T&T: Shaft Coupling

[Albin43SDtr]

'Lo All,

>...When I opened the engine room hatch water was rushing in.  Found 
>a major gusher
>coming from the packing box and no shaft.  Was able to put a tapered plug in
>place to stop the water flow and let the pumps catch up.......  Over 
>I went in our nice muddy bayou water
>to try find the prop and shaft.  Found the shaft and prop which had backed out
>and apparently stopped when one of the anodes hung it up at the strut.

Many folks place the prop shaft zinc onto the shaft just forward of 
the strut to keep the shaft from exiting the shaft log. Placement of 
the zinc is a little more critical if your shaft has a dripless 
bearing, but, again if the zinc is just a little ways ahead of the 
strut, it cannot come out of the log. Most folks that use this 
"trick" set the zinc so that the shaft can come cleanly out of the 
coupling to keep it from ruining the shaft and coupling (by spinning 
the shaft in the coupling), and still keep it from exitting the shaft 
log or letting the prop hit the rudder.