After my struggles with the Allen bolts in the prop shaft clamp a year or two ago, I wasn't looking forward to this. At the time I gave them a good soak in WD40, and this seems to have penetrated - I got them out fairly easily this time.
I didn't realise that there were also two grub screws in one side of the clamp until a friend specualated that there might be ... they were pretty well disguised with rust and dirt.
I opened the clamp using a couple of chisels which I cut down and modified for the job:
The biggest problem, in the end, was dealing with the key in the shaft at the inboard end. This was made of stainless steel, and I couldn't get it out. Access is very difficult.
In the end, I had to grind it off - this was scary and took a lot of preparation (wooden blocks, a hose to wet things down, a handy fire extinguisher...).
Once I removed the Cutless bearing, I could draw the shaft past the skeg on the starboard side. It was a bit of a squeeze.
The engine and shaft are slightly swung to starboard to make this possible. Otherwise, the engine would have to come out to draw the shaft.
I was disappointed to find that my (fairly new) Cutless bearing was quite worn and that the shaft was also worn in the same area. Somehow, the water wasn't getting into the bearing?
This will need some thought. I'm getting a new shaft made - I'm worried about the pitting I saw earlier, and also now by the wear.
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