[QUOTE=Silver Flight;12787]
Is it necessary to drop the rudder to pull the shaft all the way out so the cutlass bearing can be replaced? What's involved in replacing the cb - how do you get it out of the strut? Would it be in chandleries, would I need Catalina Direct, or ??
[/QUOTE]
There has been lots of discussions on these questions; you should do an archive search. In sum, you do NOT have to drop the rudder to replace the CB. The Association has a very cool tool you can borrow for free that will do the job in 1/2 an hour (I did it last year). Again, search the archives for discussion of how to use the tool and members' feedback on using it; and go to the link on the side of the Association home page for "Association toolbox" for information on how to borrow the tool.
I got the replacement cutlass bearing from Catalina Direct, but I understand its a fairly standard size and thus you might find it more locally. has the cutlass bearing.

[url]http://www.catalina36.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1625[/url]

I found this post

It appears that the tool can only be used ins USA due to high shipping cost.

[QUOTE=Silver Flight;12792]Thanks for the info and the archival reference - most useful and I'm glad to hear that the shaft (apparently) will slip by the rudder. I assume the prop would have to come off?

I wonder if any of you can comment on why you replaced the cutlass bearing? What triggered your decision? How does a cutlass bearing behave when it needs attention and what symptoms can be observed?[/QUOTE]
1) the prop would need to come off. The Association's CB tool comes with a couple of prop pullers (for 2 and 3 blade configurations; I donated one of them, a simple pulley puller tool I bought at an auto parts store for not a lot of $$).
Alas, I hadn't realized you are in Canada, thus the trans-border shipping problem. (When you get a chance, you might want to fill out your signature in the User CP area at the top left of the page. It will help others to know about your boat, which model, where you're located, etc.)
2) The surveyor told us about the CB problem before we bought our boat. There was a fair amount of slop between the shaft and the CB, which is, from my reading of various authors, the usual way to diagnose it. You just grab the shaft while the boat is on the hard and see if it moves from side to side. Others report a rumbling noise as a symptom.

Where are you in Canada? I have a tool that I built and am willing to lend if you cover shipping to and from.

Two different divers told me that my bearing was failing. At haul out this year I replaced it using the C36 IA tool. Easy to do. Many mechanics now have bought this tool, so you may be able to find one locally who has it in stock. With the prop removed a mechanic could replace the bearing in a few minutes, so this should not be too expensive. After you have done it once, you also could do it in a few minutes.
To prep for a mechanic:
Purchase bearing
Get the boat on the hard
Remove the prop
Remove the set screws and have new ones for re-install
That is all it takes to make the job very quick

Oh ya, as it turned out, both divers were wrong, my bearing was fine. Since I had the tool, the new bearing, and the boat was on the hard, I went ahead and replaced it anyway