Strut bearings 11 meter

[Jimmy]

New two inboards.... Our boat is now in heated storage. I had the marina give it a once over, and on the to do recomendation list was to replace the strut bearings. Again, being a newbe at this, however very mechanically inclined and handy. I crawled underneath and gave each shaft a tug and wiggle. Both were very tight. Common sense says that bad bearings means loose, sloppy, or damaged. All bearings seem very tight, only slight age cracking on the rubber sealing ( if that is what it does) but no movement.

So, what constitues a bad bearing

Easy to replace?

How often does this need to be done? Annually like impellers?

[tcollins2]

Changing the cutlass bearing is not difficult the tool called the strutpro.
http://www.strutpro.com/
They have some videos on youtube as well.

[vabeach1234]

I removed my strut from the boat and supported the shaft with a block of wood. I then took a hacksaw blade and sliced the bearing a little at the ends so that it could be folded/bent inward some. I then used a socket to hammer out the old bearing. Mine did not have a set screw so it required some brute force.

[Jimmy]

Great info, however, what made you believe you NEEDED to replace them? Loose? Cracked rubber seal? Other?

[vabeach1234]

I've owned the boat for 10 years now. I replaced it after about 2 years of ownership. I heard the shaft squeaking at low speeds so I made sure I checked it when i got hauled out to repaint the bottom. The rubber was showing a little thin/warn. If you look at new ones, there's ridges and channels in the strut to allow water to pass through it. I just replaced it again in 2014. But it wasn't really showing much wear. I had to remove the strut for other reasons so I figured I'd go ahead and change it. It probably had a few more years of use left in her. The second time I replaced it was a lot easier that the first time. It's hard to say how old the first one so it may have been in there for some time. i.e. harder to get out.

[captainmaniac]

If you can move the shaft side to side or up/down, things have loosened up. Also, if wear is not even (ie the rubber bushing looks more oval than round), it's time.

[Jimmy]

Ok that sounds logical with the movement, or some clearance visible. I have feeler gages that should help determine any gaps. Felt pretty tight tho. Ill give them another inspection.

[bjanakos]

It sounds like you are tying to validate why your yard suggested you change the bearings. If they are anything like my yard, they are accustomed to hi-roller customers with deep pockets and little mechanical knowledge.

However, my "personal" mechanic suggested I replace mine this off-season because he said the one side moves too easily by hand.

[Jimmy]

Yes, to a degree, the staff need to stay busy over the winter, so logically working on boats in storage is a great way to do it. This is such a helpful site with many experienced and informative folks, good to bend a few ears. So yes, not going spend my hard earned cash to fix things that dont need fixing. Mine feel good and tight, so probably go another year. I am also a scuba diver and will probably give them a wiggle part way through the sason as well while it is in the water.