Catalina 350 International Association

My quest to remove the shaft coupling is going no where and it appears I may have to cut the shaft. It has also been suggested that I cut and replace the coupling but I'm afraid there isn't enough room to cut the coupling without also cutting the stainless PSS collar.
I don't have an autopilot. Can anyone detail what is necessary to drop a rudder?
Is it necessary to completely remove the rudder or will the prop shaft slide past the rudder post?
Is Catalina the best source for a replacement shaft?

I'll never get another boat with a dripless shaft seal. Talk about opening Pandora's Box for a lousy bellows replacement.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Ken,

You may have already seen it and decided not to investigate, but someone recently posted a suggestion that by lifting the engine you can withdraw the shaft into the boat and avoid dropping the rudder. I haven't tried it, but if the engine can go high enough to pass the shaft under, would be a LOT less work. (With coupling still on would be more difficult as need even more height - previous owner on my boat had to cut and replace the shaft to fit the PSS seal in the first place, the original coupling which came with the stuffing box, was "welded" to the shaft.)

I am getting to similar stage as you, 10 yro boat, have the replacement PSS seal but haven't tried fitting it yet, need to replace the damper plate, and will change the cutlass bearing at same time, so am very interested in whether the inward route works!

Regards
Russ Peel
Avalon #150

No need to drop the rudder. The shaft will make it by the rudder if you turn the wheel a little.

Hi Ken,

I know this is an old post, however, I'm currently faced with the same situation today (shaft frozen to coupler) after attempting to replace the PSS bellows.

Were you able to remove the shaft without dropping the rudder? Any other advice you might offer is appreciated.

Mike Calnek

Yes, you can get the shaft past the rudder without dropping it, just barely, so protect the rudder by taping the sharp threads on the new shaft. This can only be done if the cutlass bearing is out of the boat first.

On our boat, I first tried to remove the cutlass bearing before I did anything else, as I had the old style one with the phenolic shell rather than brass. It crumbled as I suspected it would, so I didn't waste any time trying to get the coupling off. I just cut the shaft in 2 places and had it out in less than a half hour. Then I slit the cutlass bearing in a couple of places to remove it, and pressed the prop off the piece of shaft on a machine shop press later.

Putting the new shaft in is very tight going past the rudder and needed some persuasion. I did scratch the rudder slightly, but bottom paint cured that. Then when you install the new cutlass bearing make sure you leave 3/4 of an inch or so sticking out past the log so it can be removed in the future if necessary.

Suggest going with a split coupler for the replacement if you can find one short enough to match the depth of the current solid coupler. Then have it fit and faced to the new shaft when you purchase them. I used a solid coupler when I did mine and may regret that if I ever have to revisit the job.

Mike, I was finally able to remove the coupler. After trying heat, dry ice, pounding and swearing I was finally able to separate the 2 pieces using a gear puller similar to this - https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-3-ja ... 63952.html.
If you haven't already, be sure to apply copious amounts of PB Blaster or a similar product and let it sit at least overnight. The problem with the gear puller is that there is a very limited space to work allowing maybe a 1/2 turn on the puller at a time. It probably took over an hour to finally get the 2 pieces to pop apart.

Ya, I made my own puller from a scrap of iron angle and some grade 8 bolts and nuts.

Drilled three holes in the angle-- the outer two to allow it to be bolted to the flange. The center one to allow a bolt to push on the shaft (a nut on the flange side of the angle, when tightened pushed the bolt into shaft).

Yes, penetrating oil, heat and cold (and some "words of encouragement") were needed, but it eventually gave up and came off.

Ken/Brett,

The yard tried heat and using a wheel puller without any success, but I may give it another try before cutting the shaft (good to know that I don't have to drop the rudder to install a new shaft).

One question: When you used the wheel puller, did you have any issues with the shaft turning, before it broke free from the coupler, or did you need someone to hold the prop?

Thanks,
Mike

With the caveat that I did this project 12 years ago, I don't remember having any issues with the shaft turning. I did have a friend who is a machinist spearheading this and it was his suggestion to use the gear puller. I don't it would be a good idea to put the shifter into either forward or reverse as that might cause damage to the transmission.

The angle piece and grade 8 bolts I used were a LOT stronger than any regular bearing puller.

It took a lot of lb-ft to break the flange loose.