Cutlass Bearing Life Expectancy

BRIAN RANDALL

New Member
Jan 6, 2018
22
Ventura, CA
Boat Info
1985 Sea Ray Sundancer Cruiser
Engines
454 Mercruisers
My 85 SD, 454 engines, had the cutlass bearings and dripless bearings replaced 7 years ago, then sat in the water without being run. Boatyard says they need to be replaced due to age. Should they be replaced? Or, is there any way to determine if they need to be replaced?
 
No. Do they know they are only 7 years old or basing it on the age of the boat?
 
Our boat is 14 years old and the cutlass bearings are fine. We generally keep our boats 10-14 years and have never had a cutlass bearing fail. Keep your props tuned, don't strike submerged objects, and they will last a long time.
 
My 85 SD, 454 engines, had the cutlass bearings and dripless bearings replaced 7 years ago, then sat in the water without being run. Boatyard says they need to be replaced due to age. Should they be replaced? Or, is there any way to determine if they need to be replaced?
Advice given to me direct from Johnson Cutless Brg was this.....if you can lift/wiggle on the prop shaft and feel play it could be time to change, but they also said as long as you feel no vibrations due to it while running then don't worry about it.

The only way your boatyard can know is after an inspection or running the boat. If they visually checked them and feel they should be changed I'd ask them what it was that they saw. Those bearings should not be shot because of their age alone.
 
Advice given to me direct from Johnson Cutless Brg was this.....if you can lift/wiggle on the prop shaft and feel play it could be time to change, but they also said as long as you feel no vibrations due to it while running then don't worry about it.

The only way your boatyard can know is after an inspection or running the boat. If they visually checked them and feel they should be changed I'd ask them what it was that they saw. Those bearings should not be shot because of their age alone.
Definetly ask what they saw and why they need replacing . I have a feeling they just want to get into your boat and are fathom testing your pockets.
 
I think every yard and a lot of us have a different tolerance for what may be acceptable wear on items. If it isn't broke, don't fix it has merit, but preventive maintenance does also. "If it doesn't vibrate, don't worry about it" is ok because a worn bearing will most likely cause vibration, but if it vibrates, maybe it is because of a prop strike or something else so the bearing still needs to be looked at. Checking them can be difficult. Just reaching under there and giving a wiggle usually won't do. Props are heavy, shafts are heavy, there can be stress on the shaft from being blocked up on the hard etc.
When I check the bearings I lay on the ground directly under the bearing so that I can get the shaft centered right over my chest for best leverage and move it in all directions. If there is any perceivable play, they're worn. When to change them can depend on how much you run the boat and when will it be hauled again.
But your yard may be seeing age related deterioration of the bearing.
I changed mine this spring because of the age. There was no perceivable movement and no vibrations but the original bearings were starting to show cracks in the bearing material so I changed them figuring there, that's done and now I can forget about it.
Let the bottom dry and look real closely. A tight bearing will make seeing the cracking difficult.
Couple of pics below of mine before and after I pulled them. Good Luck.

IMG_0653.JPG


IMG_0696.JPG
 
Mark and I have the same boat. I replaced the starboard cutless bearing at the same time he did his. I didn't know the history of the bearing. Could be original or could be a replacement sometime before I bought the boat in 2013. I replaced it because the shaft moved ever so slightly when you gave it Mark's push test. The port side is rock solid. Here is the picture of it. I was glad to see nice even wear indicating good shaft alignment. No cracking and the white you see is just surface deposits from the sea. I have seen them where the wear was clearly at an angle.
 

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If you do replace the cutless bearings, you should also have an engine alignment checked /adjusted. Besides imbalanced props, engine misalignment will prematurely wear the cutless bearings.
 
Hello,

What tools did you use to pull out the cutlass, did you rent or bought?

I have a 340DA and i have a small play and i think it's time.

/ Kim
 
Hello,

What tools did you use to pull out the cutlass, did you rent or bought?

I have a 340DA and i have a small play and i think it's time.

/ Kim

I bought the Strutpro. After buying the tool and the bearings, I spent about 1/2 what the yard wanted to do the job, and I have the time and the big wrenches needed to use the tool.
 

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