Had my cutlass bearing replaced..........Holy cow!!!!!!

curriernh · **Joined:** 14 Jul 2011 07:14 **Posts:** 60

5 .5 hours of labor; 3 to remove, 2.5 to install the new one. Total bill was $470.

Seems a tad high

Tom
s/v Dulcinea
1984 Keel/CB

Maine Sail · **Joined:** 16 Oct 2011 13:33 **Posts:** 12

We would need to know more about what they actually did for the charges?

Was this a "press out" job (hydraulic or Strut-Pro) or a shaft removal job? If it was a "press out" the price is a little high and 5.5 hours of labor is a bit much. If everything goes smoothly on a press out, prop removal, set screw removal etc. then I plan on about 1 - 1.5 hours for a press out.

The last job I did required drilling out the set screws VERY carefully. They had been barrier coated & faired over so that had to be cleaned out first and finding them was no easy task requiring removal of quite a bit of barrier from the strut.. Once drilled out they then needed to be chased and the threads cleaned with the proper tap bottoming tap. I then needed to make sure there were no metal shavings or burrs left in there with dental picks as these can affect the press out procedure. The drilling out of two set screws took about two hours, so as not to need to "over drill" and re-tap with the next size up. This required multiple drillings with the bits getting larger and larger until I was at the peaks of the bronze threads. I then had to pick the SS thread peaks out of the bronze with dental picks.

Also props are sometimes very stubborn and even with a massive prop puller they sometimes don't want to pop without getting to the point of damaging the shaft. This can require a gentle heating until it "pops". Simply using a "blow torch" is faster but can damage the prop so a heat gun is used instead. Prop nuts can also be seized or stripped from a previous installation. I have had a few times where the prop nut removal badly damaged the shaft threads which then needed to be re-thread with a special die that is costly and not easily available for "field use".

These are but some of the issues one can run into changing a cutlass bearing. Some go quite smoothly and others just don't...

If this was a "shaft removal" job I would argue that some some corners may have been cut if the price is that low. Their labor rate seems in-line especially if that price included the cutlass. Many yards in this country are now getting $90.00+ per hour...

For a shaft removal job I can't see how it can be done for much under $500.00, if done correctly. At 5.5 hours/$470.00 it suggests to me that this may not have been done "correctly". Many yards don't do this job correctly which in almost all cases requires a new coupling and sending the shaft to a shop for a "fit and face" of the new coupling to the shaft. This is because the "light press fit" of the shaft to the coupling is lost in the rust layer broken free. Re-installing a used coupling can be flat out dangerous if it does not fit correctly.. A new coupling and fit/facing will run $150.00+/-.. This job should also included proper removal of the flange from the shaft, NOT A SLIDE HAMMER. This part of the job can run more than your entire labor allowance of 5.5 hours, especially with poor access.

It is always possible that this was the "perfect" job and everything went as smooth as silk. Having done many, many, many shaft R&R's, the right way, the ones that come out of the coupling "easily" can be counted on about one finger... Very Happy

Again we'd need to know more than just the hours/price to determine if you got a raw deal or a good deal..

Ardea · **Joined:** 19 Mar 2007 16:40 **Posts:** 195

On the up side that's only $85/hr as opposed to the $110/hr the yards charge around my neighborhood but how the heck can they screw around for 5.5 hours just to press the bearing in and out.

In my experience the cutlass bearing has to be removed to get the shaft out. If the original job was to just replace the cutlass bearing then once the bearing is removed Bob's yer uncle. I guess you could drill a hole in the fairing and hope the shaft misses the rudder post but that doesn't seem very professional and would be unneccessary using the proper tools to remove the bearing.

And on the subject of stuck set screws If you have to drill out a set screw get yourself a set of left handed drill bits. You'll find that usually by the second or third sized drill bit you use the set screw will spin right out taking only couple minutes. I use this method of removing screws countless times per week in all sorts of situations with nearly 100% success. Avoid lubricants and use a lot of pressure on the drill bit the idea being to get it to grab the screw as opposed to actually drilling a hole. The closer your drilled hole gets to the minor thread diameter the more reluctant the screw will be to stay in the hole.

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

Ardea,
One method of removing the prop shaft is one that I have used before: drop the strut. This is simply done by removing the four bolts and also gives you a chance to re-bed the strut if it has been awhile. Once the shaft and strut has been removed, it is quite easy to work on the cutless bearing.

Tom

Ardea · **Joined:** 19 Mar 2007 16:40 **Posts:** 195

After studying the difficulty of aligning the strut should it need it after reinstalling I decided to remove the bearing with the shaft in place. I know my yard manager shuddered when I mentioned removal of the strut. Of course he also quoted me $500 to replace the bearing and 2.5 hours to repitch a MaxProp. That prompted me to spend the money on my tool collection instead of his commission. It was only a 30 min. job with the Strut Pro. I guess I could have waited until I did the repower and pulled the shaft out through the saloon while the engine was out. Snicker

jvoelxen · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 15:36 **Posts:** 268

I replaced my cutless bearing last year. I needed to replace it because I got fishing line wrapped around the shaft which jammed in the bearing and spun the rubber bearing material. With the rubber bearing material removed you can pull the shaft out, but it was very tight. With the bearing material in place you cannot pull the shaft out or replace it without grinding a groove in the skeg. I reinstalled the shaft with the bearing located forward of the strut, and fabricated a tool to pull the bearing back in place. Knowing what I know now, i would purchase the tool described above. It makes life a lot easier, and it's cheaper than having the yard do it.

Maine Sail · **Joined:** 16 Oct 2011 13:33 **Posts:** 12

I own a Strut-Pro and while it's a great tool it is not great as a one time use purchase. If yours is in the 10% range of bearings the Strut-Pro fails to press out you're going to be pretty pissed. (10% fail to come out with the Strut-Pro is about what I see with my tool, especially with thin walled bearings)

I would suggest taking up a collection and buying one as an "association". The Catalina 34 & 36 associations have both done this and the owners/members love it. The tool is free to use for paid members and the user pays the shipping from the last guy to use it to them. Kind of like a lending library for a Strut-Pro and you only pay $20.00 each vs. hundreds...

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

When I removed my bearing, the shaft was out and I CAREFULLY used my Sawzall to cut the bearing in two places 180 degrees from each cut. I was extremely cautious not to cut into the strut and once the bearing was cut in two, I simply used a small chisel to "pop" it out, took about twenty minutes. To reinstall, I fabricated a simple device using two- 2X2's with hole drilled in each and a section of 1/2" all-thread and a couple of nuts and washers. Allign the bearing with one 2X2 and put the all thread through the strut bearing then the block of wood, thread a washer and nut then on the opposite side, put the other 2X2, washer and nut. strat to tighten the assembly slowely making sure everything is alligned right. You can use a little liquid dishwashing soap to lubricate the strut and bearing to help slide it together.

Ardea · **Joined:** 19 Mar 2007 16:40 **Posts:** 195

Maine Sail said:

"I would suggest taking up a collection and buying one as an "association". The Catalina 34 & 36 associations have both done this and the owners/members love it. The tool is free to use for paid members and the user pays the shipping from the last guy to use it to them. Kind of like a lending library for a Strut-Pro and you only pay $20.00 each vs. hundreds..."

That's an excellent idea. I frequent a banjo forum (being a banjo player) and we have started doing this with specialized luthier tools. These are items you may only need once so would be hesitant to buy them, although they are very much cheaper than a Strut Pro. Everyone has been very good about sending the tools on to the next user in a timely fashion and I think some folks have taken on a job they normally would have paid good money to a luthier to do in about 20 minutes. And no luthiers were harmed in the implementation of this idea.

conch · **Joined:** 21 Jan 2010 12:57 **Posts:** 168

Wow, Ardea, I'm not sure that confessing to playing the banjo is such a good idea. Guitar or mandolin or even an upright bass, Ok, but a banjo? Jeez

Tartan37.com

Had my cutlass bearing replaced..........Holy cow!!!!!!

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