Checking to see if anyone out there might know what size a 1975 Chris Craft Double Cabin cutlass bearing is I know this much 1 3/8 shaft 5.5 inches long what I don't know is the OD which can be one of 4 different sizes 1 7/8, 2, 2 1/8, 2 3/8. Don't suppose anyone has changed one recently have they?

Mark,

Obviously without measuring it myself I can't tell you for sure, but it would "appear" logical that CC would stay with standard underwater gear and use the same OD for the my 38' Express (1966) that also used the 1-3/8" shaft.


Here's the old one that came out after a little presuasion and the invention of a few new words.


I just "kissed it lightly" with sandpaper, did not over-ream anything, easy does it.



In it went with a little persuasion


Lock-tighted and off to the races!






Naturally what is "logical" doesn't allways turn out to be the case!

I paid about $100 for the Morse, but I later found out I could have saved some money going with Duramax, check out this thread

http://www.network54.com/Forum/424840/message/1177347491


Don't know if you or your fellow boaters up at Venetian have any experience, good or bad, with Duramax, but I ordered one for my Skiff and of course it's too early to tell about it. I was surprised it was not a tight fit against the shaft, however, like I expected it to be, and as the Morse units did witht he 1-3/8" shaft on TRADITION. The Duramax seemed a bit loose, I called the factory, the guy said that's how they do it. ??

regards,

Paul

Happy holidays to ya, Why are you replacing the cutlass bearings? Did you have an obvious issue or is this preventive maintenance? Just curios. I did lose one on 30' Skiff Craft once. I found out way too late there was a problem. I was half way down the river to Fremont on a poker run and we pulled into a little back water marina. Once in I realized I could turn around. Upon shifting into reverse the prop and shaft backed out of the tranz until the prop hit the rudder. That will produce a very unnerving sound that one should avoid hearing. When I heard the noise I thought I had hit something submerged. Looked around for a while, I couldn't figure it out. Had a beer.....After firing up the pair 318 Chryslers and experiencing the same events like instant replay it dawned on me. Everything was fine in F, but that R seemed a cause for concern. I decided that since there was no water introduced to the situation in the bilge, I would go for it. We ran all the way back to Gem Beach without further incident.


Evidently, the excess vibration from a worn cutlass bearing CAN cause the shaft/tranz coupler vibrate loose. The Skiff Craft Plant must not have believed in safety wiring the set screws. I was glad the rudder kept the woodruff key in place. Had it not, I would have had a whole different set of problems to deal with. The small ordeal cost me a prop tune, rudder massage and TWO cutlass bearings.


I never did feel any looseness in the shaft or bad vibration at speed before the catastrophic failure. Kinda weird?? Must have been them boat gremlins again. That's my cutlass bearing story, Good Night!

Yours Truly, Chris