Hinckley 38 cutlass bearing replacement

[Soling816]

Looking for any advice from anyone with experience changing out a cutlass bearing on a 1970 cutlass bearing. The Hinckley yard recommends removing the engine for this task. I am hoping to avoid that if at all possible. I will be replacing the Velvet drive 1:1 gear box with a 2:1.. so the transmission will at least be removed.

Also, wondering f anyone has experience with the trim tab rudder bearing leaking and what possible solutions there may be?

[Bowdrie]

Get the prop off and cleaned/serviced.
Clean the shaft and the area around the cutlass.
With luck there will be some of the cutlass bearing protruding from its housing that you will be able to grasp with large pliers and twist out.
Note, carefully check around the housing to see if any set-screws were used to retain it, some boats do, some don't.
If it's pushed in flush with the housing things become more complex.
At this stage I fail to see why Hinckley would want you to remove the engine.
Note; when installing a new cutlass bearing always leave some sticking out of the housing, life becomes so much easier at replacement time.

[sailormed]

With the shaft out and retaining screws removed use the blade of a metal saw and carefully saw the cutless bearing without damaging the strut. You can then get the bearing out with pliers,

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by sailormed

With the shaft out and retaining screws removed use the blade of a metal saw and carefully saw the cutless bearing without damaging the strut. You can then get the bearing out with pliers,

I've done that a couple of times, a miserable job,, but it works.
One can also make a "puller" of sorts, by taking a length of, say 1/2in. "all thread" and double nutting the ends, one end with just nuts jammed together, and the other end with a big washer between the nuts.
Slip the "nuts only" end thru the shaft hole and hook it over the inside end of the Cutlass, and hit the other end with a hammer.
Usually takes a few good whacks, but you can get the bearing out far enough to use a pipe wrench or curved-jaw pliers.