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1948 Chris Craft 40'dceb cutless packings

Discussion in 'Chris Craft Connies, Commanders & Catalinas' started by Hercules M, Feb 14, 2009.

  1. Hercules M

    Hercules M New Member

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    Hi, I have a 48 40 foot chris with the old fashioned cutless shaft bearings that consist of about 19 individually cut rounds of greasy rope Then there is a big nut that adjusts them tighter if they get loose. I took the ropes out of all 4 cutless brgs and replaced them with the same thickness flax rope. These are alot like shaft logs but they don't need to keep any water out because they are below the water line. I slid the bearings back on the shaft but they are very hard to turn by hand, will these loosen up pretty fast or are they too tight? Will they burn up when I go to use them, Does anyone know the right proceedure for installing these? Thanks Mike
  2. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Welcome to Forums Mike. Click on the search above and type in Chris Craft. That will lead you to a couple of threads with a lot of info and guys who have rebuilt these from the keel up.
  3. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    Welcome to Yacht Forums.

    Your description of what you have and have done is a little confusing to put it mildly.

    I have never seen a cutlass bearing made out of any sort of flexible packing material which seems to be how you are describing your setup.

    The normal setup is to have a cutlass bearing which is cooled and lubricated by water, this is where the seal is needed to keep this under pressure water from getting out the front and into your boat in any amount other than an occasional drip.

    This assy is what the 19 rounds of greay rope will probably be. I have to also add that this quantity of sealing material seems excessive at best and I would be careful to check that the correct dimension has been used.

    Is the flax rope packing you have used got any form of lubrication on it?

    Is it suitable for use on a rotating shaft in sea water or do you only run in Fresh Water?

    Is there facilities for adding grease via a grease gun to your stuffing arrgt?

    You should ideally leave the packing nut lose until you go in the water then nip them up a bit at a time till you only have an occasional drip when underway and nought at rest.

    Having the packing too tight at the outset can cause a lot of damege and burning to it and or the shaft in extreme circcumstances.

    Here is some info about Cutlass Bearings

    http://www.pacificmarine.net/pdf files/bearings/Technical Discussion - Cutless Bearings.pdf

    Here is an excellent article on Stuffing Box refreshment

    http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box
  4. Hercules M

    Hercules M New Member

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    Feb 11, 2009
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    1948 Chris craft cutless brg

    Hi, There is no confusion involved here except that You are speaking about 2 totally separate things. I am only talking about cutless bearings. Not shaft logs. There is no way or reason to check for a drip in a cutless bearing because the whole thing is under WATER. My cutless bearings are made up of rope segments (flax) They are NOT rubber sleeves like the ones you are familiar with. This must be the way they used to make them before the rubber sleeve, They have been there for the whole 60 years. Some people tell me to get them machined and make the new style out of them. I think these would work fine, if I could just figure out how to install the packings right, Mike
  5. SeaEric

    SeaEric YF Historian

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    Hello Mike, I understand what you describe. I have owned many old boats, but I have to admit I have never seen a set up like you have. Someone here on YachtForums may answer you as we have an amazing collection of knowledge among our members. In addition, there is much info on Chris Craft boats out there on the web. Try the chris-craft.org site, or woody classic boat blog. You will perhaps find these with a Google search. Good luck, and welcome to YachtForums.
  6. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Hi,

    While you are the best placed to see exactly what you have there here is some extra info for you.

    This was a very popular Bearing material prior to modern materials

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignum_vitae

    Is this packing material that you think is a shaft bearing at the inboard or outboard end of your shaft?

    All flexible packing used on shafts need some clearance to allow for cooling water to flow through it. Overtightrning will shorten the life of it considerably.

    BTW: I did a google looking for Flax Cutlass Bearings and didn't get anything that fitted the bill so I wouold be vey interested to know what you actually find out during this repair. It's never too late to learn :)
  7. H4M

    H4M Guest

    As a bearing supplier (we see many old types of bush/bearing on vessels that are over 80 years old) I've never come across what you describe as a bearing? the bearing needs to support the shaft and as such works better the harder it is. We now supply hard bearings to replace rubber and see marked improvements. If you have a tube with packing I can't see the role of the packing unless it is to provide water lubricated cooled material for the shaft to run on as it slows down. Once spinning shafts should be running on a water film.
  8. H4M

    H4M Guest

    In response to K1W1 grease is generally a bad thing in stuffing gland as it is less effective at conducting heat than water. A simple water lubricated and water cooled packing system is better.