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  1. #1

    Removing stuck seastair casters

    I spent the better part of a day trying to get the stuck casters off the MARQUIT seastairs. These casters have a 0.801" solid steel shaft with a slot around the circumference near the top. There is a steel ring in that slot that is designed to create tension in the receiver to hold the casters in place. I soaked the casters in PB Blaster, rapped on them with a hammer and even tried heat on the shaft receivers. Like Angela mentioned in her post, I got nothing, not even a slight movement. I decided to cut them off.

    First step was to cut a slot in the bearing race to let the ball bearings fall out. That allowed me to get a sawzall blade into the slot between the bearing races to cut the 3/4" solid steel shaft. I actually managed to cut through all four caster shafts using only two sawzall metal-cutting blades from ACE Hardware.

    Once I had cut through the shafts and remopved the casters I still had the cut off shafts stuck in their female receivers. I thought I could soak them in PB Blaster, heat them and then use an easyout to remove them. NO SUCH LUCK! Even after soaking for a day and using heat I was bending the receivers before I got any movement from the shafts. I gave up before I did any damage to the step, removed it and took it to my local machine shop where they bored out all four shafts for $80. Better than ruining a step. I found new steel casters at Sailorman in Ft. Lauderdale.

    The moral of this story is: If you leave your seastairs attaced to your boat all thentime, or if, like me, you simply lay them on the dock when you leave the boat, be sure to remove the casters at least every two months and grease both the shafts and the receivers.
    Bill Root, USCG 100 Ton Master, Near Coastal
    MV BUFFALO GAL
    1988 54' MY

  2. #2

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    your going to need to use s torch.

    JM
    GLORY Hull # 365
    Northport, NY

  3. #3

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    Quote Originally Posted by Glory View Post
    your going to need to use s torch.

    JM
    Tried that - torch with MAP gas...no joy. Like Bill said, at some point, after you've tried everything, they have to be bored out by a machine shop.
    Ang
    1980 58MY "Sanctuary"
    www.sanctuarycharteryacht.com

  4. #4

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    Map Is not hot enough, you will need use an acetylene torch.

    JM
    GLORY Hull # 365
    Northport, NY

  5. #5

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    Wouldn't an acetylene torch damage or destroy the aluminum receivers the caster shafts fit into?
    Bill Root, USCG 100 Ton Master, Near Coastal
    MV BUFFALO GAL
    1988 54' MY

  6. #6

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    Not if your carefull.

    JM
    GLORY Hull # 365
    Northport, NY

  7. #7

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    I agree it can be done with an OA torch but be VERY careful with AL. AL when heated with OA due to the temp involved can go from being a solid piece of AL to a puddle of AL with literally no warning at all. There is a very slight color change first but it can be quite subtle and the time between the color shift and liquid AL is a matter of a couple of seconds if that.

    I don't see any reason to explain the embarrassing details of how I know this!
    Mike P
    San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Kent Island MD; San Antonio TX
    1980 53MY "Brigadoon"

  8. #8

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    As Mike , and my mom used to say, stay out of the puddles!

    JM
    GLORY Hull # 365
    Northport, NY

  9. #9

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    If you have Seastairs with the old steel casters, get the new Marquipt stainless casters to replace your old ones before they rust in place. Marquipts finally realized how stupid they had been to use steel casters for saltwater applications and fixed it. I guess it took a long time looking in the mirror to see how stupid they had been.

  10. #10

    Re: Removing stuck seastair casters

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Root View Post
    I spent the better part of a day trying to get the stuck casters off the MARQUIT seastairs. These casters have a 0.801" solid steel shaft with a slot around the circumference near the top. There is a steel ring in that slot that is designed to create tension in the receiver to hold the casters in place. I soaked the casters in PB Blaster, rapped on them with a hammer and even tried heat on the shaft receivers. Like Angela mentioned in her post, I got nothing, not even a slight movement. I decided to cut them off.

    First step was to cut a slot in the bearing race to let the ball bearings fall out. That allowed me to get a sawzall blade into the slot between the bearing races to cut the 3/4" solid steel shaft. I actually managed to cut through all four caster shafts using only two sawzall metal-cutting blades from ACE Hardware.

    Once I had cut through the shafts and remopved the casters I still had the cut off shafts stuck in their female receivers. I thought I could soak them in PB Blaster, heat them and then use an easyout to remove them. NO SUCH LUCK! Even after soaking for a day and using heat I was bending the receivers before I got any movement from the shafts. I gave up before I did any damage to the step, removed it and took it to my local machine shop where they bored out all four shafts for $80. Better than ruining a step. I found new steel casters at Sailorman in Ft. Lauderdale.

    The moral of this story is: If you leave your seastairs attaced to your boat all thentime, or if, like me, you simply lay them on the dock when you leave the boat, be sure to remove the casters at least every two months and grease both the shafts and the receivers.
    i too had a prob with casters. i socked em for days. ended up drilling the top sides and knocking them out with a drift punch. 1/4 in i think. hey they weren't new anyway..

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