Cutlass Bearing and Transmission Wear
 

Milton Waddams wrote:
In discussing the vibration problem with a few associates they pointed
out that cutlass bearings can wear excessively when operated in silty
water or if reverse gear is used often. The silty water obviously
introduces grit onto the bearing surfaces and causes erosion but the
running in reverse has me stymied. They claim that when operating in
reverse the propellor impedes the water flow into the bearing and
causes wear beyond normal. I do run in reverse regularly for extended
intervals just to even out the total "wear" on the drive system. I'm
kicking around the idea of getting a matching opposite hand propellor
to run in alternate seasons just to wear the transmission evenly. I
know the controls would be reversed but I don't see it as a big deal.
Any thoughts?

Milton
You should consult with a transmission expert about your specific
tranny. Many are built for only minimal use in reverse. There is an
"infamous" case of an Asian twin engine trawler that counter-rotated
one prop by simply reversing the shift linkage and running the engine
in reverse. The transmissions tended to die within a few hundred hours.