No need to pull/cut the shaft; everything done from outside (thank God).
Our ‘81 CD30C (#219) needed a new cutlass (and a barrier coat & lots of cosmetics); thanks to everyone on this site for tips about barrier coats, paint, teak treatment, and especially for the owner’s manuals--the diagrams made all the difference.
Our cutlass extended 1.5in. from the hull; instead of a nice epoxy filet, as shown in the owner’s manual, we had a large purple glob around the tube that extended out of the hull with a bearing inside. First, I ground the glob down so I could see where the 4 set screws went thru the tube to hold the bearing; I removed the wire securing the set screws and removed them. I left the job for the night; while gone, a well meaning boater ground the fiberglass tube back to the hull, exposing 1 1/2 in. of the bearing (that was going to be a problem); to get the bearing out, I put a wrench around the bearing, used center punches in opposite holes (from the set screws) to keep the wrench from slipping off, and then hit the wrench with a hammer to gradually drive the bearing out.
I then bought PVC joint w/ an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the new cutlass bearing and cut a 1 1/2 piece; using the old cutlass bearing to center the new extension, I made a nice epoxy filet to hold the PVC extension in place; w/fiberglass reinforcement for strength, I think it is about as good as the original fiberglass tube (I hope!). I drilled and tapped four holes for set screws in the PVC extension, drove in the new cutlass, and secured it.
Years from now (I hope) when another new cutlass is required, I’ll probably grind the PVC off to the hull, and redo the re-build job.
jljcm@nowonline.com
Cutlass Bearing/Shaft bearing success
Moderator: Jim Walsh