Cutlass bearing replacement, E 38-200
- Thread starter Saverio
- Start date
Pete the Cat
Sustaining Member
The pictures are of the cutless bearing. I am sure there are several Youtube videos about the various ways you can remove and replace this bearing. It can be a challenge and can require some special tools. There are sometimes set screws in the strut that must be removed. You might have to drill them out and re tap some new set screws as these are often corroded in place. The tough part is getting the old cutless bearing out. The bearings are generic (no special brand for your boat or our engine) and all you need is the length and the diameter of your shaft (I think it is 1") to get one from any machine shop or marine mechanical shop. Boatyards have sources for these.
It is common to remove the shaft first to make the cutlass bearing easier to remove.
Do you see/feel some wear in the present bearing? Can you move the shaft from side to side? (Indicating wear in that bearing)
Do you see/feel some wear in the present bearing? Can you move the shaft from side to side? (Indicating wear in that bearing)
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I like the detail in this thread on another site. The author runs an awesome boat repair web site to augment his business of .... repairing boats. 
Site home: https://marinehowto.com
Replacing A Cutlass Bearing (Photo Heavy)
Replacing a cutlass bearing is not a tough project but does require some thought. On some boats the bearing is inside the dead wood making replacement more of a task than when it's mounted in a strut. These instructions deal with replacing a strut mounted cutlass bearing with the prop shaft...
forums.sailboatowners.com
Site home: https://marinehowto.com
wurzner
Member III
Hello Saverio,
Unless there is an underlying reason...I would NOT recommend pulling the shaft. The cutlass can easily be removed using a propeller puller and a piece of pipe cut in half. I should have taken a video, but here is a video of how to do it. Much easier than cutting it out. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FrwF6BAgNEAQ&usg=AOvVaw1igC00sNwmoZetojCzu01z
Good luck.
Shaun
Unless there is an underlying reason...I would NOT recommend pulling the shaft. The cutlass can easily be removed using a propeller puller and a piece of pipe cut in half. I should have taken a video, but here is a video of how to do it. Much easier than cutting it out. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FrwF6BAgNEAQ&usg=AOvVaw1igC00sNwmoZetojCzu01z
Good luck.
Shaun
Pete the Cat
Sustaining Member
You may try to do it with a piece of pipe as Shaun suggests (I have done it successfully in one case) but, unless it was replaced thoughtfully by the manufacturer or last boatyard (which is rare in my experience), you will need to remove the shaft along the lines of the process Maine Sail describes. I agree that my fellow Mainer is a bit over the top in his OCD and his way or the highway, but his site does have the best pictures and lots of good suggestions. He has done the work and that entitles him to a bigger voice than folks who did it once on their boat. By the way: despite the fact that everyone is calling it a "Cutlass" bearing, the name is actually
"cutless" from the brand name of the original replaceable bearing manufacturer. Look it up.
"cutless" from the brand name of the original replaceable bearing manufacturer. Look it up.
I prefer the Errol Flynn version of the nomenclature.
Dave G.
1984 E30+ Ludington, MI
I used a Strutpro tool to remove the bearing with shaft in place. They are pricey and a fancy version of many homemade styles. If you have access to a machine shop you can build one but most of us don't. I used one from the marina that I traded a can of VC17 for "rental fee". The other question is how does your coupler end of the shaft look? If it hasn't been off in a long time you will most likely have to cut the shaft off to get it out anyway. You will also need to align the coupler to trans after replacing the bearing so you need to at least make sure those bolts are not a big lump of rust. I ended up replacing it all once I got into replacing the bearing as the coupler end was a mess. Hopefully I won't have to revisit any of that any time soon.
strutpro.com
StrutPro Cutless Bearing Replacement Tools | Made in the USA
StrutPro Cutless Bearing Replacement Tools take less than an hour to remove and replace your strut bearing. Take back hours in your day.
strutpro.com
Good point; so I changed it.
For comparison:
My yard tried to remove my cutlass with a Strutpro, but the end of the bearing started to deform before it pressed loose. They had to drop the rudder and pull the prop shaft.
Though the cutlass bearing was uncooperative, the shaft coupling was not. It came off fairly easily in one piece and was re-used (after being refaced and refinished). Same for the prop and the shaft.
You never really know what's gonna happen until you get in there and start pulling things apart.
My yard tried to remove my cutlass with a Strutpro, but the end of the bearing started to deform before it pressed loose. They had to drop the rudder and pull the prop shaft.
Though the cutlass bearing was uncooperative, the shaft coupling was not. It came off fairly easily in one piece and was re-used (after being refaced and refinished). Same for the prop and the shaft.
You never really know what's gonna happen until you get in there and start pulling things apart.
Pete the Cat
Sustaining Member
Lots of good experience and pointers here from folks. The real truth is what Kenneth K says "you never know until you start pulling things apart'' or try to get them apart. Cutless bearings seem to most always lead to other issues: problems with prop removal, strut replacement (if it is pink), shaft coupling issues and engine alignment--oh and if you have the shaft out you might as well replace the stuffing box as this is a great opportunity that will be a major PIA if it needs it in the near future. I have had an easy time of doing it once, but mostly it there have been issues with what could be a simple job. If you can do the work yourself it is a good education and if you fix everything while you have it apart and align everything you will save yourself a lot of issues down the road.
Dave G.
1984 E30+ Ludington, MI
Ain't that the truth ! My cutlass was stuck too, I applied a little heat to the operation and it broke loose.
And once you've dropped the rudder to get to the shaft, add:
- repack rudder post gland/stuffing box
- replace the bronze sheave bearings for the steering cable
- inspect/repair any fiberglass cracks/splits in the rudder shell (you may have to dry it out first if the core is wet)
- engine alignment when it's all back together
- subtract another two weeks from the sailing season