Macwester Wight Cutlass Bearing

[Earnon O’Cleirigh]

Hi I want to change the cutlass bearing on my Wight, preferably without removing the shaft. Does anyone know about the cutlass bearing housing fixings. I guess it screws onto the end of the stern tube and is secured in place by self tapping hex headed screws screwed into the skeg. Once these screws are removed it should be possible to unscrew the housing from the sterntube. Is this correct? Is the sterntube glassed, epoxied or fixed in some way in the skeg? Any info or advice much appreciated. Thanks.

Earnan

[Chris Nixon]

Hi Earnon
Once you have unscrewed the grub screws you may be able to get a chisel in the end to loosen cutless bearing and get it out. They are not usually screwed in, but sometimes they are inserted from the inside before the shaft is assembled.
Make sure the chisel does not touch or mark the shaft or outer casing.
Failing this you will have to remove the whole shaft and make some form of expanding clamp to loosen the cutlass bearing.
Ease of doing the job will all depend on how long it has been there and how badly corroded it is. Good luck.
Chris

[Author]

Posts