New cutlass bearing - differences?

[Fimacca]

Need to change the cutlass, getting slight play , currently a brass casing through p bracket with nitrile insert.

any advantage to pay more. Vetus seems sub £30, or what about changing to fibreglass?

advantages?

 

[Tranona]

Non metallic. Claimed no corrosion problems, but there aren't any normally with brass and a broze housing. Also phenoloc as well as GRP for shells. No real advantage.

 

[Neil_Y]

How about a bearing material other than rubber? The latest composites are a good upgrade, but I'm biased I work with an Australian brand. In commercial boats working in silty harbours we've seen bearings lasting 3 times as long as rubber. The thinking behind this is abrasive particles can get embedded in the rubber, where as if you have a hard bearing material the abrasive particles wash out more easilly.

 

[Plum]

Need to change the cutlass, getting slight play , currently a brass casing through p bracket with nitrile insert.

any advantage to pay more. Vetus seems sub £30, or what about changing to fibreglass?

advantages?

Brass shell ones from Vetus last a long while and do not suffer from any dezinc of the brass. Just inspected mine after 10 years and should easily last another 2 before the wear is significant enough. Changed the previous one when the play got to 1mm (although it was still working perfectly, no vibration) and it had been in for at least 15 years. that was brass shell too although don't know if it was a vetus one.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[rogerthebodger]

All my cutlass and rudder bearings are vesconite

https://www.vesconite.com/marine/

 

[DinghyMan]

All my cutlass and rudder bearings are vesconite

Vesconite Marine Bearings and Bushings - Rudder and Stern Tube Bearings and Bushings

Its a great material but vesconite have a really strange policy where a complete machined bearing is cheaper to buy than buying the raw materials to make it