E37 Cutlass Bearing
Date: September 29, 1999
From: Les Baston Miladi4us@aol.com
Has anyone replaced the cutlass bearing on an Endeavour 37 without removing the rudder? If so, is it necessary to disconnect the shaft coupling? Any info would be appreciated.
Date: September 30, 1999
From: Mike Miller capnmike_s@yahoo.com
Yup, I have replaced the cutlass bearing. No, it cannot be replaced without pulling out the shaft, which means that the coupling has to be disconnected. And due to position, the shaft can't be pulled without dropping the rudder..Sorry for the bad news... Here's a word of caution....when replacing the rudder, remember that it is made primarily of foam and it FLOATS...so the position will be slightly different (lower) when it is out of the water than when it is in the water, and that will affect the alignment of the steering cables. I had a teflon bushing made by a plastics company, just a teflon donut, really, as a spacer and put it around the rudder shaft to stop the up-and-down motion...works well. Note that there is a set-screw in the side of the cutlass bearing strut that will need to be loosened before removal of the bearing...mine was all painted over and the yard failed to notice it and caused some problems...then the threads were corroded and the whole thing had to be re-bored and re-tapped for a larger set-screw..
Happy Sailing
Date: October 2, 1999
From: Carl Hibbard Chgypsy@aol.com
Les,
Normally you would have to pull your rudder and shaft to replace the cutlass bearing, which would obviously have the shaft coupling disconnected.
The primary reason for the above is that you may have to slice the bearing length wise through the rubber, and brass to allow bending in one side to have enough room to remove it. This is (most times) due to frozen or painted in set screws on the cutlass that hold the bearing in. Then you wind up drilling in holes in the set screws for an EZout purchase. The second reason is equipment; Most marine repair facilities tools push the bearing forward with a solid ram driven from the rear, using the cutlass as the anvil.
If you can get the screws out, the bearing is not held that tightly on the press fit. You could go in with a puller (rudder still on and shaft in place prop off) that uses flanged half shells to pull the bearing to the rear. IE: Much like a prop puller. The puller rods will be in the neighborhood of 18" long. Or...use the same shells from the rear driving the bearing forward and then do some patient cutting with a hacksaw to remove the old bearing from the shaft.
BTW the bearing for my '79 was a "CHUB", and is in the West Marine catalog for about $65.
Date: May 21, 2001
From: Allan Ajonesanc@cs.com
I replaced the cutlass bearing on my Endeavour 37 this winter. The yard had a hydraulic press that removed the bearing without shaft or rudder removal.
