Stern bearing clearance
 

I would appreciate any opinions of stern bearing wear formed by actual
experience.

We have the typical sailboat shaft set up in our E 32. The stern (and
only) bearing felt tight when the engine was sitting so low that the
shaft nearly touched the bottom of the stern tube at the forward end.
Now that the engine is properly aligned, I can move the shaft enough
to get a just barely perceptible clunk. Evidently it was running
tight at opposite ends before.

The feeler gauge I had on hand was too wide to get a good clearance
reading but I'm sure it is slightly over the .008 maximum recommended
for a 1" shaft but I would sure like to put replacement off until next
year.

Has anyone here run enough with a worn cutlass to venture a prediction
as to whether I'm going to find myself with an intolerable vibration
and be faced with hauling the boat again if I roll the dice on this?

--

Roger Long