J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Cutlass Bearing

Adding to Thor - if instead of a stuffing box you have one of the dripless seals made by PSS http://www.shaftseal.com/ You need to loosen the allen screws that hold the stainless steel collar against the carbon seating surface. The allen screws are 2 deep and act as locking devices for the inner screw. You need to fully remove the outer screws, then loosen the inner screws. There is a little rubber o-ring inside the stainless steel collar that can be damaged by nicks and burrs on the shaft. Take a piece of emery cloth to clean up the shaft, including the keyway so nothing damages the o-ring when sliding the collar off. Use soapy water to help slide the collar off, not oil or petroleum products as it will damage the seal.

Bill - Rhapsody #348

Were those square nuts? I seem to remember bolts--we lost one and had no easy time finding a replacement. Best I could do was a True Value Hardware bolt, not stainless. Doubtful this will stand up to marine environment. Anybody know the correct item and/or a source?

The ones on Rhapsody are square headed bolts, not hex head. They are also not made of stainless steel. A wire brush and Rustoleum worked wonders. Put a couple of drops of oil on the threads too since they are lockwired to prevent them from turning.

anyone know the exact size for the cutlass bearing for a 1" shaft?
I was looking at this one:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1%7C311%7C314571&id=1032593
If I could get one that matches exactly the old one I would prefer that...

BIll, what is "replacing the shaft seal" you are talking about..( I have a dripless seal)
The shaft didn't come off as easy as Thor said....

Stefan - on Rhapsody with a 1" shaft, the spec for a replacement Cutlass bearing made by Duramax - 1" ID / 1-1/4" OD are referred to by the following names
Bearing Babe (non-metallic) or
Bearing Back (Brass)
Look at the Non-metalic chart here and Brass bearing chart here

I had to cut the bearing to length.

The PSS shaft seal you have is the same as on Rhapsody. You need to remove the SS collar (held on shaft by allen screws) that provides the seal against the carbon surface in order to pull the shaft out.

any preference for either one?
at least they are cheaper than Defender...

Did your shaft seal wear out?
I have the dripless seal for about 6 years....didn't notice any wear but maybe I have to re-check...

I used the non-metallic bearing because it was in stock. I haven't found any reason to use one over the other for the J/30.

I replaced my PSS shaft seal because stupid me damged the seating surface getting out the transmission a few years ago. If the bellows wears (e.g. is no longer "springy" to compress the seal), you can buy that as a replacement part from PYI with the following part numbers:
PYI Bellows (#07-113-4) & O-rings (#07-N10-0)

thanks Bill,
one more thing.,
should I use some kind of lubricant to get the shaft through the new cutlass bearing?,
It seems like a tight fit....

just use soapy water, no petroleum products.