changing cutlass

[hillerpd]

Has anyone changed the cutlass bearing on a Landfall 38 without pulling the shaft?
Any tips appreciated.

[deniseO30]

don't know if your boat has a cutless strut or if the cutless is in the keel . If it's in the strut there is a tool made that will remove it but it's expensive. Some yards have them. I think the tool is sold on the Catalina Direct site.

[Faster]

Pull the shaft or pull the prop... your choice. Sometime you need to do both to clear the rudder. This is a strut mounted cutlass brg... there's no other way. It's by far easier to remove a stubborn cutlass bearing without the shaft in place.

[Sabreman]

There is a way that I've seen where the shaft does not have to be pulled. It involved a hydraulic press with a split tube type assembly to push the bearing from the strut. A good yard should have one. The labor should not be too expensive; about an hour's time. Of course I saw this after removing my strut by hand.......

If you have a bronze shaft, you'll need to replace it anyway since it's probably worn where it passes through the cutlass bearing. If you do that, then I'd recommend replacing the stuffing box (if you have one) with a shaft seal. You'll significantly reduce shaft wear.

I saw a technique (can't recall where) that allows removal of the transmission coupling without cutting the shaft. However, if you replace the shaft, you MUST replace the coupling. For me, SS shaft + coupling+shaft seal+cutlass bearing = about $550 + 4 hours work. BIG job if you pay a yard. I've posted the procedure here on Sailnet

[Pub911]

Lots of help here, but we all seem to be a bit unclear on exactly what the problem is. I have an easy way to make a jig that makes the job very easy if the boat is out of the water and the propshaft is all the way out of the shaft log. But rather than go into all that, please let us know what aspect of the job is troubling you.