dsw
Well-Known Member
What is the average life expectancy for a phenolic cutlass bearing ?
life of cutless
- Thread starter dsw
- Start date
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Piece of string question. In clear water, regularly used and no misalignment problems, almost indefinite. Rapid wear is caused by misalignment, water starvation, gritty water and sometimes lack of use which allows fouling to grow inside the flutes and destroys the bearing when the shaft is turned.
dsw
Well-Known Member
lack of use sounds like it could be my problem all of a sudden so
going on the slip tonight to have a look at low tide before i order
a new cutless.
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
I cannot see a reason why the life of a phenolic backed one should be any different from a brass backed equivalent. I only buy the brass version. Illustrating the earlier responses, i wore one out completely in a year that included traversing the Canal du Midi, muddy water and the Gironde estuary before that. Its replacement, fitted at the end of 2005, is still as new, in the relatively clear waters of the Med. Checked two days ago, no play at all.
Neil_Y
Well-Known Member
I assume it is a rubber bearing (in a phenolic sleeve) and not a phenolic bearing as Phenolic water lubricated shaft bearings have shown they can last much longer than rubber.
What you probably have is a rubber bearing in a phenolic carrier, phenolic bearings are one piece made out of reinforced phenolic resin with added ingredients such as lubricants and surface chemistry to resist marine growth. Rubber bearings come either as a plain rubber tube or in a bronze or composite carrier, the bearing surface is rubber.
In all water lubricated bearings, normal wear only occurs at start up and run down, or as Tranoma has said when other factors cause abrasives to wear the shaft or bearing or cause the shaft to push hard against the bearing which collapses the water film.
What you probably have is a rubber bearing in a phenolic carrier, phenolic bearings are one piece made out of reinforced phenolic resin with added ingredients such as lubricants and surface chemistry to resist marine growth. Rubber bearings come either as a plain rubber tube or in a bronze or composite carrier, the bearing surface is rubber.
In all water lubricated bearings, normal wear only occurs at start up and run down, or as Tranoma has said when other factors cause abrasives to wear the shaft or bearing or cause the shaft to push hard against the bearing which collapses the water film.
mocruising
Well-Known Member
Mostly answered here ten years plus in clean clear water but can be reduced to a season or less by silt in the water or an unbalanced prop or shaft allignment problems or rope/line round the shaft working its way up in to the bearing or a combination of all of the above.