy-to-find setscrew for the next guy without having to dig epoxy filler out of the setscrew "socket" that sits deep down inside a hole.

This is what I found with Rhiannon when I hauled her for the repowering job late last year. This arrangement lasted for over 15 years and the setscrews came outwith no difficulty as the modeling clay just squished out when the Allen wrench was inserted.
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Jaguar mark 1 history

[Ron M.]

On my boat the set screws, one either side, are located 2 - 1/2 " from the stern end of the cutlass bearing on the centerline of the shaft. When I installed the new bearing I put a slight dimple in the brass for the point of the set screw to seat in.
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Vaporgenie

[Jimbo]

I had three set ecrews in mine

[Bruce Barber]

"...there is a groove cut in the tube inside the groove is a ss wire that wraps around the tube 2 or 3 times and is twisted off remove the wire. then there should be 4 slotted set screws inside the groove the wire was in the slot so they would not back off.

I found such a wire and slotted set screws on my 1982 25D. The grooves were actually through the glass in places. Sure seems like bad practice, and thankfully not common. Didn't attempt to duplicate it on reassembly.

[Ken Textor]

To all who replied,

Thanks for your help. Yes, as I sanded, a wire did appear in the gel coat. That's when I stopped and asked for help. Will continue onward now. Does seem like a marginal practice but we all do our best. If I run across anything else interesting or curious, I'll let you all know.

Ken
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GRAPE APE

[Ken Textor]

Footnote:

As it turned out, there were four (4) set screws holding that cutlass bearing in place. Each one was positioned so that the seizing wire could pass through its slot, which now seems to me a pretty good way to prevent them from backing out. Once the gel coat was sanded off and the wire removed, they backed out quite easily.

Ken
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CHRYSLER NSG370 TRANSMISSION HISTORY

[Ray Garcia]

Ken,

I found the same 4 screws and wire as you found. The wire I imagine does not add any structural reinforcement to the bearing. It does however assist in finding the screws as well as keeping the fairing material out of the screw slot. I reinstalled the slotted screws and wire so I could find them again in the future. To finish the install I mixed a small batch of epoxy and painted on a coating. I let it stand a few minutes while I mixed in some micro-balloons (do not use fumed silica/cabosil - the cured result will be hard as a rock and difficult to sand) into the remaining epoxy to thicken up the mixture. Make sure the mixture is thick enough so as not to sag when you use it. I used a wooden spatula to fair the mixture in place. Wear gloves since your fingers can help move the material in place as needed. You do not have to get it perfect since you can easily sand off material after the mixture cures. Best to wait overnight before sanding. Messy but real easy to do. If you kept the initial sanding to a minimum you will not need a big batch of epoxy to repair. If not you may need to mix two small batches to complete. Give the area a light sanding and bottom paint.

DWR