Tom, When I replaced the cutlass bearing on my boat, I had no great difficulty getting the old bearing out and the new one in. It was absoutley necessary to drop the rudder and remove the shaft. No big deal, after you have dug a sufficently deep hole in the ground to accept it. With the shaft out of the way, you can split the cutlass bearing with a hack saw and fold it inward on its self. The new bearing should be greased and pressed in using a wheel puller. At this time, you should carefuly clean and inspect the strut for cracks. There are dye penatrant solutions for this purpose. Now you also have the luxury to remove, clean and repack your stuffing box - at your leisure. Enjoy, Mike Wilson Avalon C27 5431 T/R (for sale)
----- Original Message ----- From: Tom To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 5:59 PM Subject: catalina27-talk: Cutlass Bearing Greetings all, From a new member My '81 C27 with a Universal 5411 and a 1" shaft needs a cutlass bearing replaced. I decided to let the yard do this. They talked about dropping the rudder, pulling the shaft etc. Then they said they bought this $800 tool that will save them from pulling the shaft. I talked to them today and he explains that the new tool will not fit on the '27 because there is not enough room between the shaft and the hull. Does anyone have any experience, wisdom, or thoughts before I let them get up to their elbows and my wallet. Thanks in advance, Tom and Barbara My Tern '81 C27 Hull MA
