sinking

[Guest]

bilge pump constantly running 20 miles out a quick inspection of bilges revealed cutlass bearing absoulutely p##sing in no way to stop it .
after a telephone call to port solent they scrambled their standby crew to lift me out
on our arrival at 1900 hours quite impressed with their concern and service.
Question is how difficult is it to replace a cutlass bearing taking into account that the rudders have to be removed etc? has anybody out there done it if so any tips would be greatly appreciated cheers.

 

[byron]

Someone correct me if I am wrong but surely a shot Cutlass Bearing would not cause a leak, the bearing is located outside of the hull /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

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[Chris_d]

Sounds more like your shaft seal (stern gland) is leaking, if its of the repackable type shouldn't cost more than a couples of hours labour, the materials are peanuts. No need to remove shaft or rudder normaly.

 

[byron]

Stern Glands sound more likely to me too.

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[hlb]

Its yer stern glands that are buggered. Never done it myself but cant be difficult and no need to take out shafts. Just two nuts to undo. Take out old packing and fit new. Dont ovef tighten. Better to have them leaking a bit when it goes back in the water. Then just tighten them up till it stops leaking but no more. Dont forget to adjust them when needed or sink again!! /forums/images/icons/shocked.gif

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Haydn

 

[Moose]

Definitly not your cutlass bearings cos, they are in the P-bracket

Moose

I'VE GOT A BOAT!!!
WHOOPEE!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chippie]

There may be the possibility that a knackered cutless bearing caused the stern gland to give up, particularly as it seems to have happened quite suddenly.
Just a thought.

 

[longjohnsilver]

A few hours labour, more like a few minutes!

Check the bearings by seeing if there's movement on the shaft, if it moves up or down by more than a few millimeters then the bearings should be looked at and probably changed. Taking the rudder out should be relatively easy, only a few bolts to undo, just make sure you have the rudder chocked up and sufficient room underneath to let it drop right out.

If you have a stern gland with the flexible neoprene tubing and the tubing has perished then you will need to drop the shaft back and undo the connection onto the gear box to get the new tube on the shaft. This can be a bugger of a job, did it myself earlier this year!

If only the stuffing box needs restuffing then it's a simple job to do yourself, just make sure you don't over tighten it.

 

[miket]

Agree with stern gland theory, but why so dramatic?

Most modern boats with twin engines have rudders offset very slightly so with props removed, shafts can be drawn past rudders.

 

[mtb]

Well it could increase the misalignment creating even bigger misalignment at the inboard end .
Cutlass bearings don't normally fail suddenly .
What type of seal has it got , deep sea seal , rubber bellows type, or standard stuffing box .
Cheers
Mick

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/boats
I want a big steel ex trawler / tug v / cheap or swap for tug