[Public-List] stern tube question

[George Dinwiddie]

David,

On 1/28/19 1:26 PM, David Fay via Public-List wrote:
> I'm replacing the cutless bearing on my 1967 #284.  When I trued to
> remove the cutless bearing housing by unscrewing it from the stern
> tube, the stern tube rotated. So I held the forward end of the stern
> tube (inside the boat) with a pipe wrench and was able to unscrew the
> cutless bearing housing.
> 
> Now I'm worried that the rotation of the stern tube has broken the
> seal between it and the sealant around it, which I believe to be the
> original thiokol (https://tinyurl.com/y76e7kzp), making it more
> likely that water will travel along the outside of the stern tube
> through the hull. I do plan to seal the joint between the bearing
> housing and the hull with butyl and to pack butyl around the end of
> the stern tube before screwing the housing back on but don't know
> whether that will work?
> 
> Is this a good plan? Am I worried about nothing? Or should I rip out
> the stern tube, ream out the thiokol and put in a new stern tube
> sealed in place with epoxy?

Last year I replaced my stern tube because I noticed it had rotated. It 
was a lot of work and, in the end, I realized I didn't need to do so. 
It's not the stern tube to hull boundary that keeps water out of the 
boat. It's the cutless bearing housing to hull boundary, which is much 
easier to seal.

Be sure to well seal the two bolts holding the cutless bearing housing 
to the hull, as water can travel along them otherwise.

FWIW, I used 3M 5200 for sealing both the cutless bearing housing and 
the stern tube. I think you would have a hard time glassing the stern 
tube in place and aligning it properly with the shaft at the same time. 
I came to appreciate how the stern tube can flex in the caulk to follow 
the shaft as you align the engine.

  - George

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