Feeling 286 Special cutless bearing (bagues hydrolube)

Feeling 286 Special (1991) cutless bearing replacement.

The boat has a Yanmar 2GM20 (raw water cooled) engine driving a folding two blade 14" diameter x 10" pitch "right running" Flexofold propeller. The propeller shaft is 1 inch diameter (i.e. Imperial on a French boat). The cutless bearing outer diameter is 1.5 inch. Bearing length is 99.2mm.

Video narrative

I couldn’t get the prop shaft out to clean it up so I’m just replacing the bearing. It fits in here. You can see that there are openings (water passages on either side of the stern tube). These are to allow cooling water to get to the front of the bearing from the scoops (in the bearing end cover) that fit over this.

The bearing is a clearance fit. It is held in place by epoxy glue (and a locking screw). When you need to remove the bearing, the epoxy can be heated . Epoxy begins to soften at about 60°C and has lost most of its strength by about 90°C. Careful heating allows it to be removed with a stilson.

I’m putting the new bearing in. There is a small screw hole on the top here - to help stop the bearing turning in the stern tube. There is a mark where it needs to be drilled out (but not through the rubber, just through the brass). This allows the locking screw which goes in there to hold it in place.

The hole now drilled in the top of the cutless bearing.

You slide the bearing in, and then put the end piece over it, and fit the locking screw.

This is the end piece. There are scoops on either side. These scoops line up with the stern shaft openings (water passages).

This fits on like that , and with the locking screw in place in the top.

Again, the water scoops can be seen here.

I’ve run into a problem where there is a gap of about 2 mm between the end piece and the stern tube (measured with a feeler gauge). The new bearing is too long. Fortunately, this was a dry run. I hadn't applied the epoxy glue.

The Vetus RULAG1 bearing is slightly too long. I’m going to either have to get a new bearing, or else take about 2mm off the end of the bearing (maybe 3mm).

It can be seen there that there is a difference of about 2mm between the old and new bearing length. The old bearing measured 99.2 mm.


When fitting screws in the bearing assembly and in the propeller, use a medium strength cyanoacrylate thread lock fluid. Don’t use a type that needs a very high temperature to disassemble.


More info can be found on the ClubFeeling1090 website.