Cinkel Steering Help

[thaisail]

Were you referring to the needle bearings or the brake?

[Saltyhog]

Needle bearings? What's all this talk of needle bearings. On the Cinkel pedestal on my Bayfield, the shaft bearings are of some type of composite cloth phenolic material. They seem to do the job. I looked into replacing them as a matter of completeness as I'm rebuilding and painting the pedestal. The sizes did not match up with any standard bearing, needle or plain. Is there a source for needle bearing that fit?

[dandrews]

Originally Posted by Ziggy

It fits.
Mine has the space for grease also.
Welcome to the club--I was the only member for years!

Sign me up for club membership....:Thumb

[thaisail]

I just got an email back from Edson and found out that their needle bearings are "caged". The ones that I pulled out of the Cinkel pedestal were loose and one of them was stainless. It seems that many members of the newly formed Cinkel Club have managed to replace their needle bearings. Since I have melted mine, I would really like to find a way to contact those who have changed their bearings to find out where they were able to get new ones. The Edson ones are for a 1" shaft and they are 1" long and 1-1/4" long but I have not been given the OD of the needle bearings yet. I am waiting for a reply from Edson. I get the feeling sometimes when dealing with Edson, that they are not trying hard to keep the Cinkel Club going and would prefer that we all throw in the towel and purchase a new Edson pedestal from them so that they can sell us their parts!

[thaisail]

Originally Posted by GordMay

South Shore Yachts used to have Cinkel parts.
Contact Robert MacLachlan or Helene Taylor
South Shore Yachts, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0.
Tel: 905 468 4340 - Fax: 905 468 1538
Dealer of Bavaria Yachts, Contest Yachts and C&C Parts

As did Evert Bastet at EB Spars Inc, Hudson, Quebec
Tel: 514-327-7277

I melted 3 of the needles on the aft needle bearing and just found out that the ones sold by Edson are the correct ID and OD but not the correct length. So far I have not been able to find the right size needle bearings. I tried to contact your supplier without success. Did you keep your old bearings?

[thaisail]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

Needle bearings? What's all this talk of needle bearings. On the Cinkel pedestal on my Bayfield, the shaft bearings are of some type of composite cloth phenolic material. They seem to do the job. I looked into replacing them as a matter of completeness as I'm rebuilding and painting the pedestal. The sizes did not match up with any standard bearing, needle or plain. Is there a source for needle bearing that fit?

I am placing my order tomorrow for all the parts to complete the overhaul on my Cinkel steering pedestal. I just wanted to check back with the Cinkel Club to see if anyone has had any experience with the Edson cage type needle bearings as they seem to be quite a bit different in length than the original Cinkel needle bearings. Any advice from the club will be greatly appreciated!

[thaisail]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

Needle bearings? What's all this talk of needle bearings. On the Cinkel pedestal on my Bayfield, the shaft bearings are of some type of composite cloth phenolic material. They seem to do the job. I looked into replacing them as a matter of completeness as I'm rebuilding and painting the pedestal. The sizes did not match up with any standard bearing, needle or plain. Is there a source for needle bearing that fit?

I am ordering my parts tomorrow from Edson. Did you ever manage to replace your bearings on your steering pedestal? I am going to try to put the Edson needle bearings on my Cinkel as a last ditch attempt to save my pedestal. Please can you give me any information about your o'haul?

[Saltyhog]

What size are the bearings from Edson? I'll post later today with the size of the composite bearing in my Cinkel pedestal. If I can get reasonable needle bearings from Edson, I'll do it!

[thaisail]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

What size are the bearings from Edson? I'll post later today with the size of the composite bearing in my Cinkel pedestal. If I can get reasonable needle bearings from Edson, I'll do it!

I just called Edson to get more precise measurements. I was told that the bearings are stainless steel and come in two sizes.

1" ID, 1 1/4" OD, needle length 7/8", overall length including cage 1"
$40 each

1" ID, 1 1/4" OD, needle length 1", overall length including cage 1 1/4"
$40 each

The composite bearings that I took out of my Cinkel pedestal are:

1" ID, 1 1/4" OD, needle length 7/8" (no cage)

1" ID, 1 1/4" OD, needle length 1 1/2" (no cage)

The owner of Edson told their technical team to tell any Cinkel customers that the Edson bearings cannot be used for a Cinkel pedestal. It could be liability that they are concerned with. It could also be that they want to sell a new pedestal. They also told me that their pedestals are built for a maximum 30 year life cycle. Mine was pre-1982!

So now I am phoning up all the bearing manufacturers that I can find on the internet and I have started searching for the same material 1/8" in diameter and I will bring the material back to Thailand to cut and machine to the same shape on the ends and just put it back together like the original Cinkel.

Any other ideas?

[thaisail]

I just found a company in California that can supply a Acetal rod (similar to Delrin) in 1/8" diameter. The minimum order was 80 feet for $35. I found a company in California that will cut and machine them per my photo of the original Cinkel bearings so now I am waiting for his quote and delivery date for the job. I decided to go ahead and have him use the 80' of material and so I will have enough bearings of 1.5 " and 7/8" length to make many spare bearings for the Cinkel system. I am only waiting for his price. If anyone else is interested in buying into this order, please let me know. If you have Cinkel pedestal, it might be a good idea to have some spare needle bearings aboard.

[thaisail]

Originally Posted by thaisail

I just found a company in California that can supply a Acetal rod (similar to Delrin) in 1/8" diameter. The minimum order was 80 feet for $35. I found a company in California that will cut and machine them per my photo of the original Cinkel bearings so now I am waiting for his quote and delivery date for the job. I decided to go ahead and have him use the 80' of material and so I will have enough bearings of 1.5 " and 7/8" length to make many spare bearings for the Cinkel system. I am only waiting for his price. If anyone else is interested in buying into this order, please let me know. If you have Cinkel pedestal, it might be a good idea to have some spare needle bearings aboard.

Please see photo attached. I don't know if this will work but I will try!

[Saltyhog]

Interesting. It seems you actually have a real roller bearing in your Cinkel pedestal. I did not. My bearings are a short length of composite tube. No rollers. It's just a "plain bearing" in mechanics parlance. It's made of what looks like a phenolic material with some cloth or fiber impregnated. My OD is 1-5/16" and ID is 1", so also different from yours. I found these that I think will fit. Needle Bearings Or, I may just put the old bearing back in.

[dandrews]

Anyone parting out a Cinkel pedestal? Looking for the brake assy.

Don

[dandrews]

All set on the Cinkel brake assy. Thanks to all who may have checked their surplus items.

Don

[thaisail]

I just ordered a new brake from Edson. I read on this thread that it should work. I'll let you know next month. I made my own brake out of a piece of PVC pipe that lasted me for 6 years but I had to crank real hard to keep the wheel from turning when we were anchored in bad weather. Can you tell me what you have in the way of bearings on the drive shaft?